The French colonial administration built Hoa Lo Prison in 1896. Originally intended to hold 450 prisoners; by the 1930s the number of detainees had soared to almost 2;000; the great majority political prisoners.

Hoa Lo Prison achieved notoriety during the Second Indochina War as a place of incarceration for downed US pilots; who ironically nicknamed the prison the 鈥楬anoi Hilton'. American prisoners of war held at Hoa Lo between 1964 and 1973 include Pete Peterson; who would later become the first US Ambassador to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam after the two countries established diplomatic relations in 1995; and John McCain; currently senior Republican Senator for Arizona and a recent presidential candidate; who was shot down over Hanoi in October; 1967. Pictures From Asia David Henley