We then walked to Hoa Loa Prison (meaning fiery furnace, since this was the section of town where wood and coal stoves used to be sold), nicknamed the Hanoi Hilton by American prisoners of the Vietnam war. It was originally a French-run prison for the torture of their Vietnamese prisoners. In 1913, it was expanded to hold up to 600 inmates (although in 1954, over 2,000 people were crammed within its walls). Today, it's been mostly torn down to make way for a high-rises. A modern hotel replaced over half of it. Only part of the prison exists today as a museum.
The prison with modern buildings looming behind it
No frolicking!
Small, dark cells with cement slabs and shackles
There was special American section. From the descriptions, it sounded more like a happy summer camp. There were blurry pictures of the prisoners playing guitars, ping pong, and laughing while plucking chickens.
The uniform and parachute of Lieutenant Commander John McCain when he was shot down in a local lake in 1967.
Back at the Hoan Kiem Lake (Lake of the Restored Sword), we paid a few cents to get to Ngoc Son (Jade Mountain) Temple. Built in the 18th century, it was located on a small island in the lake. It is accessible only by a long red wooden bridge named the Huc (Flood of Morning Sunlight).
In the gift shop was a large turtle that had been taxidermied back in 1968. From time to time, these super large turtles show up in the lake. Of course this merely supports the story... A 15th century legend tells of how the nobleman Le Loi received a sword from a magic turtle living in the lake. With it, he defeated some foreign invaders and returned home victorious. One day while boating on the lake, a Golden Tortoise surfaced, took the sword, and then dived back below the surface.
The legend .... the real (stuffed) animal
We returned back to our hotel, did some shopping, and had some dinner.
This poor puppy in a hotel lobby spent most of its time in this tiny cage.
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