Hoa Lo Prison aka Hanoi Hilton

There isn't much of the Hoa Lo Prison left, most of it was torn down to make apartments, but a small front portion remains that is now a museum.

The name Hoa Lo came from the name of the street it was built on. The French referred to it as Maison Centrale. The Americans nicknamed it the Hanoi Hilton.

Jagged bits of broken glass line the top of the walls all around.

Most of the museum is dedicated to the horrific conditions that Vietnamese politicial prisoners were subjected to during the French occupation of Indochina as they fought for freedom.
 

There are stories of mistreatment and overcrowding, torture, starvation, illness and deaths.

One floor had an exhibit about some of the more well known freedom fighters that were held in the prison, many in solitary confinement.

But, in contrast, the American pilots were treated impeccably by their Vietnamese jailers when held there. They were all extremely happy and healthy and learned about and grew to love Vietnamese culture.

It was pretty much exactly as I was expecting.