Hanoi's Hoa Lo Prison has had a century-long history as a barbaric torture center, first when the French colonized Vietnam in the first half of the twentieth century and secondly during the Vietnam War. From the museum's outrageously biased propagandist tone, however, you would think that its Vietnam War nickname of the "Hanoi Hilton" was quite literal. The museum shows hundreds of photos of American POWs playing cards, basketball, volleyball plus cooking, celebrating Christmas, and exchanging presents with security guards. Captions describe the terrific living conditions within the prison walls, making it almost seem like summer camp.
Despite the biased tone, the museum is fascinating and horrifying. All the original cells, torture equipment, and guillotine are still intact. As the exhibits mostly focus on French colonization, it paints a bleak picture of the struggles of the Vietnamese to gain some semblance of sovereignty over a period of 100 years.
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| John McCain flight suit |
Note: Images from Elaine and Google
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