No other person shaped Hanoi’s modern war history quite like the controversial figure of Ho Chi Minh, the “Father of the country”. With your private driver and English-speaking guide, pay your respects to the departed leader at the Ho Chi Minh Complex and Ba Dinh Square, an important point of pilgrimage for many Vietnamese.
The area surrounding the complex is a traffic-free zone filled with botanical gardens, monuments, memorials and pagodas, and includes the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (outside), Ho Chi Minh Museum, Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House (Closed on Monday & Friday every week and from June to August annually), the Presidential Palace and the One Pillar Pagoda.
Travel back in time to the nearby simple cottage on stilts where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked during his humble beginnings as a revolutionary. Round out your understanding of his influence by visiting the neighboring Ho Chi Minh Museum, featuring an extraordinary tribute to his life. Gain insight into the pre-war history of the country at the Governor’s Residence, also known as the Presidential Palace.
The building is an excellent example of Hanoi’s classical French architectural heritage, and Ho Chi Minh famously refused to live in the opulent structure for symbolic reasons, opting to build a traditional Vietnamese stilt house on the grounds instead. Finally, travel back to the 11th century to hear the legend of the construction of the Buddhist One Pillar Pagoda. Retreat from the bustling streets and end your exploration with a visit to the Temple of Literature, built in 1070 and dedicated to Confucius.
