Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum | Jennie McKie

As with Thailand and Korea, I thought I would put together my ‘must see’ list for when you come to Vietnam! For more information click on the title of each one to take you to the blog post! Enjoy!

1- Abseiling on Marble Mountain, Da Nang

This was one of the best things I have done here, we were able to see one of the major landmarks in Da Nang but from a different perspective! It was well worth every penny and was a brilliant day out… even if we did almost jump onto a poisonous snake!

heading down into heaven

2- Cu Chi Tunnels.

If you come to Vietnam this should be on your list, whilst it is quite touristy now it is a very cheap day out and gives you an amazing look into the conditions the Vietnamese fought under during the Vietnam war. You are able to squeeze yourself down one of the entrance ways to the many tunnels and even go down into one of the tunnels to experience just how cramped the conditions were.

The tightest part, had to slide down on your bum!

3- Scuba diving Hoi An

Unfortunately I had to pull out of this one due to illness but Andy went along by himself and had a great time with 2 really long dives into the waters just of Cham Island. If you don’t want to scuba there are snorkeling trips on offer too however the spots were not quite of the same standard as the scuba sites.

Andy under the water

4- Getting something Tailor made

Vietnam has some of the best tailors around. Whilst it can be a mission finding out a good one (as many are jumping on the tourist bandwagon) some research and shopping around can leave you with beautifully hand-made items. I got my beautiful wedding dress made here for a fraction of the price it was being sold at back home and Andy got two beautiful suits made up. Hoi An offers tailors on every street corner however most cities have their own tailors, you just might need help with translating! Make sure you know what you are going in for a bring plenty of pictures with you and make sure you know how to avoid getting ripped off!

My tailor and I

5- Touring down the Mekong Delta

The Mekong Delta tours allows you to sail down this enormous river while visiting some of the islands that sit on the river. Our day was long but we had a great time seeing everything on offer!

My new pal

6- Spending the night on a boat in Ha Long Bay

Ha Long Bay is one of the most famous sites here in Vietnam. You can do a day trip here however one of the best ways to see it is to spend some time here. We sailed through the bay for 3 days, sleeping on the boat for one night and our own private bungalow on an island just off Cat Ba for the other night. We were able to kayak through a sleepy fishing village on the water, tour some beautiful caves, sail through the majestic limestone cliffs and interact with some cheeky wild monkeys!

Passing by the limestone cliffs

7- Ninh Binh province

Located about 2 hours drive from Hanoi, Ninh Binh offers some peace from the hustle and bustle of the cities, you can sail down the river in Tam Coc and visit the old capital while taking In the beautiful views that surround you in the county.

Rowing boats waiting for passengers

8- Try some of the unusual street food

Vietnam, like most of the Asian countries is known for its street food. While I stayed away from the dog and cat meat which is everywhere in the town we lived, we eat street food a lot and even tried some of more unusual dishes such as frogs and birds. You can also have some of the insects, however after trying them in Thailand…. Once was enough for me!

Andy with a bird in his mouth, fried frog and fried bird!

9- Visit Uncle Ho in Hanoi

Ho Chi Minh is loved here in Vietnam and you will see pictures of him everywhere if you have time you can go visit the man himself at the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum located right in the heart of Hanoi. Be warned though as the dress code is extremely strict make sure you cover the shoulders, change out of the shorts and don’t wear flip-flops. Photos in the Mausoleum and within the yellow lines are also seriously prohibited and will get you into trouble. Check dates and times before you go and take note that every second October “Uncle Ho” goes on holiday to Russia for a touch up.

Guards at the mausoleum

10- Visiting the war museum, HCMC

The Vietnam war left devastating effects on the country and whilst the museum may be a little bias it gives you a heart wrenching look at the effects of Agent Orange and some of the brutality caused by the war. It may be a bit of a somber experience but is a must to get a look into the countries past.

Effects of Agent Orange

And the one we never made it too…. Sapa.

Sapa is located right at the North of Vietnam in the mountains, famed for its beautiful tea plantations and scenery. We never got round to heading out as it is about 12 hour by train from Hanoi but it is famous for its rolling tea staggered fields high up in the mountains.

One of the biggest attractions in Hanoi is the Ho Chi Minh mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh, or ‘Uncle Ho’ was a famous prime minister and president of North Vietnam; he is credited for being a founder of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, as well as the Peoples army of Vietnam and the Viet Cong during the Vietnam War. He is loved and respected by the people for trying to make a united Vietnam so much so that they renamed Saigon to Ho Chi Minh City in his memory. When he died his body was embalmed, despite his wishes of being cremated, and is kept at the mausoleum for people to come and see. It was built-in the spot where he had read the Vietnamese Declaration of Independence in 1945.

Ho Chi Minh

We got up early and headed out into a ridiculously 92% humid day… not pleasant. We jumped into a taxi and told him where to take us, unfortunately the taxi we picked was one of the many taxi drivers who takes advantage of the tourists and scam them. There are many scams in Vietnam and the taxi scam is notorious! We jumped in and he started chatting away to us being very friendly… it was only after a few minutes that we realized the meter was up at 200,000 dong ($10) and it was going up at 20,000 ($1) amounts every few seconds. Just to give you an idea your taxi meter will usually start at 9-12,000 and go up by 1-2000 every 30 seconds or so. Andy chinned the guy and he started giving excuses that it was a ‘big taxi so more expensive’ we finally told him to stop as by now it was 300,000($15) we paid him, as they can turn nasty if you don’t (a story for later!) and got out. Raging that we just got done we walked the rest of the way to the mausoleum (our taxi home was 62,000/$3!!) The mausoleum has two entrances, the main entrance and a side entrance. We unknowingly went in the side entrance which actually cut off about an hour queue!

Guards at the mausoleum

Security and rules are VERY strict here. First you must get your bag searched, no liquid at all is allowed in which meant we had to throw out 4 bottles of sealed water we had with us for the day, then you must go through a metal detector and any big bags must be left behind. (There is a free storage area) As with any temples you must watch what you are wearing, for girls you must have your legs covered to your knees with your shoulders covered, boys must wear trousers as shorts are not allowed neither are singlet’s or vests. Finally flip-flops for both girls and boys is a big no! Unlike many places where they will give you something to cover up with, here you will just be turned away which almost happened to me as my dress didn’t cover enough of my shoulders, luckily I had a shrug with me!
A security officer will then take you to a line past a yellow line where you

Line of people waiting to go in

must stand 2 by 2 and not move forward until the security escorts you. Once you have crossed the yellow line cameras are forbidden and they are forbidden inside the mausoleum which is heavily guarded with soldiers holding big guns and huge bayonets on the end… so I would not test them!!

Lines are taken in one at a time, no one can move out of formation and no talking is allowed. As soon as you walk through the doors the temperature is instantly colder (much to our relief after standing outside for 20 minutes!) Once inside you must keep walking in the line, you are led up the stairs and into the actual mausoleum which contains the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh. The room is quite small with a one way walkway round the room, on the lower level is the glass box containing Ho Chi Minh with 3 guards on each side. It is the first time I have ever seen an embalmed body and is strange! It really did just look like he was sleeping despite dying in 1969!

You are in an out within about 30 seconds, as I said you must keep walking so you cannot stay any longer. Once outside you must still keep to you 2 by 2 line until you are a released by security although you must still stay behind the yellow line! Once behind this line you are free to take pictures!

We were going to walk round to the museum which is at the main entrance, however the humidity and heat was just too much for me, especially as I had a fever thanks to a chest infection and we headed back to find an attraction inside and with air-con!