the way it was being operated. There is some brief information in The Black Book of Communism which describes the conditions of the prison as extremely bad. The prison is also infamous for its high security. It is considered to be a prison from which the prisoners can never break out of. However, there have been two successful prison breaks in the past: the first one occurred in 1945 when the Viet Minh took the advantage of the defeat of Japan in World War II to attack and free its members who were jailed in an incomplete and ill-guarded Chi Hoa prison. And the second one was the prison break of the infamous Vietnamese robber Phuoc Tam Ngon (Phuoc the eight-finger) in 1995 when he managed to break his fetters and evade the security forces in a prison break which Vietnamese police described as "an unbelievable prison break". Notable prisoners Pre-1975 Because of its security, many politicians and military personnel were jailed in this prison. The following is a partial list of some recorded famous people who have been jailed in Chi Hoa Prison: Lam Sơn, ROV general Ngô Đình Cẩn, politician Nguyễn Tường Tam, writer Nguyễn Văn Trỗi, NLF member Phan Khắc Sửu, politician Trần Ngọc Châu, politician Trương Đình Dzũ, politician Võ Thị Sáu, Martyrdom Vũ Hồng Khanh, politician Vũ Vũ Gia, ROV general Post-1975 After the end of Vietnam War, the new government kept operating the prison. Many famous people have been jailed here. Here is an incomplete list of these people Phuoc Tam Ngon, famous Vietnamese robber Phan Huy Quát, ROV politician See also Côn Đảo Prison References Prisoner-of-war camps Vietnam War sites Vietnam War prisoner of war camps Torture in Vietnam Buildings and structures in Ho Chi Minh City Prisons in Vietnam