The Hoa Lo Prison (Hanoi Hilton)

This posting was actually written on 8 July 2011. For a variety of reasons, it was not posted while in Vietnam.

Our hotel in Hanoi is located directly next to the Hoa Lo Prison, also known as the Hanoi Hilton. This prison was originally created by the French colonists to house Vietnamese political prisoners. During the Vietnam War, the prison was used by the North Vietnamese to house prisoners of war, including Americans. For years, I’ve heard about the torture that took place at this prison; despite the previously passed Geneva Conventions requiring prisoners during combat certain rights. These allegations have been made by large numbers of American soldiers upon their release, including John McCain.

The prison, however, presented a very different picture of how the prisoners were treated. An entire wall was covered with pictures of smiling American soldiers, participating in a wide range of activities: playing basketball, reading books, eating enormous meals, and watching movies. In addition, the tour guide who showed us around the prison/museum told the prisoners were treated really well because of the respect for life Vietnamese people have. I honestly believe he was genuinely sharing his version of the history with us, a version he believes.

I am not saying that all Americans were abused at Hoa Lo, but there is evidence to show that some were. This brings up questions about the truth. The tight governmental control of “facts” and “history” makes it difficult to find the truth in Vietnam, even if you are on a mission to find it. For example, if you perform a google search on events or places, like the prison, you will find different results than if you complete the same search in the United States. Books, TV, movies, newspapers, and magazines are also censored by the government in Vietnam.

But then, how can a people ever know if they have the real truth or a twisted version of reality? I live the United States, where I am afforded a greater amount of freedom in terms of information. Even so, can a person know if they are being given the truth, and how does a person know if they need to work harder to seek the truth if they don’t know they are being denied it in the first place? In Vietnam it is the government that censors content for its benefit, and in the United States it is huge media conglomerates also work to spin stories in a manner that benefits their own profit margins. In both case, the victims are the average people—the average people the Vietnamese government claims to love and the American companies need to pay their salaries.

In today’s age, one could argue that the truest form of “news” might come from individual’s reporting personal realities using social media formats. Even in Vietnam, where facebook and blogs are not allowed, people have found ways to get their message out. Our group has only been in Vietnam for a few days and we have figured out how to access facebook. If I wanted to, I could post this blog tonight. However, I think I will wait until I return to Thailand.