Ba Đình Square and Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum

You are in Ba Đình Square, the great ceremonial space of modern Vietnam. At the far end, the austere granite building holds the embalmed body of Hồ Chí Minh.

12 September 1945

Here, before an enormous crowd, Hồ Chí Minh read the Declaration of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. He opened by quoting the American Declaration of Independence: "All men are created equal." Japan had just surrendered and France had not yet returned: thirty years of war were about to begin.

2A mausoleum against his wishes

Hồ Chí Minh died on 2 September 1969. In his testament he had asked to be cremated and for his ashes to be shared between the north, centre and south of the country. The party chose instead to preserve his body, with help from the Soviet specialists who already looked after Lenin's. Work began on 2 September 1973 and the mausoleum opened on 29 August 1975, a few months after the war ended.

A strict protocol applies here: modest clothing, silence and no photos inside.

The mausoleum closes for a few weeks every year for maintenance; check the official website if you want to go in. Look out too for the changing of the guard, a carefully choreographed ceremony. To the right of the mausoleum, among gardens, are the Presidential Palace and the simple stilt house where Hồ Chí Minh lived.

3What to look for

• The portico of square columns, inspired by Lenin's mausoleum.
• The 168 squares of lawn that make up the parade ground.
• The honour guards in white uniforms at the entrance.