There are countless tourist attractions associated with the life and work of President Ho Chi Minh, stretching from North to South. However, currently, the most famous attractions in Hanoi for foreign visitors include the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Presidential Palace relic site.
Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is where the remains of the beloved leader of the Vietnamese people are kept. Known to the Vietnamese people as Uncle Ho's Mausoleum, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was built on the foundation of Ba Dinh Square, where the proclamation of the birth of Vietnam was read after nearly 100 years of colonization.
The project was built after 700 days and nights thanks to the efforts of the Vietnamese people and the Soviet people, in which the Party, State and people of the Soviet Union presented Vietnam with twenty thousand polished pieces of granite and marble along with countless equipment and machinery to complete the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.
Together with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ba Dinh Square and the adjacent flower garden are a unified architectural complex. The total area of ​​renovation and construction is 14 hectares. The square in front of the Mausoleum has an area of ​​20,000 square meters, divided into 176 grassy squares, with a 1.4 meter wide path in the middle. This is the area where many people in Hanoi gather to watch the flag raising ceremony in the morning at 6:00 a.m. and the flag lowering ceremony in the evening at 9:00 p.m.
Presidential Palace Relic Site
Right next to Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is the Presidential Palace Relic Site. The Presidential Palace is where President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked from 1954 to 1969. The Presidential Palace was designed by French architect Auguste Henri Vildieu and completed in 1906 with the original purpose of being the workplace and residence of the Governor General of Indochina. After the French colonialists withdrew from Vietnam, President Ho Chi Minh chose this place as his residence and workplace.
Currently, the Presidential Palace has about 1,456 artifacts, of which 759 are on display. The remaining relics, artifacts or documents are still preserved here to ensure their originality and original state as on the last day before Uncle Ho left. Therefore, this place has an area of ​​up to 10 hectares, including houses, vegetable gardens, lawns, fish ponds and paths.
The Presidential Palace relic site is a large architectural and landscape complex, spanning an area of ​​10 hectares, divided into 3 main areas:
Area A is the living and working space of Uncle Ho. This place is closely associated with the daily life and activities of President Ho Chi Minh in the last 15 years of his life, typically the Wooden Stilt House, House 54, House 67 and Fish Pond. This is also the area to welcome visitors to learn about and visit the relics.
Areas B and C are the working areas of the State and Government, which are still in operation. The two main items here include the Presidential Palace Guest House and the Government Office.