Hỏa Lò Prison
Nhà tù Hỏa Lò
A prison built during French colonial rule that held American pilots during the Vietnam War and was nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton".
Hỏa Lò Prison was built by the French colonial government in 1896 to hold Vietnamese revolutionaries. Its cramped cells, leg irons and guillotine show the brutality of the colonial period. During the Vietnam War, the prison held American pilots shot down over North Vietnam, who nicknamed it the "Hanoi Hilton". The flight jacket of the late US Senator John McCain is also on display. Most of the prison has been demolished to make way for high-rise buildings, and the preserved southern section has been turned into a museum, with exhibits that mainly present the Vietnamese perspective. A ticket is required. A visit takes about 1 hour, and there are occasional night guided tours. It is located in the French Quarter, about 15 minutes' walk from Hoan Kiem Lake.
Opening hours
08:00–17:00
Nearby sights
- Hanoi Train Street
- St. Joseph's Cathedral
- Vietnamese Women's Museum
- Hoan Kiem Lake
- Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre
- Hanoi Old Quarter
- Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long
- Tạ Hiện Beer Street