An inmate at Thu Duc Prison, located about three hours outside Ho Chi Minh City, performing hard labour in southern Vietnam’s intense midday heat. Photos: Chris Humphrey/dpa
Punishing forced labour, a litany of torture accusations, zero contact with family outside the country: Such preconceptions are the norm for Vietnam’s prisons, yet actually setting foot inside one reveals a bizarre new reality.
On a recent visit to Thu Duc Prison, around three hours outside Ho Chi Minh City, nobody could remember such an event ever occurring before – a delegation of foreign reporters allowed to enter inside the nation’s secretive prison system and speak directly to inmates.
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An inmate at Thu Duc Prison, located about three hours outside Ho Chi Minh City, performing hard labour in southern Vietnam’s intense midday heat. Photos: Chris Humphrey/dpa
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
A police officer walks across a courtyard in front of one of the prison's main buildings.
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
Two police officers walk past a wine rack in a restaurant built by prisoners and used by officials.
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
Lieutenant General Ho Thanh Dinh presented journalists who visited Thu Duc Prison with a gift; a label reads "Fine arts made by prisoners."
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
An outside section of a restaurant built by prisoners overlooks a lake.
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
A police officer walks towards a group of inmates completing construction of a new building located within the prison grounds.
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
A replica of Singapore's famous Merlion spouts water into one of many lakes that appear across the prison's expansive grounds.
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
The exact reason why there are crocodiles within the prison grounds remains a mystery.
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
Lieutenant General Ho Thanh Dinh, the director of Vietnam's national prison system, meets international journalists in Thu Duc Prison.
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
Various animal statues are among the oddities dotted around Thu Duc Prison.
Labour, crocodiles and Lolita: Life inside a Vietnamese prison
