Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi – the traumatic traces of history

Hoa Lo 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 prison was never a very successful prison, and hundreds escaped its walls over the years – many squeezing out through sewer grates.

Night in Hoa Lo Prison's Gate
Night in Hoa Lo Prison’s Gate

What you see of the present-day Hoa Lo Prison is actually only the small southern section of the entire prison complex back in the day; most of the prison was demolished in the mid-1990s to make way for the Hanoi Towers, a shiny office and hotel complex so steeped in capitalism it would have horrified Ho Chi Minh.

What you see of the present-day Hoa Lo Prison is actually only the small southern section
What you see of the present-day Hoa Lo Prison is actually only the small southern section

Nothing prepares you for how creepy Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi, Vietnam can be. A visit to the “Hanoi Hilton” can inspire sorrow, disgust, and, depending on your politics, different flavors of outrage.

Detained prisoners and shackles in large detention centers
Detained prisoners and shackles in large detention centers

Prisoners in Hoa Lo prison were shackled to the floor and were often beaten by the guards. The “E” stockade (pictured above) housed political prisoners, who were cuffed in a seating position and arranged in two rows. A latrine stands at one end of the stockade, in full view of other prisoners.

Vietnamese prisoners of war were brutally tortured
Vietnamese prisoners of war were brutally tortured

Nevertheless, the Prison is worth a visit, if only to experience the colonial experience as the Vietnamese see fit to tell it, and guess at the stories untold by the silent walls and shackles on prominent display. Walking Through the Present-Day Hanoi Hilton.

Vietnamese prisoners of war were brutally tortured 2
Vietnamese prisoners in Hoa Lo prison of war were brutally tortured 2
Shackles that prisoners use for prisoners
Shackles that prisoners use for prisoners 

If you do not want to see the scary of the prison can visit The imperial citadel of Thang Long.

The sculpture wall describes the life of the prisoner
The sculpture wall describes the life of the prisoner 

hellovietnam24h.com

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