Ba Dinh Square and Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Min's Office. Within the grounds of the Presidential Palace is a simple house with an annex used as a garage for the cars used by Ho Chi Minh. It is a spartanly equipped office.

The Citadel. The Citadel was constructed by Emperor Gia Long of the Nguyen dynasty and completed in 1812. it was built over a larger Citadel of the Le dynasty. It now houses military facilities. It lies at the eastern border of the Ba Dinh Square the nation's ceremonial epicentre. Ho Chi Minh read out the Declaration of Independence on September 2 1945 and here Independence is commemorated each national Day with military parade and much fanfare and pomp and pageantry.
Ho Chi Min Mausoleum. The Mausoleum faces the Ba Dinh Square. It is the most important cultural and historical monument of Vietnam. After Ho Chi Minh died in 1969 his body was embalmed by Russian experts and in 1975 his body was displayed for public viewing inside the Mausoleum.
The Presidential Palce. The Palace was built in 1901 and was the place of abode of the Governor General of French Indochina. After independence in 1954 President Ho Chi Minh built a modest dwelling house nearby and another small building complex to house his office and garage. The Presidentail Palace was reserved for ceremonial functions such as for welcoming of foreign dignitaries and state banquets.
Ho Chi Minh's House. Ho Chi Minh built this modest house behind the Presidential Palace modelled on an ethnic minority stilt-house with open sides and split bamboo screens. The stilt-house faces a garden and a fishing pond.