right|thumb|upright=1.3|The Hanoi Hilton in a 1970 [[Aerial reconnaissance|aerial surveillance photo]]

Hỏa Lò Prison (, Nhà tù Hỏa Lò; ) was a prison in Hanoi originally used by the French colonists in Indochina for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. prisoners of war during the Vietnam War. During this later period, it was known to American POWs as the "Hanoi Hilton". Following Operation Homecoming, the prison was used to incarcerate Vietnamese dissidents until its demolition between 1993 and 1994. Its gatehouse remains a museum.

French era

right|thumb|The French name "Maison Centrale" above the gate of Hỏa Lò

right|thumb|Museum reconstruction of [[First Indochina War prisoners in Hỏa Lò]]

The name Hỏa Lò, commonly translated as "fiery furnace" or even "Hell's hole", also means "stove". The name originated from the street name phố Hỏa Lò, due to the concentration of stores selling wood stoves and coal-fire stoves along the street in pre-colonial times.

The prison was built in Hanoi by the French between 1896 and 1901, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. The French called the prison Maison Centrale, It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence who were often subject to torture and execution. A 1913 renovation expanded its capacity from 460 inmates to 600. Within the prison itself, communication and ideas passed. Many of the future leading figures in Communist North Vietnam and Viet Minh spent time in Maison Centrale during the 1930s and 1940s.

Conditions for political prisoners in the "Colonial Bastille" were publicised in 1929 in a widely circulated account by the Trotskyist Phan Van Hum of the experience he shared with the charismatic publicist Nguyen An Ninh.

Democratic Republic of Vietnam, 1954

Following the defeat at the Battle of Dien Bien Phu and the 1954 Geneva Accords, the French left Hanoi and the prison came under the authority of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Thereafter the prison served as an education center for revolutionary doctrine and activity, and it was kept around after the French left to mark its historical significance to the North Vietnamese. From the beginning, U.S. POWs endured miserable conditions, including poor food and unsanitary conditions. The prison complex was sarcastically nicknamed the "Hanoi Hilton" by the American POWs, referencing the well-known Hilton Hotel chain. There is some disagreement among the first group of POWs who coined the name but F-8D pilot Bob Shumaker was the first to write it down, carving "Welcome to the Hanoi Hilton" on the handle of a pail to greet the arrival of Air Force Lieutenant Robert Peel.

Beginning in early 1967, a new area of the prison was opened for incoming American POWs; These names were chosen because many pilots had trained at Nellis Air Force Base, located in proximity to Las Vegas. American pilots were frequently already in poor condition by the time they were captured, injured either during their ejection or in landing on the ground.

thumb|Hỏa Lò Prison Rules

thumb|Hỏa Lò Prison memorial

The Hỏa Lò was one site used by the North Vietnamese Army to house, torture, and interrogate captured servicemen, mostly American pilots shot down during bombing raids. Severe torture methods were employed, such as rope bindings, irons, beatings, and prolonged solitary confinement. When prisoners of war began to be released from this and other North Vietnamese prisons during the Johnson administration, their testimonies revealed widespread and systematic abuse of prisoners of war.

Regarding treatment at Hỏa Lò and other prisons, the North Vietnamese countered by stating that prisoners were treated well and in accordance with the Geneva Conventions. During 1969, they broadcast a series of statements from American prisoners that purported to support this notion.

Beginning in late 1969, treatment of the prisoners at Hỏa Lò and other camps became less severe and generally more tolerable. This created the "Camp Unity" communal living area at Hỏa Lò, which greatly reduced the isolation of the POWs and improved their morale.

  • Doug Hegdahl, inmate who played a fool to memorize all the names, personal information, and capture dates of the prisoners there.
  • Sam Johnson, USAF fighter pilot, Representative (R-TX).
  • Joe E. Kernan, US Navy pilot, former governor of Indiana.
  • Joseph Kittinger, USAF pilot, record-breaking parachutist.
  • William P. Lawrence, US Navy pilot, Chief of Naval Personnel and Superintendent of the United States Naval Academy.
  • Hayden Lockhart, first Air Force pilot captured in North Vietnam, third American captured.
  • John McCain, US Navy pilot, Senator (R-AZ) and 2008 Republican presidential nominee, spent parts of his five and a half years as a POW there.
  • Robinson Risner, USAF fighter pilot, POW from 1965 to 1973. A lieutenant colonel when shot down and captured, he was the senior ranking POW, responsible for maintaining chain of command among his fellow prisoners.
  • Howard Rutledge, US Navy pilot, held there for part of his years of captivity, co-author of In the Presence of Mine Enemies: 1965–1973 – A Prisoner of War with his wife.
  • Lance Sijan, USAF fighter pilot, Medal of Honor recipient.
  • James Stockdale, US Navy pilot, Medal of Honor recipient, 1992 vice presidential candidate. He and William P. Lawrence were the most senior-ranking US Navy POWs.

Post-war accounts

After the implementation of the 1973 Paris Peace Accords, neither the United States nor its allies ever formally charged North Vietnam with the war crimes revealed to have been committed there. In the 2000s, the Vietnamese government has had the position that claims that prisoners of war were tortured at Hỏa Lò and other sites during the war are fabricated, but that Vietnam wants to move past the issue as part of establishing better relations with the U.S. This contradicts U.S. Senate reports and extensive testimony from former POWs documenting systematic torture. The prison remained operational until its 1993 demolition.

Demolition, conversion and museum

thumb|right|upright|[[John McCain's flight suit and parachute, on display in the museum part of the Hoa Lo site]]

Demolition began in 1993 and most of the prison was demolished by 1994. The site now contains a complex of two high-rise buildings called Hanoi Towers or Hanoi Center Tower, consists of a 27-story Somerset Grand Hanoi serviced apartment building and a 14-story office building. Other parts have been converted into a commercial complex retaining the original French colonial walls.

Only part of the prison exists today as a museum. The displays mainly show the prison during the French colonial period, including the guillotine room, still with original equipment, and the quarters for male and female Vietnamese political prisoners. The Vietnam War section occupies one room and has been criticized by U.S. veterans for downplaying POW experiences.

Building materials from several complete cells were saved, including original bricks, cement ceilings, concrete "beds" with ankle shackles, and an original cell door and transom window. After being in storage in Vietnam for six years and nearly another ten in Canada, the cells were reconstructed using the original materials and turned into a permanent exhibit that opened in 2023 at the American Heritage Museum in Stow, Massachusetts.

References

Further reading

  • Coram, Robert. American Patriot : The Life and Wars Of Colonel Bud Day. Little, Brown and Company, ©2007. ,
  • Denton, Jeremiah A; Brandt, Ed. When Hell Was In Session. Reader's Digest Press, distributed by Crowell, 1976.
  • McDaniel, Eugene B. Scars and Stripes. Harvest House Publishers, May 1980.