Hoa Lo Prison, Hanoi

Main entrance of Hoa Lo Prison

Hoa Lo Prison known as hell on earth, now has become a notorious destination for many domestic and foreign tourists.
Hoa Lo Relics is situated in the center of Hanoi, on Hoa Lo Street, Hoan Kiem District, and is one of the remarkable destinations in Hanoi attracting a lot of foreign tourists. Hoa Lo Prison has a total area of over 12,000 m2, is one of the biggest and most fortified prisons in Indochina at the time.

Main entrance of Hoa Lo Prison
Main entrance of Hoa Lo Prison

This is the central prison where French Colonialism detained political prisoners from 1896 to 1954
The design allowed the prison frequently contained about 500 prisoners with the extremely brutal detention and duress. Along with the most barbaric weapon of French colonialism – the giant guillotine machine, Hoa Lo Prison has been known as one of the most notorious prisons in the world, in top 5 horrifying place in Southeast Asia.

Hoa Lo Prison in the past
Hoa Lo Prison in the past

Today, in the prison, there are the dummies imitating communist soldiers who were detained by French colonialism as well as the metal cutting machine and terrifying instruments of torture which the French used to suppress the soldiers.
The cages here are cramped, dark and airless. The prisoners were locked up in isolation, had to eat, sleep and defecate right in a place. The floor was upside making prisoners not to lie. The prisoners detained in this prison just after a short time caught scabies due to lack of sanitation, light and oxygen.

Prisoners statue in Hoa Lo prison
Prisoners statue in Hoa Lo prison

The prison is surrounded by reinforced stone walls with 4 m high, 0.5 m thick that is still sustainable after over a century.
The edges of the fence are full of bottle flakes with a crisscrossing grid that made any prisoners wary thinking of escape.