Hoa Lo Prison – Maison Centrale in Hanoi

Hoa Lo Prison located in the center of the capital of Vietnam is- known as one of the most inhumane prisons with terrifying punishment. Hoa Lo Prison, aka Maison Centrale, is a symbol of the strong will of prisoners and their sacrifice for their community ideals.

History of Hoa Lo Prison

When Vietnam was still a part of French Indochina, the French began constructing prison in 1896 and finished it in 1901. The Prison was initially named Maison Centrale, which was a common euphemism for French prisons. The prison was used to lock up political prisoners fighting for independence in the war.

By 1954, it housed almost 2000 inmates, who were shackled to walls by the dozen and lived in appalling conditions. Several Vietnamese revolutionaries were put under the barbarous guillotine, which the French had used throughout the region.

After the French were driven out of Hanoi in 1954, the prison was converted into a Vietnamese facility. From 1964 to 1973, several American pilots captured during the Second Indochina War were held here, including Senator John McCain and Douglas Peterson, the first ambassador to post-war Vietnam. The inmates of Hoa Lo were gradually released when the war was coming to an end.

For the next 20 years, the prison kept political insurgents in custody. In 1990, it was and mostly demolished to make way for high-rise construction in the growing Hanoi.

Architecture and Structure in Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison has an area of more than 12,000 square meters with the main items:

• A house for guarding
• A House used as a hospital
• Seven houses to detain the accused prisoners
• A workshop for making iron, textiles, leather products
• Four cells for dangerous and rules-violated prisoners

There was also a terrible place known as the cachet, which was used to confide those with opposing behaviors or violent criminals. the cachet was regarded as the worst of hell due to its lack of light, air, and space. It was truly a nightmare for all Vietnamese prisoners at the time.

What to explore in Hoa Lo Prison

Visitors to Prison will have an opportunity to see exhibits that show the prison’s history in two different periods. The first period is from when French colonialists erected the prison in 1896 until the liberation day of Hanoi (October 1954). The second period was from 1964 to 1973 when the Vietnamese government used a section of the prison to house American pilots.

In this prison, you’ll see the horrified iron shackles and many artifacts and photographs of Prisoners who are wearing leg chains and can not stand up or move. Thereby, visitors can understand the spirit of the revolutionary soldiers and the humanitarian policy of Vietnamese people against the American pilot prisoners in the Vietnam War.

Essential information about the Hoa Lo Prison for tourists 

• Address: No. 1, Hoa Lo Street, Hoan Kiem District, Ha Noi
• Hoa Lo Prison opening hours: From 8.00 am to 5. pm everyday
• Hoa Lo Prison entry fee: 50,000 VND/person

Tips on Visiting Hoa Lo prison

Travelers visiting Maison centrale must notice the instructions on Safety guidelines and fire prevention, and the luggage must be sent to the special place. Especially, do not touch and move objects in the prison. You can visit the memorial area to burn incense, so you should not use it in forbidden areas

In short, nowadays Hoa Lo Prison is no longer used for the function: of containing prisoners, but when visiting this place, visitors can feel the patriot ideal of prisoners, harsh punishment in the hell of hell, or just simply understand more about the unique structure of the prison.

Besides Maison centrale, there are many other famous cultural and historical sites in Hanoi that you should take time to visit, such as the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Turtle Tower in Hanoi,…

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