Hanoi Tower Center’s location is historic, as it occupies the site of the notorious prison known by captive American pilots as the “Hanoi Hilton” during the Vietnam War. RDC’s design is intended to respond not only to the historical context but also the programmatic demands. The complex is zoned into four clearly defined groupings. The hotel apartment component is the largest. and occupies the side next to the prison museum; the office component counter-balances it on the other side. The convention hall sits between these two, while the retail component is at the rear “to respond to the activity of Cake Street”. The architectural expression is described as classical in essence with the reinterpretation and integration of Vietnamese motifs.