The largest island of the Con Dao archipelago is Con Son, off the coast of southern Vietnam. The island is also known after its Malay name as Poulo Condore, this name being well-known during the times of French Indochina. In 16 June 1702, British East India Company founded a settlement on the island of Pulo Condor off the south coast of southern Vietnam, and in 2 March 1705 the garrison and settlement were destroyed. In 1861, the French colonial government established a prison on the island to house political prisoners. In 1954, it was turned over to the South Vietnamese government who continued to use it for the same purpose. Not far from the prison is Hang Duong Cemetery, where some of the prisoners were buried.