Free podcasts produced by the relic’s staff are now available on HoaLoPrisonRelic channel on Spotify, giving audience an overview of life of Vietnamese patriotic inmates and their hardship in the prison.
The management board said the move is intended to help the relic maintain interaction with the public given amidst COVID-19 travel restrictions. The channel will enable people to explore about the history while practicing social distancing, it said, adding that it is also expected to come closer to the young audience by providing a brand-new experience.
History explorers can visit www.open.spotify.com/show/5N66ouc6AjF6AFLQyCseyx to listen to the podcasts which will be updated weekly.
Hoa Lo Prison is a special historical relic of Hanoi, built by the French colonists in 1896 to imprison Vietnamese patriots. Called Maison Centrale, it used to be one of the biggest prisons of French colonialism in Indochina at that time.
Many patriots, revolutionary leaders of Vietnam, were captured in Hoa Lo prison, such as Phan Boi Chau, Luong Van Can, Ho Tung Mau, Nguyen Luong Bang, and five General Secretaries of the Communist Party of Vietnam, namely Nguyen Van Cu, Truong Trinh, Le Duan, Nguyen Van Linh and Do Muoi.
From August 5, 1964, to March 31, 1973, part of the prison was used to capture American pilots who were shot down during bombing raids against North Vietnam. In this period, the prison was euphemistically called the “Hanoi Hilton” by the prisoners in detention. “Alumni” of Hoa Lo include Douglas Peter Peterson, who later became the first US Ambassador to Vietnam, and John McCain, the late US Senator.
In 1993, the Government retained a part of Hoa Lo Prison to transform into a historical relic. This part located in southeast of the prison was preserved, renovated and upgraded. Here, there is a memorial monument in dedication to the Vietnamese patriotic and revolutionary fighters.
