HANOI, Vietnam -- As a former American prisoner of war looked on yesterday, a bulldozer began demolishing the walls of one of the world's most famous prisons, the "Hanoi Hilton," to make way for an office building and hotel.
"I wanted to see this place one last time," said Cole Black, 62, a former Navy pilot from Escondido, Calif., who was held seven years in the prison after his plane was shot down during the Vietnam War. "I wanted to get a picture. I arrived on the right day."
The Hoa Lo prison, a century-old French Colonial landmark that stretches over a city block in downtown Hanoi, was one of the most potent symbols of the war in the United States. Many of the more than 700 American POWs captured during the war were held and tortured at the prison until their release in 1973.
The prison is equally notorious among communist Vietnamese, at least 2,000 of whom were incarcerated here by the French in the '40s and '50s for their political beliefs.
Now, the prison is being razed to clear space for a $50 million project by a Singapore developer who intends to build two towers.
Demolition of the interior began quietly in August while city officials and former Vietnamese political prisoners negotiated an agreement to build a memorial and museum on the site.
An official groundbreaking ceremony is scheduled tomorrow.
But yesterday afternoon, a bulldozer knocked a hole through the north wall and proceeded to carve a 25-foot gap.
Vietnamese driving by on scooters and bikes pulled up to watch. "This is the first time that I have ever seen the inside," said Tran Van Cuong, 24, peering into a space that revealed a courtyard, long cellblock and newly erected blue tent for tomorrow's festivities.
Former American POWs will gather next summer for an annual reunion. "I am going to take these back," said Mr. Black, looking at the bricks. "I am going to bust them up and give a piece to my friends who were with me here."