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Writer's pictureGlenn Dobbs

Hanoi Hilton


The gate to the "Hanoi Hilton"

April 2, 2018 - This is the gate to the infamous prison in Hanoi - "The Hanoi Hilton". About one half of the original complex is gone now to make room for high rise apartments. It was here John McCain, among many others, was kept prisoner.


While there is little doubt that the Americans that were held here were brutalized, you see none of that while you visit. The various information plaques tend to talk about how well the prisoners were treated and how they 'enjoyed their time here". It is only fair I suppose. When you when the war, you get to write the history.


What I did not know was that the prison was also used by the French when they occupied Vietnam. They were equally brutal, if not more so to their captives and the vast majority of the museum is devoted to that portion of the story and not the Americans.


As an American it is a challenge to walk through the place and not feel disturbed by the obvious white wash of what happened here in these dark and forbidding rooms. 58,000 Americans died in that war.





However, more than 2 million Vietnamese died in the conflict. I imagine their feelings and emotions are equally raw. The Ken Burns documentary on the Vietnam War is an emotional and poignant look at the conflict. I would highly recommend anyone with an interest in the subject to view the film.



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