Ma Thien Lanh bridge is situated on the edge way ofa mountain in Con Dao center. Visitors can walk or travel by car to visit the Ma Thien Lanh Bridge. This is place the French had taken prisoners as slave to open the road which service for monitoring prisoners from escapingand logging woods.
Ma Thien Lanh Bridge was built in 1930. French colonists opened the road from the junction of Nui Chua and Ong Dung Beach to exploit trees, rocks that servicefor construction prison systems, public buildings … and set controlling points to prevent from prisoners’escape.
Prisoners work in hard conditions such as very steep terrain, food shortages or famine, very toxic mineral water, fallen by trees or rocks, hard labor, beating and press of prison guards… There were about 356 people died when they finished two abutments(this figure is calculated by the prisoners).
Ma Thien Lanh is the name of two unfinished bridge abutments which were built by blood and bones of hundreds of prisoners. Since then the prisoners have taken Ma Thien Lanh, a mountain in Korea with evil terrain, difficult to climb up and down, adapting the story vessel “Tiet Nhan Quy Goes to the East” named for the bridge.
Those daysprisoner also composed the song “Ma Thien Lanh Bridge”to denounce the French colonial regime who banished the prisoners with extremely brutal ways,
Translate, meaning:
Who walked past, who walked past Ma Thien Lanh bridge,
Please stop to see the nation’s animosity.
Due to the brutal enemy created.
Who looks but do not sulk,
Who does not feel resentment and hatred against the French after listening to.
French troops, French troops is a species of vultures,
Cause animosity that still remained after a thousand of years,
Quickly stand up, quickly stand up patriotic citizens,
To kill common enemy, to lead our race
To get out of the mud and distressed scene
How much blood and bones in prison that caused resentment, resulting in a constant feud through a thousand years.
After the Augustrevolution in 1945 succeeded, this project was discontinued up to now.
Ma Thien Lanh bridge was especially recognized as the nation’s special important relic byMinistry of Culture – Information with Decision No. 54-VHQD on 29th April 1979. It was also recognized as the nation’s particular relic by the Prime Minister with decision No.548 / QD-TTg on 10th May 2012.
