Couchfish Day 91: The fiery furnace

No, this isn’t the tale of yet another guesthouse fire. Rather, a visit to Hỏa Lò—better known to visitors as the Hanoi Hilton.

Maison Centrale, as the French colonialists knew it, came in to being in the late 19th century. Before the jail, Phu Khanh, a village known for ceramics, kettles and stoves, had occupied the spot in Hanoi’s southern outskirts. I…