Surrounded by countless buildingsbuildingAlong with the modern life of the Capital, Hoa Lo Prison has always stood out with its ancient yellow wall stretching across the street, and now it is even more noticeable because it is always crowded with "visitors coming and going". Regardless of weekdays or holidays, this historical site welcomes many visitors, including Vietnamese and foreign visitors, most of whom are... young people.
Historical sites that attract the most young people today
Back in 1896, when Hoa Lo Street (Hoan Kiem District) was still a piece of land belonging to Phu Khanh Village (Hoa Lo Village) - a famous craft village in Hanoi, specializing in making household items from terracotta. The French colonialists relocated the villagers along with the communal houses and pagodas to other places to build a prison to detain Vietnamese revolutionary soldiers and suppress those who opposed the colonial regime. Today, Hoa Lo Prison has become a historical relic, a tourist attraction that preserves many values.
The highlight of Hoa Lo Prison Relics was in July 2020, when it became the first and only historical relic - or prison - in Vietnam to launch a night tour. Along with the "Sacred Night" tours, the Relics' lively and youthful approach on the online platform quickly won over young people and tourists.
Since March 2022, when Vietnam tourism reopened, Hanoians have been "familiar" with the new scene on Hoa Lo Street: a crowded parking lot; young people and families lining up to buy tickets, regardless of day or night.
"I feel that Hoa Lo Prison Relics has become a placehot"And attracting many young people is a positive sign," Mai Trang, a university student, shared. Although she has only been in Hanoi for a short time to study, Mai Trang said that she herself is also a person who regularly updates information and follows stories from the Monument's Fanpage.
“Many people think that today's young generation seems indifferent to historical sites, but in reality, they are still interested in history,” Mai Trang said.
Aiming at the majority of young people, instead of using traditional image promotion methods, Hoa Lo Prison chose a more intimate approach to young people, focusing on developing content on media such asFacebook,Instagramand open your own podcast channel onSpotifyandApple Podcast.
Not only promoting a good image, the staff of the Monument also received many compliments and support for their enthusiastic service to visitors with many "thoughtful" instructions such as: directions to the Prison, how to buy tickets, opening hours, how to use the facilities, and even... weather forecasts.
The media is part of what makes Hoa Lo Prison the most popular historical site in Vietnam at the moment, so what is the actual Hoa Lo experience like?
Prison EXPERIENCE: both interesting and haunting
Most of the young people after leaving Hoa Lo were extremely moved by what they had experienced during their visit. The most impressive thing was the appearance of the automatic tour guide - one of the new changes that contributed to making the experience at the Relic much more interesting than before.
From the emotional reading voice to the vivid illustrations, the old stories are recreated in a familiar way, making the listener "feel like he is lost in the war years", both haunted by the brutality and cruelty of French colonialism towards political prisoners, and moved by the beautiful hearts and will to overcome the circumstances of the revolutionary soldiers.
When talking about her experience at the Prison, Mai Trang expressed her satisfaction: "I felt that the visit was quite convenient because the Relic Site had clear signs and a map included. In addition, the staff at the Relic Site also helped me a lot with the visit."
The space inside the Prison, although renovated to become an exhibition and sightseeing place, still makes visitors feel scared because of the cold, stuffy atmosphere to the point of suffocation. The narrow and dark cells, torture instruments, death row cells, guillotines... are all things that haunt visitors. Here, many revolutionary soldiers had to sacrifice themselves in the most painful ways such as being executed, dying from diseases caused by the humid, unsanitary living environment, and even... going crazy.
Besides, there are stories about humanity and comradeship that arose in this "hell on earth". Many interesting stories were also shared by the Monument: about soldier Nguyen Thi Quang Thai - the first wife of General Vo Nguyen Giap; Ms. Hoang Ngan and her steadfast love with Mr. Hoang Van Thu; or American pilots imprisoned in the Prison during the Vietnam War...
After visiting the relic, Thuy Duong - a young person living in Hanoi shared: "The approach of Hoa Lo Prison is completely different from the relics I have visited before. I thinktrend'go to jail' inGen Zis now the result of the Prison's new media approach".
"However, the fact that the Prison has become as attractive as it is now, in my opinion, is not just a temporary trend, because a relic like Hoa Lo Prison itself has many interesting stories and brings profound values. There are always people who know about the Prison before, not through social networks, and there are always tourists who consider the Prison a destination worth visiting when traveling to Hanoi."
"For me personally, after this experience, I consider Hoa Lo Prison a place worth visiting and worth recommending to friends," Thuy Duong shared.
More information
Opening hours: 8:00 - 17:00 daily
Daytime admission tickets:
+ People over 15 years old: 30,000 VND
+ Students (with student card), people with severe disabilities, people over 60 years old, people under social policy: 15,000 VND
+ Children under 15 years old, people with especially severe disabilities, people with revolutionary contributions, members of associations: veterans, resistance liaison committees, liaison committees of prisons nationwide: free
Tour "Sacred Night 2: Live like flowers"
+ Time: 18:30 - 20:30 every Friday and Saturday
+ How to register for a tour: send a message via Fanpage, buy tickets directly at the Monument gate or call the hotline: 0825112668
+ Children under 6 years old are not accepted
