Coordinates: 21°1′31″N 105°50′47″E / 21.02528°N 105.84639°E / 21.02528; 105.84639
The Hỏa Lò Prison was a prison used by the French colonists in Vietnam for political prisoners, and later by North Vietnam for U.S. Prisoners of War during the Vietnam War. During this later period it was sarcastically known to American POWs as the Hanoi Hilton. The prison was demolished during the 1990s, though the gatehouse remains as a museum.
The name Hoa Lo, commonly translated as "fiery furnace" or even "Hell's hole", also means "stove". The name originated from the street name phố Hỏa Lò, due to the concentration of stores selling wood stoves and coal-fire stoves along the street from pre-colonial times.
The prison was built in Hanoi by the French, in dates ranging from 1886–1889 to 1898 to 1901, when Vietnam was still part of French Indochina. The French called the prison Maison Centrale—literally, Central House, a traditional euphemism to denote prisons in France. It was located near Hanoi's French Quarter. It was intended to hold Vietnamese prisoners, particularly political prisoners agitating for independence who were often subject to torture and execution. A 1913 renovation expanded its capacity from 460 inmates to 600. It was nevertheless often overcrowded, holding some 730 prisoners on a given day in 1916, a figure which would rise to 895 in 1922 and 1,430 in 1933. By 1954 it held more than 2000 people; with its inmates held in subhuman conditions, it had become a symbol of colonialist exploitation and of the bitterness of the Vietnamese towards the French.
The Hanoi Hilton is a 1987 Vietnam War film which focuses on the experiences of American prisoners of war who were held in the infamous Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi during the 1960s and 1970s and the story is told from their perspectives. It was directed by Lionel Chetwynd, and stars Michael Moriarty, Ken Wright, and Paul Le Mat.
The film portrays fictional characters, not specific American POWs. It earned less than $1 million in its initial theatrical release, but a Warner Bros. Home Entertainment VHS release gained a cult following, especially among veterans.
A DVD release of the film had been anticipated for some time in 2008, with the package to include a new interview with former POW and 2008 presidential candidate John McCain. However, the film's release was suspended by Warner Bros. due to McCain being the Republican Party nominee. The week following the 2008 US presidential election, the DVD went forward into release.
Coordinates: 21°01′42.5″N 105°51′15.0″E / 21.028472°N 105.854167°E / 21.028472; 105.854167
Hanoi (/hæˈnɔɪ/ or US /həˈnɔɪ/; Vietnamese: Hà Nội [ha˨˩ nɔj˩]) is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts and 7 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. The number of population in 2015 was estimated at 7.7 million people. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam. It was eclipsed by Huế, the imperial capital of Vietnam during the Nguyễn Dynasty (1802–1945), but Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam, and it became the capital of a reunified Vietnam in 1976, after the North's victory in the Vietnam War.
The city lies on the right bank of the Red River. Hanoi is 1,760 km (1,090 mi) north of Ho Chi Minh City and 120 km (75 mi) west of Hai Phong city.
October 2010 officially marked 1000 years since the establishment of the city. The Hanoi Ceramic Mosaic Mural is a 4 km ceramic mosaic mural created to mark the occasion.
Hanoï is the sixth live album by French new wave band Indochine. It was released in February 2007. It is a recording of a performance that took place on 6 June 2006. The album takes its name from the location of the concert, Hanoi, Vietnam.
Disc 1 - Hanoï Classique
Disc 2 - Hanoï Rock
Hanoi is the fifteenth novel in the long-running Nick Carter-Killmaster series of spy novels. Carter is a US secret agent, code-named N-3, with the rank of Killmaster. He works for AXE – a secret arm of the US intelligence services.
The book was first published in 1966 (Number A182F) by Award Books part of the Beacon-Signal division of Universal Publishing and Distributing Corporation (New York, USA), part of the Conde Nast Publications Inc. The novel was written by Valerie Moolman. Copyright was registered on 1 February 1966.
In the hot-spot capitol of North Vietnam, Killmaster is caught in the mesh of a deadly plan to dominate the world!
Officers of the US Special Forces discover a secret camp in North Vietnam near Hanoi. The camp is guarded by Chinese soldiers and houses a group of German scientists, led by Ulric Krutch, who are working on a top secret rocket programme.
A new rocket has been perfected that can deliver a payload into earth orbit. The team of scientists is waiting for Dr Erich Burgdorf to arrive from Buenos Aires with plans for a triggering device that will release a secondary component carrying a secret payload after the rocket has reached orbit.