Place · Hoàn Kiếm Lake & French Quarter
Hỏa Lò Prison Memorial
The prison museum from the French colonial era to the war: an hour indoors, a good midday heat bailout; heavy subject matter.
- Indoor: a midday heat bailout
- Heavy subject matter
- Bring cash
- Mostly indoors
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 9Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…Old Quarter pavements are blocked by parked motorbikes an…
- Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
- Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
- Vietnam ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra.
- Vietnam ↗Crossing streets: walk slowly and steadily; motorbikes flow around you — do not stop or run.
- Vietnam ↗Carry Vietnamese đồng in small notes; many stalls and taxis are cash-only.
- North Vietnam ↗Dec–Feb in the north is cool and damp (10–18°C): pack a warm layer.
- North Vietnam ↗Sa Pa and Hà Giang can drop near freezing in December–January and fog in for days; keep a spare night and do not plan a single-day summit.
- Hanoi ↗Old Quarter pavements are blocked by parked motorbikes and stalls: large suitcases go from the car to the door, never on a walk.
- Hanoi ↗Around Hoàn Kiếm Lake, streets close to cars on Friday–Sunday evenings; taxis drop you at the edge.
More
Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, best time to go, opening hours
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Usually 08:00–17:00Usually 8:00 AM–5:00 PM
- Crowds
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Quietest Mon–Fri · busiest Sat, Sun · desk estimate
- Tickets
- Adult: about ₫50,000 (≈ US$2) (2026 estimate)
check (reduced rate for children)
- Time to spend
- 50–70 min · up to 90 min if you linger
Best time to go
Tour groups mid-morning.
By weekday: quietest Mon–Fri, busiest Sat, Sun.
Opening hours
- Hours
- 08:00–17:00 (typical, check)
- Note
- Not printed until verified.
- Hours note
- Open daily; weekend evening tours run some weeks.
Which month is quietest
- Janbusy
- Febheavy
- Marbusy
- Aprbusy
- Maylight
- Junlight
- Jullight
- Auglight
- Sepbusy
- Octheavy
- Novheavy
- Decheavy
Quietest May–Aug · busiest Feb · Oct–Dec.
Estimate: desk reasoning from school-trip, weekend, season and holiday patterns; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work
Getting in
- Stop
- Hỏa Lò street, 10 min south-west of the lake
- Ticket
- on site · official site · bring cash
- Stairs
- none of note
- Shoes
- Shoes on.
Accessibility
- PartialStep-free entrance · Ground floor mostly flat; small steps between blocks.
- NoLifts
- Check firstAccessible toilet
- PartialWheelchair
Sensory load
- Sensory load3/5 Medium
Exposure: low
What to bring and the rules
- Cash · The ticket desk is likely to take cash only.
- Allowed, no flash in the dark cells.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Bailouts
- fatigue: Café on Hàng Bài (field-verify)
Nearest rescue anchor: H — Lý Thường Kiệt south-west (convenience store, field-verify)
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
Tickets, prices and entry
Tickets & entry
- Where to buy
- Buy at the entrance on the day.
- Buy from the official site or the ticket desk; resellers add a fee for the same ticket.
- Bring cash; cards may not be taken (check).
- Free days
Free entry days in Hanoi (pick Hanoi in the tool; check)
- Photos
- Allowed, no flash in the dark cells.
- What's closed
- WeeklyOpen daily; hours on the board.
- TếtcheckShort closure possible on the first days.
“Check” dates move year to year: confirm on the official page for your date.
| Ticket | Price | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Adult entry | about ₫50,000 (≈ US$2) (2026 estimate) | Audio guide extra (about ₫50,000–100,000 (≈ US$2–4), check). |
| Evening tour | separate ticket (check) | Runs on some evenings only; book through the official channel. |
Time on site, inside and your plan
Time on site
Minimum
40min
Worthwhile
50min
Typical
70min
p95
90min
How much time do you have?
Room to linger: a typical visit is 70 min, people who stay on take up to 90.
With the other 20 min, these are a walk away (their own visit time is on their page):
- St Joseph's Cathedral10 min on foot · 10 min spare
- Hoàn Kiếm Lake (south end)12 min on foot · 8 min spare
- Tràng Tiền Plaza (AC, toilets)12 min on foot · 8 min spare
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Step-free check
- Step-free entrance: partly · partlyGround floor mostly flat; small steps between blocks.
- Lifts: no · no
- Accessible toilet: check · check
- Wheelchair: partly · partly
Ground floor mostly flat with small steps between the blocks.
Rules on site
- tone
- A memorial: keep voices low in the cell blocks.
With kids
- with kids
- Life-size shackled figures and a guillotine: preview it for under-10s.
- child price
- check (reduced rate for children)
Combine with
Combine with
- 10 minSt Joseph's Cathedral
- 12 minHoàn Kiếm Lake (south end)
- 12 minTràng Tiền Plaza (AC, toilets)
Walk the Hoàn Kiếm Lake & French Quarter area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes
Best photo time
Deep dive
Questions, photos, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
How long does a visit take?
About an hour. The audio guide adds 20–30 minutes.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Is it suitable for children?
Older children with an adult; some displays of cells and a guillotine are graphic.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Photos
Deep dive
Sources
- officialHanoi Department of Tourism
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Source: Price
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates. The official site has the current price.
Source: Opening hours
Source: Best hour
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Taken from the desk crowd estimate by hour. It is not a count of visitors.
Source: Bag rating
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Rated for the whole walking cluster, from desk research, not for this entrance.