19 December, Hanoi
Old Quarter Cyclo Hotel
275,000VND
Dubbed the Hanoi Hilton by imprisoned US airmen,
the Hoa Lo Prison was built by the French during the late-1880s to house
political prisoners agitating for independence from colonial rule. Intended to
hold 600, by 1954 Hoa Lo held 2000 in inhumane conditions, becoming a symbol of
colonialist exploitation. Vietnamese prisoners were often subject to torture
and execution by the French, and dioramas and sculptures at the museum
partially capture these horrors. In a letter to friends after our 2009 visit to
Vietnam, I wrote: “Beware propaganda in Vietnam. While French and American
atrocities are well-documented, no mention at all is made of communist
atrocities and very few of South Vietnamese atrocities.” The Hoa Lo Prison
Museum does a good job of pretending American prisoners were well-treated
during their tenure when in fact they were routinely tortured. Disappointing.
Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi
Hanoi
Coffee with condensed milk
Hoa Lo Prison Museum
Hoa Lo Prison Museum
Hoa Lo Prison Museum
Hoa Lo Prison Museum
Hoa Lo Prison Museum
St Joseph's Cathedral - Hanoi
Hanoi Old Quarter