Hỏa Lò Prison (1896–1954) — also known as the “Hanoi Hilton” — was built by the French colonial authorities between 1896 and 1899. It was originally constructed to detain Vietnamese patriots, revolutionaries, and political prisoners who resisted French rule. The prison was designed to hold a certain number of inmates, but it often became severely overcrowded. Prisoners endured harsh conditions: cramped cells, poor ventilation, limited food, unsanitary facilities, and brutal punishment. Some were