Ba Dinh Square – Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum (Hanoi, Vietnam)

Ba Dinh Square

Ba Dinh Square is the largest square in Vietnam, located on Hung Vuong Street, in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The square has a large campus with many green grass patches, interspersed with a 1.4 m wide walkway. In the middle of the square is a 25 m high national flagpole. Ba Dinh Square originated from the French colonial period when it was a small flower garden called the Round Square or Puginier Square.

After the August Revolution in 1945, the Round Square was renamed Ba Dinh Square, where President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945. This is an important historical event, affirming the sovereignty and independence of the Vietnamese nation to the world.

Through many historical events, Ba Dinh Square has become a familiar and sacred name, a pride of the capital’s people and the whole country. Ba Dinh Square is the place where parades, rallies, major historical commemorative ceremonies of the country take place, and it is also a sightseeing, entertainment, and walking place for tourists and Hanoi people.

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, also known as Uncle Ho’s Mausoleum, is the place preserving the remains of President Ho Chi Minh, who led and directed the resistance war against France and the US, bringing independence and freedom to the Vietnamese nation. The mausoleum was officially started on September 2, 1973, at the location of the old podium in the middle of Ba Dinh Square, where Ho Chi Minh used to preside over important meetings.

The mausoleum has a square architecture, each side is 21.6 m long, 21.6 m high, including three floors. The first floor is the podium, the second floor is the relic room, the third floor is the mausoleum roof. The mausoleum is surrounded by a large garden, with many rare trees, symbolizing the regions of Vietnam. The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a unique architectural work, imbued with Vietnamese style, combining tradition and modernity.

The mausoleum is a place to express the respect and gratitude of the Vietnamese people to President Ho Chi Minh, a place to ignite the faith and patriotic spirit of the young generation. The mausoleum is an attractive tourist destination, attracting millions of domestic and foreign visitors each year, especially on major holidays such as National Day, Hung Kings Commemoration Day, Reunification Day, and the birth and death anniversaries of President Ho Chi Minh.