Hanoi: Private Museum Tour, Hoa Lo Prison & Tire Sandal Workshop

4.97

(259 reviews)

What’s the experience like?

We got picked up right from our hotel in the Old Quarter — which was honestly a relief because Hanoi traffic is its own beast. Our guide, Linh, was waiting outside with this gentle smile and a tiny flag (I guess so we wouldn’t get lost in the morning crowd). First stop was the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex. The air felt heavy there, like everyone was holding their breath a little. There were school kids in matching hats lining up quietly, and I caught the scent of incense drifting from somewhere near the stilt house. Linh told us how President Ho Chi Minh wanted to live simply — you can actually see his wooden house on stilts tucked behind all that gray stone.

Next up was Hoa Lo Prison. I’d read about it before — “Hanoi Hilton” and all that — but walking through those cold corridors hits different. There’s this old iron door that creaks when it opens (not sure if it’s meant to or just hasn’t been oiled in years), and I remember touching the rough wall, thinking about all the stories trapped inside. Linh didn’t rush us; she let us linger by the displays about Vietnamese revolutionaries and American POWs. She pointed out some graffiti left behind by prisoners — I tried to make out the words but my Vietnamese is hopeless. It’s not an easy place but it feels important.

The tire sandal workshop came after — optional, but honestly one of my favorite parts. The shop owner showed us how they used old tires to make sandals during wartime (I still can’t believe how tough those things are). My first attempt looked more like a flip-flop disaster than anything else, and Li laughed when I tried to say “dép lốp” in Mandarin — probably butchered it. Even if you skip this bit, just hearing why these sandals matter is worth it.

If you have time, don’t miss the Vietnamese Women’s Museum either. It’s not flashy but there are these beautiful fabrics everywhere and stories about women who shaped Vietnam in ways I’d never heard before. We ended back where we started, feet sore but heads full of new things to think about — especially that moment standing in silence at Hoa Lo Prison. That stays with you longer than you expect.