Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Hanoi

One of the prime, can't miss, highlights of Hanoi is the Ho Chi Minh mauseleum, where I got my first ever glance at an embalmed communist leader. I was with a friend who had seen Lenin in Moscow, and he said the experience mirrored that in many ways, including the need for silence around the body and the reverent slow but steady walk required of the queue standers. Ho seemed to be resting peacefully with his hands folded and his white goatee perfectly coiffed despite all the onlookers. I didn't get as close as I had hoped, so it was hard to tell if he was real but I'm pretty sure most of him was. Unfortunately, long pants are required for this expedition we sweated more than was probably considered reverent.
After seeing Uncle Ho, we were led out the back to his wooden two-room home on stilts by a small lake, with our guide extoling the virtues of Ho's simplicity. Sure, it's easy to live simply when someone cooks and cleans for you -- we noticed that neither of the two rooms was a kitchen or laundry.
By the way, no pictures are allowed of the embalmed Ho Chi Minh. Bummer!

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is free to enter and is open in winter from 8-11am/in summer from 7.30-10.30am. It is closed on Monday and Thursday. The changing of the guard happens at 11am. First, join the queue to put your bags/cameras through the x-ray machines, then check in any cameras, etc. at the left luggage counter. Resume the queue to enter the Mausoleum with any hats removed, as a mark of respect. The queue will slowly file past the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh as he lays in a glass coffin, looking very peaceful it must be said!. Be aware that in Nov/Dec, Ho Chi Minh's body is flown to Russia for maintainance.
Note that visitors should be modestly dressed, no shorts or mini-skirts allowed and hands should not be put in pockets, or you will be told off by the guards.

When we got there it was after11am and I think the Mausoleum were being renovated. In away I am glad because I don't think I would like to see a well preserved National hero dead body on display for the public to see. My reason is very simple, it's against my principle. As far as I am concern once you die your body should be cremated or buried, it does not matter if he was a national hero, but that’s only my opinion.

The Soviet style building is worth while for taking pictures.

Open Hours: 8am-11am Tue-Thu, 8am-11am Sat-Sun.
Free admission.

The Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh is a must place to visit in Hanoi. The late uncle Ho is buried in this mausoleum and the whole area is broken down into a few parts in which you will need almost 1 - 2 hours to complete. Every single day, great crowds of tourist and locals alike, pay tribute to him.

The Mausoleum is open to the public in the morning on:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday

1st April to 31st October - 7.30 am till 10.30 am
1st November to 31 March - 8.00 am till 11.00 am

Opening hours are extended by 30 minutes on national holidays, Saturdays and Sundays.

As many Fathers of the Nation in communist countries, Ho Chi Minh is not an exception, and adept of personality cult or not, he has his monumental mausoleum! For average people it is not possible to get closer than 50 m (I tried in evening, may be it is possible during day time), there is a big open square in front (like for Mao in Beijing), with guards and mobile fences preventing getting closer.
A big cube with pillars around, as many mausoleums of that sort, but with a wide squared grass covered place in front, well visible in the sky. There are nice gardens on the side and the back, but you are prevented to enter (Picture 2). Grey and red granite, monumental door and uniforms on picture 3. And the guards look very serious like painted tin figurines . . . (Picture 4). On evenings, the grass is watered to have it always green! Refreshing to have a walk there(Picture5).

A trip to Hanoi will not be complete without paying a visit to Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. I'm not a fan of history but one thing I know is Mr. Ho did a lot for his country to deserve this recognition. This is a well guarded place, so for treasure hunters - hit the place while the guards are asleep! ;-)

Opening hours: Winter - 8:30 - 11:30 am, except mondays and fridays.

This has to be in the top ten of my most unusual holiday experiences.
Tourists are asked to hand their bags and cameras (give them to your guide if you have one) and go through a scanner. You then bypass a huge queue of Vietnamese people (who have to wait for hours) and line up by the doors to the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. Visitors are expected to file through in silence, and there are quite a few guards who reinforce this rule. if you're unlucky they will take a disliking to you and search you again. Someone in our group got stopped twice.
Walk up the stairs and follow the one way route around the darkened room where Ho Chi Minh lays. It is a very surreal experience, made more so by the silence.
Apparently the body gets sent off to Russia every October for a 'freshen up'.

Here's the place where P. Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese hero who lead them to independance, is put on displayed. I guess it's a must go place for Vietnamese at least once in a life time to pay a tribute to their hero. It is quite interesting to be one of them though. You have to be properly dressed to enter the mausoleum. Behave while waiting in your queue! No talking, hands beside your body, nothing protuding in your pocket (could be mistaken as sharp object), or you'll be called aside for a thorough search.

