Laos Overview

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is located in Ba Dinh district, nearby Temple of Literature, West Lake, Hanoi Flag Tower, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was built in two years from 1973 to 1975. Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum takes some inspiration from Lenin's in Moscow. The Mausoleum, which was made of marble and granite, features a three-stored structure. In the second store places the famous President’s body, lying as if he were sleeping in the simple clothes worn when he was alive. Above the portico of the mausoleum, the words "Chu tich Ho Chi Minh" (President Ho Chi Minh) can be clearly seen chiseled into the pediment, which is supported by twenty stout granite-covered pillars. The materials that constitute the building, from exterior granite to interior wood, were contributed by people from all over the country. Even the garden that surrounded the Mausoleum has a collection of plants and bonsais donated from all regions in Vietnam. In front of the mausoleum is the 79 cycad trees, symbolizing Uncle Ho’s 79 springs of life.

Besides, Ba Dinh Quare in front of the Mausoleum is a place where President Ho declared the independence of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. The square has 240 patches of grass divided by intersecting concrete pathways; visitors are heavily discouraged from walking on the grass.

Moreover, you can continue to discovery Ho Chi Minh Complex by visiting the nearby Ho Chi Minh Museum, which contains an account of the man's life as told in allegory and his personal effects, and the Presidential Palace, on which grounds Ho Chi Minh lived after taking power (he never really moved in, contenting himself with living in the former electrician's quarters, then in a custom-built stilt house from the 1950s till his death).

Thang Long Puppet Theatre is a famous cultural place for domestic and foreign tourists. It is situated on Dinh Tien Hoang street and nearby many other attractions in Hanoi as Hoan Kiem Lake & Ngoc Son Temple, Hanoi Old Quarter, Ly Thai To Park, Hanoi Opera House, etc. It provides the water puppet show which is unique Vietnam traditional art.  

The Theatre was established on October 1969 and now become the leading brand name of Vietnamese water puppetry. The Theatre has of preservation, maintenance and development of the traditional water puppetry; confirm-reinforce its brand name; contribute significant part to the advertisement and speed up the cultural and art exchange and cooperation in the world. There are often 5-7 shows every day to satisfy with demands of audiences.

The main content of water puppet show is about daily life of Vietnamese farmers (cultivating, tending buffalo, catching fishes…), communal entertainment (swimming contest, dragon dancing…), or historical legends (Le Loi returns precious sword…). Performances are accompanied by a Vietnamese orchestra playing traditional music using drums, wooden bells, horns, bamboo flutes and cymbals. There are also authentic Vietnamese operatic songs telling the story that is being acted out by the puppets.  And the main music used in the water puppetry performance is music of Cheo which is the specific traditional art in the Northern plain.