Experts' Choice Award Hoa Lo Prison
What the experts agree on
The remaining "Hanoi Hilton" prison museum documents a brutal colonial and Cold War history—French-built for Vietnamese prisoners, later infamous for American POWs during Vietnam War, now a thought-provoking cultural landmark with preserved cells and
“This thought-provoking site is all that remains of the former Hoa Lo Prison.”
– Lonely Planet
Concierge "About two thirds of the infamous "Hanoi Hilton" was demolished... but the penitentiary's remaining cells and dungeons were turned into a small, fascinating museum."
Afar Magazine "An important cultural stop while visiting Hanoi." Full review
Fodor's "Originally built by French colonizers to house Vietnamese political prisoners, Hoa Lo prison later held American prisoners of war." Full review
Atlas Obscura "The notorious "Hanoi Hilton" where Vietnamese colonial subjects and later American POWs, including John McCain, were imprisoned. " Full review
Frommer's "US prisoners-of-war here dubbed it the "Hanoi Hilton," an ironic comment on the terrible conditions that they had to endure." Full review
Frommer's "For sheer gruesome atmosphere alone, this ranks near the top of the must-see list..iIt was subsequently used to house prisoners of war. From 1964 to 1973, it was a major POW detention facility" Full review
CNN "Travelers to Hanoi who want to learn more about the war era can also visit the Hoa Lo Prison, where American prisoners of war — including, famously, the late Senator John McCain — were..."
National Geographic "Built in the late 1800s by the French colonial government to hold Vietnamese prisoners, Hoa Lo would later house American POWs, who referred to it as the Hanoi Hilton. Part of the prison..."
Independent "Grim but absorbing, Hoa Lo was originally a French prison built in 1896 to house Vietnamese prisoners. Only a small section of it remains, but it's enough to display gruesome examples of..."
10 things to do in Hanoi
January 16, 2020
Condé Nast Traveler "A short walk south brings you to the Hoa Lo Prison Museum, a sobering landmark that tells Hanoi's 20th-century story from French colonial rule to the Vietnam War through haunting cells and photogrhs"
