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Trip Planner: Asia / Vietnam / Hanoi / Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison, Hanoi

4.2

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Nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by U.S. soldiers during the Vietnam War, Hoa Lo Prison has seen generations of Vietnamese revolutionaries who fought against French colonialists. The prison was built by the French in 1896. By the 1930s, nearly 2,000 political prisoners were incarcerated in the cells originally constructed to hold no more than 450 inmates--in fact, hundreds of prisoners broke away over the years through the sewage system. During the 1990s, most of the prison was torn down, leaving only the gatehouse for the museum. See the notorious French guillotine, a ghastly relic of French colonial presence in Indochina. The exhibits include U.S. Senator John McCain's flight suit, which he wore when he was shot down and rescued by locals in 1967. Find out how to plan Hanoi trip without stress by asking Klarna Trips to help create an itinerary.

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Tours to Hoa Lo Prison

FROM $5 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Walking Tour of Hanoi City Private Walking Tour of Hanoi City

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FROM $5 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Guided Tour of Hanoi Private Guided Tour of Hanoi

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FROM $5 BOOK WITH VIATOR Private Food Adventure Through Hanoi Old Quarter Private Food Adventure Through Hanoi Old Quarter

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FROM $32 BOOK WITH VIATOR Hanoi City Small Group Tour and Water Puppet Show Hanoi City Small Group Tour and Water Puppet Show

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FROM $45 BOOK WITH VIATOR Retro Hop-on-hop-off Bonbon City Tour: Family Classic Package Retro Hop-on-hop-off Bonbon City Tour: Family Classic Package

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FROM $100 BOOK WITH VIATOR Full-Day Hanoi City Private Car Charter Full-Day Hanoi City Private Car Charter

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FROM $71 BOOK WITH VIATOR Ha Noi Private city tour and water puppet private tour Ha Noi Private city tour and water puppet private tour

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Hoa Lo Prison reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating

10,673 reviews

Google

4.4

By Ali07London

An interesting place to visit with lots of history. It is worth visiting to get more of the history of the country. It helps you to understand the war time not just the war against the Americans...

An interesting place to visit with lots of history. It is worth visiting to get more of the history of the country. It helps you to understand the war time not just the war against the Americans... more »
By Venture11626227995

Impressive and a must see as long as people understand that 1964 - 1973 period is 100 % propaganda narrative! For example a statement that US prisoners of war had more food than they could eat is...

Impressive and a must see as long as people understand that 1964 - 1973 period is 100 % propaganda narrative! For example a statement that US prisoners of war had more food than they could eat is... more »
By Sewpersads

Visited the Hoa Lo Prison during a city tour of Hanoi. Commonly known as Hanoi Hilton. Historic prison where political prisoners were kept during the French colonisation and the American/Vietnam war..... more

Visited the Hoa Lo Prison during a city tour of Hanoi. Commonly known as Hanoi Hilton. Historic prison where political prisoners were kept during the French colonisation and the American/Vietnam war..... more »

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By Nhi Nguyen

Entrance fee was very cheap. When enter, you have the choice of getting a tour guide, listening to the audio guide, or just freely explore on your own accord. I chose to listen to the audio! The history is amazing. They actually map out a route that would take you through a decent line of story. The experience and stories from past prisoners are tragic, and it broke my heart listening and seeing the inside. There was a memorial where visitors can go in the put incense in memories of the heroes. I appreciate the people who got locked up/received death sentences while fighting for the independence of the country I was born and raised in 🤍 I had to take off 1 star because there was only one restroom...

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By Vicky Adams

This was the first thing we did in Hanoi and I really enjoyed it. You do have to pay to go in but it's not expensive (30,000 VND per person). So much history and old artifacts to see here, it's very fascinating. Also pretty horrifying to read what went on there and see the conditions in which the prisoners lived. Awful but extremely interesting. Everything was in English too so easy to follow. Definitely worth a visit.

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By John Dean

Prices: 30k entrance fee, 100k for audio tour. Do the audio tour, it will help with you understand the history of the prison better. There are signs next to the pictures/exhibits but the audio tour is more detailed. Prison museums can be depressing, but despite its dark past the Hoa Lo Prison is not a super heavy pill to swallow. You’ll leave respecting and understanding the Vietnamese spirit a bit more after visiting this Relic.

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By Julia “Ozmanda” Usher

This museum is a must in my opinion. Definitely spend the money on the audio guide, it was fascinating to see the prison while listening to the stories of ex-prisoners. It is a big (took us 2 hours) and well-organised exhibition that is worth going to. When raining, they even provide umbrellas for when you move between the buildings. We paid approx. 100K per person incl. audio guide. Very good value for money.

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By Ryan P

learnt a lot about the history of this prison and it’s inhabitants. It’s really insightful and informative. Good place to learn the suffering of the people and history lesson. Good to rent the audio guide to get more details as you walk around the prison. Ticket prices is 30k for adults and kids below 15 is free (as of dec 2022)

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