The Hotel La Siesta Classic Ma May is situated in the middle of downtown Hanoi. Narrow streets, occasional broad junctions, and every inch covered in scooters, cars and pedestrians, but surprisingly, no bodies. It is a genuine free for all, with a mild undercurrent of structure, but the horn and the brake rule supreme.
Driver and guide picked us up at 8.30 however we were warned that some “items” were off the menu due to C-virus. Anyway, first stop Ho Chi Minhs mausoleum.
Mausoleum
Body temp 36°C so good to go. What followed was fairly surreal. “Uncle Ho” is absolutely revered in Vietnam and the walk to the mausoleum was under the watchful eyes of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Command. Immaculate in white uniforms, they guard the body 24hrs a day and enforce strict adherence to the single file, clearly demarcated route.
Once inside the mausoleum, there was a noticeable drop in temperature and a hushed reverence. A couple of corners later, there he was. 51 years since he died, not looking a day over 130 years in his glass coffin. No photos, no stopping, in and out in less than 2 minutes.
CPV = Communist Party Vietnam.
HCM died in 1969 and a Russian team of embalmers (Lenin on the CV) were flown in to preserve him. With the war still going on, this had to be done in secret at several locations. The war ended in 1973, but the mausoleum/body combo was not put on public display until 1975. Regular maintenance is required, which is shrouded in secrecy. All said, a monumental effort has been made to personify his cult – not bad for someone who expressly said he wanted to be cremated with ashes across Vietnam to signify unity.
Immaculate grounds
Phone not Fag break
Picking leaves up
Presidential Palace. Ex French Governor’s residence.
Moving on from hero worship, we looked round Ho’s living quarters. He had a house on stilts built to reflect his connection to the people where he spent the last years of his life, having been sidelined by a younger cabal of politicians. As Hanoi was being bombed heavily, there is also a bunker and an old artillery shell to bang when the bombers approached.
House on stilts
Air raid shelter with reinforced roof
Bang this and run
Great title for a newspaper, Mr Quoc, alias Uncle Ho
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