Not far from the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is the Ho Chi Minh Museum (entrance fee 40,000 VND per pax) where you can learn about the life of Ho Chi Minh – his background, ideals and revolutionary career.
To be honest, before I came to Hanoi, I didn’t have a clue what HCM actually meant to the Vietnamese people. It seemed like HCM wasn’t just a president or leader of the country but he was considered a legend and national hero by many. After a visit to this museum, I totally understood why it was necessary for someone like HCM to make a change. He led the socialist revolution in the north, put an end to US aggression to liberate the south and successfully reunify the country. It wasn’t an easy journey for Vietnam to be what it is today but HCM did it for his people, his homeland.
Ho Chi Minh Museum
19 Ngoc Ha Street
Ba Dinh, Hanoi
Vietnam
Tel: +84 4 384 55 435
Website: http://www.baotanghochiminh.vn/
Opening hours:
8.00am to 12.00pm (Mon & Fri)
8.00am to 4.30pm (all other days)
HCM Museum was a rather interesting museum compared to some others that I had visited in the past. It was like going through a story book so as I walked through each section, it just opened up another new chapter in a narrative format though all the information were of course related to HCM and the whole idea of communism.
The beginning of the exhibition focused on the places where HCM was born and had lived in – basically, a closer peek into his childhood and youth days before he left Vietnam to travel abroad to seek ways to save his homeland.
Some work of art
The life of feudalists and imperialists and their collusion in Vietnam
The Vietnamese people’s plight
Portrayal of the founding of the Communist Party of Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh over the years
There was a gigantic statue of HCM in the General Introduction Hall.
Road leading to the front line
If you’re interested in politics and history, this is a museum worth visiting but again I must reiterate that everything about this museum only revolves around Ho Chi Minh and communism. Be prepared to do a lot of reading as there are many documents and artefacts on display but they are all organised in a thematic manner so it’s quite easy to go with the flow.
When we exited the HCM Museum, we followed the rest of the crowd and headed towards this temple that was just a stone’s throw away.
The inside looked exactly the same like most other Buddhist temples.
And this was the One Pillar Pagoda. It is a historic Buddhist temple and is considered one of Vietnam’s most iconic temples. Just like its name, the pagoda was only supported by a single column.
While most of the people were queuing up to take a peek inside the pagoda, I was busy outside chasing after this little black puppy, lol. So small and cute! ?
The One Pillar Pagoda is located in the park behind the HCM Museum on Ong Ich Khiem Street. Entrance to the pagoda is free and it is open daily from 8.00am to 5.00pm.