Historic site

Hoa Lo Prison

212 locals recommend,

Tips from locals

Sunny
September 7, 2022
This thought-provoking site is all that remains of the former Hoa Lo Prison, ironically nicknamed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by US prisoners of war (POWs) during the American War. Most exhibits relate to the prison’s use up to the mid-1950s, focusing on the Vietnamese struggle for independence from France. A gruesome relic is the ominous French guillotine, used to behead Vietnamese revolutionaries. There are also displays focusing on the American pilots who were incarcerated at Hoa Lo during the American War. These pilots include Pete Peterson (the first US ambassador to a unified Vietnam in 1995) and Senator John McCain (the Republican nominee for the US presidency in 2008). McCain’s flight suit is displayed, along with a photograph of Hanoi locals rescuing him from Truc Bach Lake after being shot down in 1967. The vast prison complex was built by the French in 1896. Originally intended to house around 450 inmates, records indicate that by the 1930s there were close to 2000 prisoners. Hoa Lo was never a very successful prison, and hundreds escaped its walls over the years – many squeezing out through sewer grates. Polyglots might notice that the French signs are watered down compared with the English equivalents. The name 'Hoa Lo' means' 'stove' or 'furnace'. Most of the prison was demolished in the 1990s and high-rises (including the Somerset Grand Hanoi) and other developments were built upon its land, though the section in a corner of the plot containing the museum survives.
This thought-provoking site is all that remains of the former Hoa Lo Prison, ironically nicknamed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by US prisoners of war (POWs) during the American War. Most exhibits relate to the prison’s use up to the mid-1950s, focusing on the Vietnamese struggle for independence from France.…
Khánh
June 1, 2022
Opening hours: 8:00 - 17:00
Linh
May 26, 2022
Hoa Lo prison is a famous historical monument in Vietnam built in 1896 by the French colonialists. Address: 1 Hoa Lo street
Rose
July 30, 2019
This thought-provoking site is all that remains of the former Hoa Lo Prison, ironically nicknamed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by US prisoners of war during the American War. Most exhibits relate to the prison’s use up to the mid-1950s, focusing on the Vietnamese struggle for independence from France. A gruesome relic is the ominous French guillotine, used to behead Vietnamese revolutionaries. There are also displays focusing on the American pilots who were incarcerated at Hoa Lo during the American War.
This thought-provoking site is all that remains of the former Hoa Lo Prison, ironically nicknamed the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ by US prisoners of war during the American War. Most exhibits relate to the prison’s use up to the mid-1950s, focusing on the Vietnamese struggle for independence from France. A grues…
Ivy & TA
August 31, 2018
Hoa Lo Prison is a Vietnamese museum that serves as a sobering reminder of the horrors of war, as well as a memorial to those who lost their lives during some of the most tragic periods in Vietnamese history. Infamously known as the "Hanoi Hilton", the prison was originally built to contain political prisoners during the French occupation of Vietnam, and was later used by the North Vietnamese during the Vietnam War.
Hoa Lo Prison is a Vietnamese museum that serves as a sobering reminder of the horrors of war, as well as a memorial to those who lost their lives during some of the most tragic periods in Vietnamese history. Infamously known as the "Hanoi Hilton", the prison was originally built to contain politica…

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Location
1 Hoả Lò
Hà Nội