When you enter the hall, you could see the hero's quite close to you, lying inside a fully opened casket with the cover hanging above him. nah... not scary don't worry. Follow the queue and you'll walk around him and exit at another door, and no, you can't stop to see longer, and no photo is allowed

If you are not following local tours, do bring along your stuffs, because you'll exit at the back of mausoleum to the entrance of Presidential Palace area, and it's a far journey back to where you keep your cameras & stuffs.

Entrance is free. If you are lucky, you could witness wreath offering ceremony :-)

I've already written about this a bit on my intro page. It is an interesting place to go and its a real bit of history.

Ho Chi Minh was born in 1890 in the village of Kimlien, Annam in Central Vietnam. Like his father, he protested against French colonial rule and would eventually become the principal force behind the Vietnamese struggle for independence. He helped to found the Communist-dominated independence movement, known as the Vietminh, when Japan occupied Vietnam in 1941.

Following the surrender of Japan in 1945, the Vietminh seized power and proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) in Hanoi. Ho Chi Minh, as he was now known, became president. War with France followed for eight years until the French surrendered in Dien Bien Phu in 1954. With just the north under the communist state, conflict returned in the 1960s as the DRV fought against the US-supported regime in Saigon.

Ho Chi Minh didn't see the end of the war as he died of heart failure in 1969.
He apparantly wanted to be cremated but because he was so revered he got embalmed instead.

Some tips for visiting, go early. It opens at 8am and can get very crowded. Be prepared to get herded like cattle and if you are a westerner you will get searched many times. You will have to leave you bags and cameras before you go and will have to collect them at a different palce on exit. You will be given a chit- don't lose it!

Well, I didn't make it here before closing time on my last day, so I didn't get to go inside.

But Ho Chi Minh himself is in there, in a clear box so you can see him in the Flesh! I've seen V.I. Lenin and Chairman Mao in the same manner.... What is it with these communist revolutionaries???

Open from 9am to 11am; Tue-Sun. Prepare to wait in a long, yet quick moving, line.

This was strange. First of all, I felt like I was doing something wrong by visiting this "monument". It was probably because I served in the Army under guys who had fought in Vietnam. Second...it was just wierd. Lines of foreign tourists stand silently in a cold (40 degrees) room and look at a body. The body does not appear real. Locals say that it is not real, but rather wax. It looks like wax. Around the body there are uniformed soldiers whose only job is to shush onlooking tourists. You get your brief look and then file out. The rediculous thing is: Ho Chi Mihn did not want to be on display like Lenin, he wanted to be buried.

The Ba Dinh Square is a big communist style open square located just in front of the famous Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. Despite the modernisation and chaotic nature of Hanoi, standing at this square is a good reminder that you are still in a communist country. This place is of historical significance because at this very place, Ho Chi Minh read out the Declaration of Independence of Vietnam on 2nd September 1945. Nowadays, military parades and ceremonies attended by high ranking officials sometimes take place at this square.

The Ho Chi Minh Museum (Bao Tang Ho Chi Minh) is lan impressive Soviet style building ocated just next to the famous One Pillar Pagoda and near to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The opening hours are:
Tuesday to Thursday, and Saturday to Sunday: 8-11.30am, 2-4pm.

Unfortunately I was there on a Friday so it did not open. I was told that this museum was opened in 1990 (100th aniversary of Ho Chi Minh's birth) and it basically celebrates his life and pibotal role which he played in the history of Vietnam. The exibits include things like photos, documents, his personal belongings etc.

The Ho Chih Minh Mausoleum (Lang Chu Tich Ho Chi Minh) was built by the former Soviet Union as a gift to the Vietnamese. It was opened in August 1975 although Ho Chi Minh himself died in 1969. Opening hours (free admission) are as follows:

April to October: Tuesday to Thursday (7.30am to 10.30am), Saturday to Sunday (7.30am to 11am).

November to March: Tuesday to Thursday (8-11am), Saturday to Sunday (8-11.30am).

From the above, you will see that it opens during certain days of the week only and during mornings, so do take note. Unfortunately, I did not have a chance to go inside because I was there on a Friday. However, I managed to take some photos of the outside facade and explore the surrounding areas. What I know is that the main highlight inside is Ho Chi Minh's body in a glass casket. Usually, there are long queues and all belongings, cameras etc are not allowed. Dress code and strict behavour (e.g. no laughing and jokes) must be observed or the guards will warn you. Do take note to check beforehand whether Ho Chi Minh's body is inside the mausoleum, because sometimes it may be sent to Russia for re-embalming.

Here lies Uncle Ho, with guards at each corner of his bier. In fact, guards are stationed at all corners of the Mausoleum. Strict silence must be observed and personal possessions (eg. bags) and camera are NOT allowed in the Mausoleum but can be placed at the office south of the Mausoleum.

Entrance fee: 4,000d