During our tour of Hanoi we visited Hoa Lo Prison, better known as the “Hanoi Hilton,” that held American POWs during the Vietnam War. Before the Vietnam War, the French had used the same facility for incarcerating Vietnamese dissidents.
The museum at Hoa Lo is mostly devoted to the French period. It emphasizes the suffering of Vietnamese political prisoners who advocated for national independence.
A large part of Hoa Lo was razed several years ago to make way for a new residential building. It creates an interesting contrast.
After Hoa Lo we stopped at the Army Museum. Pat and Mike take a look at a photo of a Vietnamese girl dragging part of the wreckage of an American plane.
Vietnam, Past and Present 