 | Hanoi Things To Do | Tips 21 - 30 of 814 |  |
 | |  |  | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: A Surreal Experience-HCM Part II | Tip Rating:   |  |  | |  |
Uncle Ho looks very peaceful and serene, his eyes closed as if in deep slumber. The wispy white beards on his face are still and his body is white and pale, almost aglow, in the soft yellow lights. In the cool air-conditioned room, and surrounded by 4 Army Guards who stand motionless at all times, the room is hushed in enforced silence and the atmosphere is surreal. Footnote: In my group we had a few pharmacists who argued with us laymen that the "body" we saw could not be that of Uncle Ho. The explanation they gave is that the body lies totally uncovered (not even encased in a glass coffin), and under strong lamps, which would generate too much heat, it wouldn't take long for the body to decay. Well folks, your guess is as good as mine, but it was still a remarkable experience and a MUST SEE. The HCM mausoleum is only open for a few hours in the morning (not sure which days though). This is what when you get there in the afternoon, all the crowds and tour buses will be gone and the park and surrounding areas are quiet and peaceful, allowing Uncle Ho to get some well-deserved rest. Leave a Comment Directions: Ba Dinh District
|
 | |  |
| | | | Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum: Respect for Uncle Ho | Tip Rating: | | | | |
When the father of this great nation, Ho Chi Minh, died in 1969 his body was recovered from its burial place, cleaned up, embalmed and put on display in this granite mausoleum. The influence of socialist Russia (a country that supported Vietnam after the war) is very apparent here as the mausoleum was modelled after Lenin’s tomb. From what I read, Ho Chi Minh had been quoted as saying "Not only is cremation good from the point of view of hygiene, but it also saves farmland." I guess Uncle Ho's followers had a different view and decided not to save the farm! Inspite of the changing times and the economy becoming more commercialised and market-driven, it appears that the Vietnamese continue to hold HCM in high regard because apart from the gawking tourists lining up to view the body, there were just as many locals queueing to pay their respects. Certainly no visit to Hanoi is complete without a visit to the Uncle Ho's mausoleum. A MUST SEE! Leave a Comment Address: 1 Bach Thao, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, VietnamPhone: 8 234760Directions: Ba Dinh DistrictOther Contact: 8 236326
|
| | |
| | | | West Lake: Things to do at the West Lake (Ho Tay) | Tip Rating: | | | | |
Ho Tay is Hanoi's biggest lake. According to a legend, it was created when a Chinese buffalo mistook the sound of a bell of a pagoda for its mother's voice and ran away, creating the lake by stepping into a small hollow... I'd say, it must have been a giant little buffalo!!! Ho Tay is a vast area of water, situated in the North of Hanoi. Some of the city's most expensive hotels are located there, the place to get the best coconut icecream (eaten out of a coconut) - located at the top end of the dike road between Truc Bach Lake and Ho Tay, a 3-storey icecream place -, the Highlands Coffee with its chill-out swimming terrace... And there's Tran Quoc Pagoda, one of the city's eldest pagodas. It cannot be missed when you go up the dike road as its main building is a tower with as many as 11 storeys! Tran Quoc is one of the places where many Vietnamese have their wedding pictures taken. Photographers wander around asking people to take pictures of them (the people, not the photographers!). Usually, they ask Vietnamese people, but if you want to have a photo taken, don't be shy. Leave a Comment Directions: Ho Tay area
|
| | |
More Sponsored Links for Hanoi |
 |
 |
Search Hotels
Find the best room rates |
|
 |
|
on December 29, 2004
Hanoi
on April 1, 2005
on January 12, 2005
on August 8, 2005
