Founder of the Viet Minh, the Vietnamese Communist Party, Ho Chi Minh went on to fight for Vietnam’s independence from the Japanese. The site on which the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is located was where Ho declared independence from the Japanese in 1945. However, this was followed by a war with the French, after which Vietnam was divided. Ho Chi Minh became the leader of the communist North Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh was still the President of North Vietnam during the Vietnam War, the notorious conflict between the USA and the North Vietnamese backed Vietcong which aimed to prevent the spread of communism. However, he died in on 2 September 1969, before the end of the war.
Ho Chi Minh expressly stated he only wanted a simple cremation, but between 1973 and 1975, a majestic mausoleum was constructed for his body using materials from all over Vietnam. Ho’s preserved body is on display in a glass sarcophagus for 10 months a year
The mausoleum is open today the public on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday mornings, free of charge – hours vary slightly between summer and winter seasons. Ho’s body is normally removed for maintenance between September and early November.
There is almost always a queue to get in, and rules on entry are strict: you’ll need to cover your shoulders and knees, remove headwear, check bags, phones and cameras before entry, and you will be expected to walk round in respectful silence. Guards are on hand to tell you off if you don’t adhere to the rules.
Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum is located in Hanoi, at the south end of the Presidential Palace complex. Enter on Ba Dinh Square: buses 22A, 45, 50, 09A, 09ACT and 18 all stop a short walk away. Any driver in the city should be able to get you here without any problems.
]]>Ho Chi Minh was the President of North Vietnam from 1945-69, and through his role as the leader of the Vietnamese nationalist movement is largely considered the founder of modern Vietnam.
Renowned as a hero by many in his country and beyond, following his death on 2 September 1969 plans were put in place by the Communist Party of Vietnam’s Politburo for a museum to be founded in his memory.
After 20 years of preparation, the Ho Chi Minh Museum was inaugurated on the anniversary of his death in 1990.
From the biographical to the almost existential, the Ho Chi Minh Museum looks at the President’s life and ideals in 8 chronological exhibitions. These include exhibits on his upbringing, time spent travelling abroad, the influences of Marxism and Leninism, and his later life and death.
It also explores Vietnam’s international conflicts and its struggle for independence, and features a host of artefacts, miniatures, and memorabilia gathered worldwide.
Fittingly, the museum is located near to the famous Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, his final resting place.
The Ho Chi Minh Museum is located in the centre of Hanoi in Vietnam. Hanoi Railway Station is a 25-minute walk away, while the 09A and 09ACT bus services stop on Doi Can, a 5-minute walk away.
]]>In its long history, the prison place became a significant place for the Vietnamese resistance movement, and later on became the main holding camp for American Prisoners of War that were captured during the war. During its active years, the conditions in this prison deteriorated as the number of prisoners increased, and in the years of the Vietnam War American POW were held there in a truly horrific environment, although Vietnam’s government denies those claims to this day.
The prison was built in stages between 1886 and 1901 in downtown Hanoi by the French (when Vietnam was still French Indochina), Hỏa Lò Prison – translated as ‘fiery furnace’ or ‘Hell’s hole’ – was a place of incomprehensible brutality. Originally intended for 450 inmates (but by the 1950s was home to over 2,000), Hỏa Lò went through three distinct periods.
During the colonial French era, it was known, as all urban French prisons were, as ‘Maison Centrale’ – Central House – and was intended to hold Vietnamese political prisoners who were agitating for independence, many of whom were subsequently tortured and executed. Inmates were kept in what has been described as ‘subhuman conditions’ but because of the central location, street peddlers could make extra money by tossing opium and tobacco as well as messages over the walls.
After the French suffered their unexpected defeat at Dien Bien Phu in May 1954, Vietnam was divided into North and South at the 17th Parallel and Hỏa Lò served as an education centre for revolutionary doctrine and activity. Then came the Vietnam War.
The first US prisoner arrived at Hỏa Lò in August 1964 and until 1973, almost 600 American POWs were interred here, including future Republican presidential nominee John McCain. The nickname ‘Hanoi Hilton’ was sarcastically coined, their treatment was horrific and brutal and breached the Geneva Convention to which Vietnam was a signatory, although North Vietnamese propaganda suggested they were treated excellently and the Hanoi Hilton nickname was because it was like a hotel. It wasn’t.
By the early 1980s when the Americans had left, the prison’s usefulness was coming to an end and it was demolished in 1990. The government decided in 1993, to satisfy the development of the capital, part of Hoa Lo Prison would be used to build “Tower centre” with a hotel and offices and another part of prison next to Hoa Lo Street would be preserved to mark the site of Hoa Lo Prison.
In 1997 Hoa Lo Prison was recognised as a historical monument by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
Save for the small southern section, the prison was demolished in the mid-1990s and today a museum about the prison stands on the site. The museum is divided into several sections relating to different periods of the site’s history.
Hoa Lo Prison today portrays a different side of the horror stories told by former inmates despite the prominently displayed shackles hanging on the walls. Much of the emphasis is on the French colonial era, with less of a focus on the experiences of the American POW who were detained there.
The prison is located at the corner of Hai Ba Trung Street, in the south of Hoan Kiem Lake. The easiest way to get to Hoa Lo Prison is by taxi.
]]>Of particular significance is the way in which the city was integrated within its natural surroundings.
Nguyen Anh ascended the throne of a newly unified Vietnam in 1789 and immediately proclaimed himself Emperor Gia Long with Hue. The new ruler consulted divination to decide where a new city should be built, and in 1804 construction began on the Imperial City of Hue with thousands of workers ordered to build the citadel and moat.
The city suffered in 1947 when the Viet Minh seized the citadel. A French counter attack besieged the city and a 6-week battle destroyed many major buildings and the Imperial Palace was burned. Later, during the Battle of Hue in 1968, US troops were ordered to hold shelling on the city because of its heritage. However, these restrictions were gradually lifted.
Listed as a World Heritage Site since 1993, the site of the Imperial City of Hue is actually a vast complex of monuments spread over 4 kilometres and encompassing some 140 constructions of varying sizes including temples, pavilions, a library and even a theatre. This was all protected by three circles of impressive ramparts reinforced by 24 bastions and pierced by 10 intricately decorated gates.
Many sources refer to the city as the citadel, but the Hue Citadel is just one aspect of its remains, within which are set the Imperial Residence, the Imperial City or Hoang Thanh and the Forbidden Purple City or Tu Cam Thanh as well as administrative and military structures.
Beyond its Citadel, the Imperial City of Hue has an array of sites, including fortresses such as Tran Hai Thanh and Tran Binh Dai. Further out, one can find its spiritual quarter with its temples and tombs.
Located in Thanh pho, Hue, the Imperial City sits opposite the river from the new buildings and accommodation and therefore is an easy walk away. Otherwise you can use the Grab app to hop into a taxi there.
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