Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the ‘Hanoi Hilton’ was initially used as a prison by the French colonialists for political prisoners and later on for U.S. Prisoners of War. Now, the Hoa Lo Prison Museum is used as a building to display the original gruesome guillotine room, the male and female prisoner’s quarters and the American interrogation room.

The prison was mostly demolished in the mid-1990s. What stands now is the 25-story Somerset Grand Hanoi apartment building and the commercial complex with the original French colonial walls.

Hoa Lo translates to “fiery furnace,” and the prison was often overcrowded, holding more than 2,000 people by the 1930’s. Later on, American POWs sarcastically called the prison the Hanoi Hilton, as it was claimed that conditions in the prison were relatable to a hotel compared to the awful fighting conditions outside. The prison itself was an unsuccessful one, as many prisoners escaped its walls throughout the years.

Visiting the prison today you’ll find propaganda, such as pictures of Americans shooting pool, raising chickens and gardening. You’ll also find various American pilot’s flight suits and photograph displays of those who were detained during the war in Hoa Lo.