Hoa Lo Prison Reviews (Hanoi, Vietnam)

The Hanoi Hilton

Gravesend, United Kingdom

October 24, 2009

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Best of IgoUgo Hoa Lo Prison Hanoi.Hoa Lo prison otherwise known as The Hanoi Hilton was a prison built by the French in 1886 to house political prisoners during their occupation of Vietnam. Often they were tortured and executed there within the grounds of the ...Read more Hoa Lo Prison Hanoi.

Hoa Lo prison otherwise known as The Hanoi Hilton was a prison built by the French in 1886 to house political prisoners during their occupation of Vietnam. Often they were tortured and executed there within the grounds of the prison.
The prison is quite small initially holding around 400 prisoners it was expanded in 1913 to hold 600 but actually in reality it packed in more normally anywhere between 700 to 895 prisoners in 1916 however it was topped during the 2nd World War by holding 2000 prisoners both international and ethnic prisoners especially South Vietnamese.

Prisoners were held either in solitary confinement or in dormitories where they would be shackled together on a raised platform bed which sloped downwards at the foot. Diseases such as dysentery and Malaria were rife among the prisoners along with little medical attention given if at all.

The American prisoners of war were held in a separate wing and kept apart from the other prison population. The first American Prisoner of war was an airman called Everett Alverez.. Many prisoners died before the Vietnamese were able to execute them either through torture or illnesses. The Vietnamese denied any torture took place citing the American prisoners themselves have knick named it the Hanoi Hilton as the accommodation is as comfortable as a hotel. They were not granted any civil rights as deemed a requirement of the Geneva convention but Vietnam had never signed up to it they claimed it didn’t apply to them.

The ways they tortured the prisoners were numerous. Sleep deprivation, beatings water torture, whipping and slapping, bones broken and teeth knocked out. The Vietnamese were trying to get the prisoners to make statements saying they were being well treated and that the American invasion was wrong, Food was in short supply and what food they were given was often contaminated with faeces both animal and human, Methods of execution included the guillotine which was used in the prison and is still there preserved to this day, Of course the guillotine was the most favoured method of execution by the French and was mainly used on Vietnamese prisoners. Both men and women were held in the prison but were segregated.

The prison is situated in the centre of Hanoi and prisoners were able to call out to passing people sometimes food or drugs were thrown over the walls for the inmates but as you can imagine penalty’s were harsh even leading to imprisonment and execution. There are new modern tall buildings surrounding and towering over what little remains of it. Most of the prison was demolished to make way for these buildings including a new Hotel. What little part is left has been preserved as a museum. The Vietnamese do however still insist that they treated the prisoners well and there are pictures of prisoners there showing the prisoners playing pool. However there were several prisoners who following their release told a completely different story. A film has been made of the Hanoi Hilton in fact the hotel chain did build a Hotel in Hanoi eventually but named it after the opera house.

Along the back wall of the prison there is a relief carved into the walls to those who lost their lives in the prison there has also been a film made about the conditions in the Hanoi Hilton,

It is quite interesting a place to visit.
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From journal Vietnam a Fairly New Holiday Destination. Go before the Masses

Scary Scenes of War: HOA LO PRISON

by bettybetty10

Dallas, Texas

July 17, 2008

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Best of IgoUgo The Hoa Lo Prison, or more commonly known as the Hanoi Hilton, is a stark glimpse into the jail that both Vietnamese and American soldiers were locked up in during various wars. Of course, the primary focus is on how the Vietnamese captives were ...Read more The Hoa Lo Prison, or more commonly known as the Hanoi Hilton, is a stark glimpse into the jail that both Vietnamese and American soldiers were locked up in during various wars. Of course, the primary focus is on how the Vietnamese captives were tortured and locked up in horrible, inhumane conditions by the French. Towards the end, there is a section on the treatment of American soldiers in the jail.

You walk through various parts of the jail – and you can see the actual cells in which prisoners were kept. It’s all concrete and very musty, and it really gives a creepy vibe. It’s definitely NOT a happy place. They’ve also placed concrete human figures to demonstrate how they were locked up and to emphasize the size of the cells (very small!). There are lots of graphic descriptions and photographs that speak to the torture and the horrible conditions of the jail. There is even a real life guillotine!

As mentioned, there is a section that speaks to the treatment of American soldiers while in the jail. It is obviously all propaganda and somewhat amusing and appalling at the same time. They state that despite the poor economy of Vietnam at the time of the American War, the American prisoners were offered the best of what the government could offer. There are many panels featuring photos of these prisoners doing arts and crafts, playing volleyball, getting weekly physical checkups, cooking Christmas dinner, and more. The American prisoners actually look ridiculously happy in every single photo! I’m sure they were all staged, but it is really interesting to observe. There are even some photos of John McCain, visiting the prison many years after his release.

I found the Hanoi Hilton very interesting and while I didn’t agree with everything in the museum, it definitely gave me some perspective. Even if you’re not a history or war buff, I think you would find this museum very intriguing!
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From journal Quirky but Delicious Hanoi

Hoa Lo Prison

by Ishtar

Bayside, New York

May 2, 2005

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Best of IgoUgo Hoa Lo means coal oven; this prison was also known as "Maison Centrale" in 1901, when the French built it. During the American War, it acquired the name of "Hanoi Hilton". Interestingly, in 1954 and prior to 1965, the citizens of Hanoi used the ...Read more

From journal Chao Ban Vietnam!!

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