Playful Nickname or Home of Human Atrocity

The “Vietnam” War is a historical event frequently referenced in American culture, whether it be in films, music, games and toys, or by family members, it was an event that touched a generation and more. Something funny about history, however, is that it can be fickle, revised, embellished and framed to flatter, rather than objectively record events.

A sweeping example of this is that we don’t include this war as a part of the standard curriculum in school, which in my opinion is because we (the United States) lost. However, a more narrow example is Hoa Lo Prison, which is frequently referred to as the “Hanoi Hilton.”

Hoa Lo Prison And The Birth of Vietnamese Communism

Long before American soldiers set foot in Vietnam, the Vietnamese people were under French occupation. Without getting into the weeds of that period in history, suffice it to say that the French went far beyond what the average American would consider “reasonable governance” to maintain tight control over the country. So extreme were the punishments inflicted for minor infractions, that the Vietnamese communist movement began within the walls of Hoa Lo prison.

Designed with the intent to break the will of the Vietnamese people, the prison was built to de-humanize those that entered, by using tactics such as tomb-like cells where individuals would be inserted (the cells being too small in diameter to sit up) and thereby forced to lay on their backs in the darkness for days or weeks. Additionally, and equally as horrific, were the communal cells for female prisoners, which were designed to be air deficient and forced captives to compete for ventilation space. Hoa Lo Prison was designed and built as a place of torture and despair.

Fast forward to the American/Vietnamese War, this prison is where John McCain and other American Pilots that had been captured, were kept for years! Suffice it to say, that after seeing this place for myself, I find no amount of humor in the satirical comparison of this place to a hotel. To do so, I feel, is disgraceful and disrespectful to all the people that passed through its doors unwillingly.

In an outer courtyard of the prison is a memorial dedicated to the men and women that suffered and died within the prison walls at the hands of the French.

American Prisoners

The most famous American that spent time here was former senator John McCain, who served as a piolet during the war. Shot down and imprisoned here for five years, his flight suit and helmet are still on display. Also on display for this period of the history of the prison is a book containing photographs of every American prisoner held here, as well as their names, and date of capture. 

In an outer walled area, a profile of each of the American prisoners is available to read, as well as what some of them went on to do after being released and returned to the United States. John McCain for example, made multiple trips back to Vietnam as well as to this very prison, visiting both in a personal capacity, as well as within an official role. Photographs of Senator McCain can be found all over the country, praising his efforts to unify the two countries and to heal old wounds.

Historical Context

Nothing justifies cruelty or violence toward another person or creature, but violence begets violence, and without an attempt at understanding history, it’s entirely too easy to assign roles such as “good guy,” and “bad guy” when stories are re-told. However, I also understand that hindsight can be 20/20 and that it can be difficult to be aware of all the facts while being empathetic amidst the unfolding of events. Long since closed, it was with grief that I walked these halls of this prison and imagined the terror felt by my fellow humans that suffered at the hands of the same.

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