Hanoi Hilton – Jail-Prison Museum

Hanoi Hilton – In the past, prison, now a museum and a popular tourist attraction. The institution has a French version of the name "Maison Centrale". Vietnamese ordered the dungeon choking that translated from Vietnamese means "fire oven" after the formation of two states in Vietnam. Named she was on the name of the street on which he was.

The prison building itself in the 1990s was destroyed. Commercial buildings and residential building in 25 floors increased in her place. Only the guard premises, where the museum placed.

The place is sufficiently sad, depressing, impregnated by the propaganda of inhuman treatment of French colonizers with Vietnamese: The exhibits of the museum demonstrate the terrible conditions for the detention of Vietnamese and a comfortable stay in Hoalo American prisoners. Many tourists visit this establishment for celebrating curiosity, or just to "kill" time.

There is nothing to look at, Impressive visitors except for realistic mannequins of prisoners, exhausted and emaciated, and a real guillotine and several installations.

Museum is oversaturated with photos, video materials. People of unprepared to this landmark will not be delighted. Wounded and emotional visitors to the museum are waiting for oppressive sensations.

How to get to jail Hanoi Hilton

From the center of Hanoi to prison, you need to overcome the distance of about 1.5 km. At a short distance from Hanoi Hilton, there are also other attractions of the capital of Vietnam: 0.8 km – Lake Hoancém, 1.1 km – Literature Temple, 1.8 km – Pagoda on one post, 2km separates prison from the presidential palace. You can print a map on the Internet and walk to the above-mentioned attractions. It will take no more than 20 minutes.

When you can walk around the cameras

Inspect the exhibits of prison, you can get acquainted with the sad page of Vietnamese history from 8 am and up to 5 pm, but the cash desk closes at 16:30. Break at work: 11:00 – 13:30.

How much is a ticket to the dungeon

A ticket to Hoelo costs 30 thousand dongs. You can be here for a long time, but for the inspection of all exhibits will be enough for about an hour.

Facts from the history of the famous Vietnamese dungeon

In the time of French colonization in Hanoi in 1896, a establishment called Maison Central (Central House). Here the French arranged the prison content of political prisoners of Vietnamese, which were numbered by historical information, 450 people.

Prison got the name Hoelo during the war in Vietnam. During this period, embarrassed American pilots hit the institution. The latter ordered this place Hanoi Hilton, having in mind the hotel chain with a similar name. So prisoners sarcastically talked about living conditions in prison.

Since the United States did not declare War Vietnam officially, then the US military kept as war criminals. Vietnamese authorities and to this day do not recognize the abuse of American prisoners. According to the testimony of pilots who fell into the church, torture for prisoners were sophisticated and cruel.

Five and a half years stayed in prison and John McCain (the future American senator), shot down by Vietnamese in 1967 at the Lake of Silver Kamyshem. The museum stores his parachute and pilot costume.

Although 55-prisoners died officially in prison, they had more in reality.

In 1990, the prison building was demolished, and 8 years later, a museum was opened next to the buildings raised at the place of prison, including the Hanoi Tower office center.

The cinema twice concerned the themes of the Vietnamese prison in Hanoi, and the Americans said about it: "Lyuboy and Fighting" tapes and Halina Hilton, created in 1987.

Features of the jail museum

Museum is divided into two parts.

In the first part, the exhibits tell visitors about the stay of captive Americans in Hoalo. Gloomy paintings here do not meet: Americans prisoners play football, musitizing, write letters Ho Chi Min and Santa Claus. Instead of tools of torture – household appliances used by prisoners. Among the things of prisoners will see the prison robe.

The second part of the museum is greater than the first, since it reflects the period of stay in the Hoal of Vietnamese prisoners during the rule of the French. In the courtyard of the museum in red-black tones, stele rises, reminiscent of the prisoners in prison.

A real guillotine in one of the rooms is reminded of the cruel execution of the most dangerous criminals. Presented in the museum and single chambers, and cameras for two, in which it was impossible to get up, and prisoners were just sitting on the bed.

Common cameras are stuffed with mannequins, in order to reliably convey the atmosphere and the conditions for finding it in it. One of the cameras demonstrates the moment of the rebellion of prisoners. On the stands in photos, it is told about the ill-treatment of prisoners. In particular, the feeding of prisoners spoiled products.

Famous in the next page of the prison story was the almond tree, which still grows on the territory of Hanoi Hilton. Diarrhea and dysentery were treated with fruits and young leaves of almonds, made of branches made of tubes, flutes, pencils.

A piece of tunnel colorfully shows the story of the shoot of the prison of hundreds of prisoners in 1945. The museum has a monument to this a momentous event. Of course, a little disappear of the reality of the place because of painting the stairs, doors, walls in the chambers. However, who fell here, imbued with the spirit of hopelessness, fear and horror.

Tips for visitors Hanoi Hilton

– Do not take with you to the Museum of Children: Energy, Still, in the museum is heavy.

– In the walls of the museum cool, so grab the clothes with the sleeve.

– Align the trip to the museum with a couple of attractions to kill in the minds of the oppressive atmosphere more colorful and life-affirming pictures.

– Do not express yourself during an excursion in someone’s benefits (Vietnamese, French or Americans), keep neutrality. You can’t predict the reaction of museum workers or other visitors.

– Take off to the museum-prison, as the country’s history page with which you came to meet, let it even be controversial and gloomy.