Hỏa Lò Prison (Hanoi Hilton): A Photo Essay

A virtual tour of Hỏa Lò Prison, sarcastically called the “Hanoi Hilton” by American POWs incarcerated and tortured there during the Vietnam War…

*** Warning: Extremely Disturbing Images Below ***

Where is Hỏa Lò Prison?

Hỏa Lò was located in the French Quarter of Hanoi in what was then North Vietnam, now part of a united Vietnam. FYI, Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) is over a thousand miles to the south, as shown below…

Thumbnail History

Hỏa Lò Prison in Hanoi, Vietnam has a history of injustice and barbarism that goes much farther back in time than the Vietnam War. Built by the French between 1896 and 1901 (when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina) in order to incarcerate (and sometime torture and execute) Vietnamese political prisoners, during the Vietnam war it was used by North Vietnam to incarcerate and torture American POWs who sarcastically called it the “Hanoi Hilton“.

I will allow the photographs to speak for themselves and leave you to sort out fact from fiction and objective from subjective truth…

aerial view of hoa lo prison — Aerial view of Hoa Lo Prison (Maison Centrale)

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Prison Entrance

welcome sign in Vietnamese English and French

original prison door — Original prison door.

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Celebrations of Party Loyalty

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History of French Occupation

depiction of French invasion at Da Nang in 1858

French occupiers and Vietnamese prisoners

description of poor quality and limited quantity food rations

relief of brutality and prisoner solidarity during French occupation — Relief of brutality and prisoner solidarity during French occupation.

relief of prison brutality — It is noteworthy that the guards committing such brutality were also Vietnamese.

video capture of victim testimony of French brutality

Maison Central prison uniform — Maison Central (MC) Prison Uniform

photograph and personal information of Le Trung Toan

History of Female Prisoners

old photograph of three female prisoners in stocks

The Guillotine

severed heads of three executed prisoners

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American Involvement in the Vietnam War

Called the “American War” by North Vietnam…

screen capture of video about the 1964 gulf of Tonkin incident — Screen capture of video about the 1964 **Gulf of Tonkin incident**.

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Photos of American POWs

old photo of first American pilots arrested by the North Vietnamese

American POWs being paraded in front of Vietnamese people

American POWs playing basketball and smiling

photo of American POWs playing chess and smiling

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Perspectives on B52 Bombers and Pilots

photograph of two b52 bombers dropping bombs

poster that describes carpet bombing of civilian targets

old photo showing buildings destroyed by American bombing

poster showing photographs of pilots faces superimposed upon the shape of a b52 bomber

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Robert McNamara

Robert McNamara, who was the hawkish U.S. Secretary of Defense during the war, would later write in his 1995 memoir: “We were wrong, terribly wrong. We owe it to future generations to explain why.”