This historical prison with an eerie name, which translates as "a fiery furnace," was built by the French in 1869 for political prisoners who opposed the French authorities in Vietnam. The nickname "Hanoi-Hilton" prison received during the Vietnam War from captive American pilots, who were imprisoned here by the authorities of North Vietnam. Since the 1990s. the prison no longer functions as a place of confinement: now it is a tourist site and a museum.

The prison was built with the estimate of about 450 prisoners and was called "Hoa-Lo" in fact named after the street; and the street, in turn, for a large number of stores that traded wood stoves in pre-colonial times . The French called the prison located near the French quarter of Hanoi, Maison Centrale, Central House . Renovation of 1913 . increased the capacity of the prison to 600 but still it was always overcrowded . By 1954 . in prison in inhuman conditions more than two thousand were kept .prisoners, and this sinister building became a symbol of the colonial exploitation and suffering of the Vietnamese under the yoke of the French . After the independence of Vietnam in 1954 . the prison was not used, but was maintained in good condition in memory of its historical significance .

From the very beginning, the conditions of detention of Americans in prison, including unsanitary conditions, poor food and physical torture, were creepy, where the sarcastic name "Hanoi-Hilton" came from.

The first American captive, shot down, was imprisoned in 1964. From the very beginning chala conditions of Americans in the prison, including poor sanitation, poor nutrition and physical torture were terrible, how sarcastic and took the name "Hanoi Hilton". The prison was also used after the US POWs were released under a peace agreement for internal purposes.

Hoa-Lo prison (English subtitles)

In the mid-1990s, . prison was dismantled, and today its place is two high-rise buildings and a shopping center . And in the preserved part of the prison a museum was opened . The main part of the museum exposition belongs to the colonial period: there is even a room with a guillotine and other original equipment . At the exhibition dedicated to American prisoners of war , you can see natu for interrogation (the "blue room") and the premises where the prisoners were held . It is curious that, despite the memories of the American prisoners about the extremely cruel treatment, if you believe the exposition, the prison really reminded the hotel . In the photos the prisoners are playing chess, take care of the garden, play soccer, play and grow chickens . Vietnam side still denies the ill-treatment of prisoners .

Formally speaking, American prisoners of war were not considered prisoners of war, as the US did not declare war on Vietnam.

H The most famous of all prisoners who were in Hanoi-Hilton was John McCain, a veteran of the Vietnam War who spent more than five years in Hoa-Lo. Upon his return, he was elected to the senators and participated in the presidential elections in 2008, losing to Barack Obama. Among the exhibits of the museum you can see his pilot's suit, parachute and ammunition

Practical information

Address: st. Hoa-Lo, 1 (Ha Noi, Hoan Kiem, Tran Hung Dao, Hoa Lo)

The prison is located in the center of Hanoi, halfway between the railway station and the Lake of the Returned Sword.

Working time: from 8:00 to 11:00 and from 13:30 to 16:30 every day.

Entrance: 5000 VND (2013).