Hanoi / Hoan Kiem

Hoa Lo Prison Relic ("Hanoi Hilton")

Built by the French in 1896 as the Central Prison, it was designed for 450 inmates but held up to 2,000, many of them Vietnamese revolutionaries; the preserved section shows cells, reconstructed scenes and a French guillotine. From 1964 to 1973 it held captured US pilots, the period behind the "Hanoi Hilton" nickname; it opens daily 8:00–17:00, including holidays, for 50,000 VND (free under 16).