Hanoi Things to Do Tips by Wild_Orchid

If you are walking around in the vicinity of the Temple of Literature, you may wish to take a look at this park. The park is popular with young lovers holding hands (and sometimes a bit more than that...) and older folks feeding the pidgeons. A statue of Lenin is a key feature here- a reminder of the socialist past that continues to influence the country.

When we drove past there was a rather large crew of workers in drab grey uniform down on their knees cleaning the metal stakes surrounding the park. I guess some things are still run by the state govermment.

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Address: Nguyen Tai Hoc

When the father of this great nation, Ho Chi Minh, died in 1969 his body was recovered from its burial place, cleaned up, embalmed and put on display in this granite mausoleum. The influence of socialist Russia (a country that supported Vietnam after the war) is very apparent here as the mausoleum was modelled after Lenin’s tomb.

From what I read, Ho Chi Minh had been quoted as saying "Not only is cremation good from the point of view of hygiene, but it also saves farmland." I guess Uncle Ho's followers had a different view and decided not to save the farm!

Inspite of the changing times and the economy becoming more commercialised and market-driven, it appears that the Vietnamese continue to hold HCM in high regard because apart from the gawking tourists lining up to view the body, there were just as many locals queueing to pay their respects.

Certainly no visit to Hanoi is complete without a visit to the Uncle Ho's mausoleum. A MUST SEE!

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Phone: 8 234760
Address: 1 Bach Thao, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam
Directions: Ba Dinh District
Other Contact: 8 236326

Uncle Ho looks very peaceful and serene, his eyes closed as if in deep slumber. The wispy white beards on his face are still and his body is white and pale, almost aglow, in the soft yellow lights. In the cool air-conditioned room, and surrounded by 4 Army Guards who stand motionless at all times, the room is hushed in enforced silence and the atmosphere is surreal.

Footnote: In my group we had a few pharmacists who argued with us laymen that the "body" we saw could not be that of Uncle Ho. The explanation they gave is that the body lies totally uncovered (not even encased in a glass coffin), and under strong lamps, which would generate too much heat, it wouldn't take long for the body to decay. Well folks, your guess is as good as mine, but it was still a remarkable experience and a MUST SEE.

The HCM mausoleum is only open for a few hours in the morning (not sure which days though). This is what when you get there in the afternoon, all the crowds and tour buses will be gone and the park and surrounding areas are quiet and peaceful, allowing Uncle Ho to get some well-deserved rest.

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Directions: Ba Dinh District

It was raining lightly when we got out of the bus to join the queue. Fortunately, the spirit of free enterprise was around in the form of vendors selling umbrellas, pith helmets, straw hats and bright blue rain coats that made everyone who put them on look like giant walking garbage bags! LOL

Still better to look silly than to get wet, right? So I got myself a straw hat at US$2 and a raincoat at US$1.00 each. Later on, a bit further down the queue, we discovered that the tourist office there sold the same stuff at only a few cents. Too bad, and too late.

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Address: Ba Dinh District
Directions: Ba Dinh District

Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day.
Teach a man to Clap, and you'll feed him for a life-time!

At Uncle Ho's fishing pond (this is what the tourist brochure called this huge pond next to Uncle Ho's Yellow House), we were told by our guide that Ho Chi Minh would stand by the lake and summon the fishes to come to him simply by clapping his hands. Our guide did it and the fishes came. Lo and behold, when I clapped my hands, the fishes started to slowly but surely come to me!

Isn't it amazing? Uncle Ho really trained his fishes well. LOL

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Phone: 8 234760
Address: 1 Bach Thao, Ba Dinh, Hanoi, Vietnam
Directions: Ba Dinh District
Other Contact: 8 236326

The legend that surrounds the One Pillar Pagoda is beautiful and romantic.

The king that ruled this country a long time ago was not married, but he longed for a son. One night as he lay sleeping he dreamt that a beautiful lady seated on a Lotus Flower came to him. In the palm of her hands she held a new born baby which she handed over to him. Recognising the Lady in his dream as the Goddess of Mercy, the king built a one-pillar pagoda, to represent the stalk of the lotus flower. Soon after, the young king married a young girl from a nearby village and they were blessed with a son and heir.

The lotus is a key feature of Buddhism, as the lord Buddha is always depicted seated on the lotus. The Goddess of Mercy, Kwan Yin, is also pictured on the lotus.

The original wooden pagoda built by the king was destroyed but has since been rebuilt in cement.

From Ho's mausoleum, it was a short walk to the one-pillar pagoda. I had expected something different, as pagodas are often tall and multi-storeyed. See my next tip for further information.

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This tip continues from the above.

The one-pillar pagoda is special for its history and the myths and beliefs that surrounds it. If you visit expecting to see an architectural marvel, then you're likely to be dissapointed.

Our guide explained that people from around Vietnam visited this temple to pray for a son. In traditional Chinese families, the need to carry on the family name is of the utmost importance and therefore a son is prefered over a daughter.

A few unmarried ladies in my group stepped forward to say some prayers at the temple. I guess the longing to have a child, whether male or female is always present. A few of us who are already married with kids stayed conspicuously away...just in case we were inadvertently "blessed" by the the Goddess of Mercy. (smile)
What suprised me was when my male colleague also stepped forward and walked up the steps of the temple. As far as I know, he's married with two University going kids...

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Address: One Pillar Pagoda
Directions: withing walking distance of HCM Mausoleum