The Maison Centrale gate
The original entrance of the French prison.
CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China — CC0 · Richard Mortel from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia — CC BY 2.0 · Public domain
A prison the French built in the heart of Hanoi between 1896 and 1901 and called «Maison Centrale», where thousands of Vietnamese opponents of colonial rule were held, some of whom later became the country's leaders. Its Vietnamese name, Hoa Lo, means «stove», after the clay stoves the neighbourhood was known for before the prison was built. From 1964 to 1973 it held American airmen shot down over North Vietnam, who sarcastically called it «the Hanoi Hilton». The best known of them was John McCain, later a US senator, whose flight suit is on display. Most of the prison was demolished in 1993-1994 to make way for two high-rise towers. The front wing and its gate survive as a museum, showing the cells, shackles and the French guillotine, and telling the story of the prisoners in the colonial period and in the war years. The visit is moving and some exhibits are harrowing; allow one to two hours. The prison is about a 15-minute walk from Hoan Kiem Lake.
The original entrance of the French prison.
Conditions in the colonial era.
Among the American POW exhibits.
1 Hoa Lo Street, Hoan Kiem District
Hoan Kiem LakeA small lake at the edge of Hanoi's Old Quarter, and the city's best-known landm9 minutes walk4.6
Ngoc Son TempleA small temple on Jade Island at the northern end of Hoan Kiem Lake, reached acr11 minutes walk4.5
Temple of LiteratureVietnam's oldest seat of learning: a temple to Confucius founded in 1070, joined15 minutes walk4.5
Imperial Citadel of Thang LongFor centuries the heart of power in Vietnam: the Ly dynasty founded its capital,16 minutes walk4.3
Ho Chi Minh MausoleumA massive marble mausoleum holding the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh, leader of t22 minutes walk4.6It is the sarcastic nickname given by the American airmen held there between 1964 and 1973, and it became the prison's best-known name in the West.