Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi

2 more images

Do you know that on Friday and Monday most museums in Hanoi are close?

Tueday- Thursday are the best time to walk around to all Museums, which are all within walking distance.

Avoid Saturday and Sunday at Ho Chi Minh Mosoleum. It packed with people and group tour.

Don't be daunted by the long line, it goes really fast. Check your mobile phone/camera and bags at the desk so you don't get hassled further down the line by the guards. Also make sure you wear appropriate clothing, oh and make sure you don't put your hands in your pocket or wear sunglasses either! *rolls eye*.

In the words of the Luxe city guide to Hanoi: "Remember it is expressly forbidden to wear hot pants and a pointy bra, macrame your own poncho or wear anything ever."

No, but their reverence for this man is admirable. And the visit to the mausoleum is quite the experience.

It is important to note the opening times, as they are only open in the mornings; Open Daily Winter: 7.30am-10.30am; summer: 8am-11am

3 more images

In it, lies Uncle Ho in his favored Khaki suit. He asked to be cremated but his wish was not granted. You have to maintain silence to in the tomb to show reverence to him. Vietnamese respected Uncle Ho a lot so only proper dress code, no shorts and sleeveless shirts, are allowed in the tomb. The mausoleum is opened from tuesdays to thursdays and saturday(8am to 11am) but it will be closed in October and November as he will go to Russia for body maintainence. Admission is free.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a very sombre and strict place. The line to get in is long but it is ultimately worth it. No hands are to be in your pockets and arms are to rest on the side of your body. No cameras are allowed. And obviously no talking! Ho Chi Minh is well preserved and rests in a large glass display. It was good to see that visitors paid Ho Chi Minh the highest respect and obeyed the rules. Well worth a visit.

2 more images

The Ho Chih Minh Masoleum is located on Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh delivered Vietnam's declaration of independence in 1945. Ho Chi Minh died in 1969 and his embalmed corpse lies in a glass casket. Every year in autumn, it is rumoured that Uncle Ho returns to Russia for a re-embalming job. If you are visiting in September or October, it is advisable to check if Uncle Ho is in residence.

1 more image

He didn't want it, but the Vietnamese government built it anyway in the early 70s, and now it has become a place of pilgrimage. And yes, there inside is the embalmed body of Uncle Ho himself. The Mausoleum is part of a huge complex, including the Museum, One Pillar Pagoda and more.

The approach (Old City side) is one of reverence - wide open spaces (do not walk on the grass!), guards of honour, flags a-flying and hushed respect once inside.

2 more images

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is adjacent to a large park that includes the HCM Museum, the Presidential Palace, the house in which Ba (Uncle) Ho lived the final 15 years of his life, and the famous One-Storey Pagoda.

Though I declined to visit the Lenin Mausoleum on my visits to Moscow, I gladly waited and trod in the line to see the mummified remains of little man who fought the French, the Japanese, the Chinese, and the Americans for his country's independence. Despite land reform excesses early in his rule of "North" Vietnam, Ho was a humanitarian compared with such Communist monsters as Pol Pot, Mao Tse-tung, Stalin, and -- yes -- Lenin. He lived simply, unlike Mao and Stalin, and -- also unlike them -- conducted no massive purges. (Lenin ordered the Tsar and his family murdered; Ho allowed Emperor Bao Dai to leave Vietnam for a sybaritic exile in the south of France.)

A short distance behind the mausoleum is the impressive HCM Museum, with interesting displays from Ba Ho's life as well as his and his countrymen's struggle for independence.

One of those displays is a small memorial pagoda (pictured below). The clock in the left foreground is stopped at the hour and minute of Ho's death in September 1969, nearly six years before his dream of an independent and united Vietnam was finally achieved. (Lonely Planet claims photographs are not permitted in the museum. That is not true.)

3 more images

We were told earlier by the guide that we were not able to view the embalmed body of Uncle Ho as it is closed for 3months each year while HCM's embalmed body is being sent to Russia for maintenance. We were rather disappointed. Nevertheless, we still opt to go over to get a glimpse of the the mausoleum - HCM's final resting place. Guards were stationed at the entrance and we were lucky in the sense that we witnessed the changing of guard outside the mausoleum.

Facts about HCM's Mausoleum
========================
* built between 1973 and 1975 of native materials gathered from all over Vietnam
* HCM's embalmed body is in a glass sarcophagus set deep in the bowels of monumental edifice.
* Vietnamese treat this as a pilgrimage - they show deep respect and admiration for HCM, who is honoured for his role as the liberator for the Vietnamese people from colonialism.