It’s interesting to see the other side of history here. Vietnam was under French occupation for nearly 70 years, along with Laos and Cambodia. After the French were forced to withdraw following a battle, the country was divided: in the north, communist Vietnam; in the south, a Western-aligned region. This opposition later led to the Vietnam War.

“A nation seizes to exist the moment its people forget who they are”

The Hoa Lo prison was built by the French at the end of the 1800s in Hanoi to imprison patriotic rebels and political prisoners and to strengthen their control. Later, during the Vietnam War, American soldiers were held there.

It’s fascinating how the exhibition’s narrative sheds light on the other side of historical storytelling. While in Europe we often speak of colonies in terms of wealth, raw materials and flourishing trade, from the Asian perspective this was paired with intense local oppression. Of course we are somewhat aware of this in Europe too but seeing it through the eyes of the locals makes one reflect on how every story in life has two sides. The wealth of a certain country always comes at a cost and someone always has to pay that – even if it’s a colony on the other side of the world.

The prison was originally built for 500 inmates but at times nearly 2000 people were held within its walls. Conditions were often inhumane: in the humid environment the air in the cells was stagnant, food was often infested with worms, prisoners were abused and had to relieve themselves in the same room where they were confined. There was space for women and children as well.

Later, American prisoners – mostly fighter pilots – were treated more humanely by the Vietnamese. Efforts were made to help them learn about Vietnamese culture and come to realize on their own that they were representing misguided interests. They were allowed to read, play cards, and even engage in sports.

And why did the Vietnamese win against the US, in spite of the US having a wide range of newest weapons? Vietnamese people remained resilent and possessed a unique style of warfare. Even a continous bombardement of 12 days couldn’t stop locals. In the war, however, around 3 million locals were killed altogether. From American side this number was only 58 000. Btw, during the 21 years of this war 7.86 tons of bombs were dropped from the sky only. This is multiple of Nagasaki per person.

Original footage movie about the war: https://archive.org/details/vietnam-war-the-face-of-the-enemy-vietnamese-perspective