Visited Ho Chi Minh today but he wasn’t taking any visitors.
The first thing to do when you arrive in the old French Quarter of Hanoi is to walk around Hoan Kiem Lake. It’s a small lake in centre of town that features in Vietnamese myth and is popular today for visitors and locals to relax or exercise. All ages are doing all sorts of things to wash away life’s grinds and slow the aging process. Badminton is popular but so is dancing, tai chi and jogging.
After lunch the aim is to visit Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh). Ho Ch Minh is the founder of the new united communist Viet Nam and is revered by many. In died in 1969, six years short of victory in the American War and seeing his dream of a united communist Vietnam come to fruition. He has been immortalised, thanks to the magic of embalming, and to this day lies in state in his own mausoleum here in Hanoi. It is possible to visit him. He is open for visitation on most days from 8-11am, except on Mondays and Fridays. That’s how I would do it too! To visit Uncle Ho is a popular pass tin for tourists and locals. On this day there was a continuous line of Peoria streaming through the mausoleum to view the body. It’s quite a process to get to the mausoleum. No cameras or bags allowed so you have to leave them in storage. You line up and slowly work your way through while tv screens show footage of the American War. It’s all very serious. There are white uniformed guards everywhere making sure nobody steps out of line. Caps and sunglasses off, sensible dress including nothing short of trousers for men, no hands in pockets and no overt lightheartedness! The mausoleum is a fairly brutal piece of architecture as these things usually are, but there is polished marble everywhere. You wind your way up the stairs and around, constantly under the glare of guards.
MORE TO COME!!
angusmccoll 