Ba Dinh Square and Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Ho Chi Minh made his Independence Declaration here in 1945. His people struggled for 30 more years to achieve it. Now he watches over from his mausoleum.
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Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum. Uncle Ho had expressed a wish to be cremated but his successors had other ideas. Drawing on Lenin's and Mao's entombment, they believed the cult of personality around him would be best served by a similar monument. Hundreds of locals and visitors gather to pay their respects each day.
Vietnam's wartime White House - Uncle Ho's simple house on stilts in Ba Dinh Square.
And the place Uncle Ho eschewed. He refused to live in the French Governor's mansion and built his house on stilts nearby. This building is now Vietnam's Presidential Palace.
Ho Chi Minh Museum, Hanoi. The collection is modern and abstract in parts - quite unique in Vietnam.
Ernest Hebrard was on of the most distinctive architects of French Indochina. His work can be seen in Hanoi as well as Cambodia and Laos. His buildings attempt to fuse French and Asiatic styles. This Hebrard creation now houses Vietnam's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
At one end of Ba Dinh Square is Hanoi Citadel. This 19th century tower looks over the city from what is now the Military History Museum. The Russian MIG jet has pride of place at the entrance.
The prize exhibits at the museum are US military pieces, with the wreckage of a US B52 bomber the centrepiece of this diplay.
The tank that crashed through the gates of Saigon's Presidential Palace on April 30 1975. We're assured the one at the palace in Saigon is a replica....
Hanoi Citadel is the city's newest World Heritage site and has only been open to the public for a few years. Despite the absence of meaningful information, it's definitely one of the city's most important historical sights.
Recent digs on the Citadel site have pulled up lots of pottery and other artefacts. Curiously, visitors are prevented from photographing the discoveries on display in a small museum.
Hanoi Citadel. The room in which North Vietnamese commanders planned their campaign against the US backed South from 1967 until 1975 - North Vietnam's Pentagon.
Back to the history lesson at Hoa Lo, aka. Hanoi Hilton Prison.
The recently revamped nearby Women's Museum is one of Vietnam's best. The collection is modest but it's nicely curated and captioned. Most of Vietnam's museums have the opposite problem.
Time to hit the Old Quarter streets. St Joseph's Church is a good place to ease your way into the mayhem of the old streets.
An Old Quarter shop holding the torch high while the Mercs and Beemers speed by outside.
Around Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi. Wonderful elderly characters come to the lake each day.
Hanoi's water puppetry is not to be missed. Both the live music and puppetry are a delight.
One of Hanoi's most spectacular buildings - National Museum of Vietnamese History. Also by Ernest Hebrard.
Hanoi Opera House - the grandest of the buildings of the French Quarter.
The historic Metropole Hotel is special as well.
Be sure to grab a drink at the outdoor bar at 1911 restaurant - at Hanoi Opera House. Stay around for dinner too if you feel like splurging.
Food will be a big part of your Hanoi stay. This is another local specialty - Bun Cha. And of course, you've already heard about Hanoi pho soup!
FOR OUR HANOI IN 72 HOURS ITINERARY IN PRINT, CHECK OUT HANOI - OUR IDEAS OR THE LINK BELOW.
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