Hoa Lo Prison

A very niche attraction reserved for the memory of the war, if you have the time and are interested in the war, go and see it

The Furnace Prison Museum is a relatively niche attraction reserved to commemorate the brutal war of the year. The whole museum is not very big and you can go and see if you have time and are more interested in that history.

Stepping back in time to a place no one would ever want to end up. Imagine your feet shackled day in day out, no food no bathroom only the screams of your fellow men in the same pain and suffering as you. What did I do to deserve this, why have my captures done this, why why.The only thing to do is escape or face the guillotine.

A very interesting half day trip, we walked around the prison where you learn about the years the American pilots were held here, but that was only a small part of the prison history. Built by the French in the late 1800s, this is where the French have been committing many atrocities against the Vietnamese people for a long time, men and women alike, at the guillotine, one of which is on display. There is a lot of knowledge and history to learn, as well as two incidents in which Vietnamese prisoners escaped from prison through sewers. Not everyone likes history, but it's hard to stay in Vietnam without the relationship to history, some of the exhibits are very serious and some of the descriptions are a bit exaggerated, always communist, half-letter is also enough.

The fire prison museum is also a typical small place here, also a very dark history, the prison show a lot of horror things, is the history of the time restored.

The dark side of Vietnamese history are well preserved at this historical site. Almost leaves you with a chill, but learning about Vietnam war (rather the 'American war') and its government from a different perspective was extremely fascinating.

An important part of Vietnams history. It'll show you the dark sides of French colonialism and the imprisonment of American soldiers during the war.

It’s never nice to visit a prison, but what it does do is give you a real insight into the grizzly history of the city you’re visiting. In the case of Hanoi, the Hoa Lo prison is now a museum which shows a few sections to visitors and the rest is kept kind of under wraps. You can see how prisoners were crammed into the small cells and made to go to the toilet in cave-like places. Not a nice thing to see but if you like learning about the real history, then you’ll feel like you came away with a true sense o how it was during the war

Also known as Hanoi Hilton. Relatively small museum but interesting and a good preview before the museums in Saigon (if you start in Saigon then might not be worth going to this one)