Ho Chi Minh Embalmed Body: The Exact Visit Time & Location
The embalmed Ho Chi Minh Body is located at Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi. Except for Monday and Friday, you can get into the Mausoleum before 10:30 am / 11:30 am depending on the month. There you will find Ho Chi Minh’s corpse in a glass coffin surrounded by armed soldiers.
I visited Hanoi twice and only got a chance to get into the gigantic Mausoleum during my second visit. I find that some of the information on the internet is rather misleading and thus wrote this blog post.
As a tourist, I believe you may not be as passionate as the local people (after all Ho is the founder of modern Vietnam). However, you would still want to have a look if it fits your schedule.
Also, the entrance to the Mausoleum is totally free and the building is well air-conditioned as compared to the hot summer outside.
Let’s check out the below all information you need for the visit.
Visit Time
There are two visit times that will get you confused. First, the visiting time that you can get inside the mausoleum and thus see Ho’s body. Second, during the visiting time you have access to the grand plaza outside the mausoleum.
If you check on Google by typing “ Ho Chi Ming’s Mausoleum”, it will show you daily 7 am to 5 pm. This is the visiting time for the Grand Plaza; NOT THE MAUSOLEUM. Based on this information and visited the place in the afternoon during my first visit to Hanoi. And of course, failed to get inside.
You can only get inside there and see Ho’s body on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. No Monday and Friday.
For the time, it is 7:30 am – 10:30 am (during the month from April to October); and 8:00 am – 11:00 am (during the month from November to March). There is a saying that September & October would usually be the months for annual maintenance and thus not open. However, I got inside there on September 29th during my last visit. You may check the official website for maintenance schedule.
My suggestion is don’t make drastic changes to your Hanoi itinerary to accommodate seeing the body. Instead, just try to fit in visiting the place at around 8 – 10:30 am shall be fine.
Location
The best time to visit the Mausoleum is at 10am. Around that time it is less crowded and you can check out the change of guard around 11 am. Not to mention you can even squeeze time for a coffee at Hanoi Train Street in the morning.
Location
There are multiple attractions near the mausoleum including the Ho Chi Ming Museum, Chua Mot Cot (an ancient Buddhist temple), Ho Chi Ming’s Stilt House, Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, and Ba Dinh Square. The exact location for seeing the body is inside the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. For more information on planning Hanoi Itinerary go for our post about it.
The entrance is near the intersection between “P Chua Mot Cot” and “Hung Vuong.” Once you are nearby, you will have no trouble finding it, given that you will need to go through a security check followed by a queue before entering.
Rules of Visit
There are multiple rules you need to be aware of before entering the mausoleum.
Security Check
Before entering the area, you will need to pass through a security check with X-rays on your belongings. You should not bring dangerous products such as knives, or else you will get into trouble. If you are a smoker, a lighter will be fine because all your belongings, including your camera, will go to the luggage storage anyway.
Baggage Storage
No camera is allowed inside the Mausoleum. So you will need to store all your belongings at the luggage storage after the security check. Note that a camera is not allowed inside the Mausoleum only. You can take photos outside the Mausoleum and you should do it as one of the signature photos in Hanoi.
Dress Code
You don’t need to dress formally to pay a visit to Ho. However, you should dress neatly. For males or men, it usually means no shorts or sandals. A T-shirt or casual shirt (even a Hawaiian shirt like I did) is fine. For females or women, no shorts, sandals, or shirts (unless very long); also needs to cover shoulders and arms.
You should also take off your hat during the visit.
Other Rules
You should follow the line by the security guard, although jumping a line and pretending you are not aware can be done. Other than not taking photos inside, you should refrain from making loud noises or touching anything inside the building. Also, any disrespectful acts may lead you to jail, after all, Ho is the father of the Country.
Changing of Guard
Around 11 am, the changing of the guard will also be performed in front of the mausoleum. You will see the Vietnam shoulders in white soldiers changing their duties. The performance is not very great and the number of soldiers is just around 12 per my experience. So you may want to take a look if you happen to be there around 11 am.
Other attractions & facilities nearby
As mentioned earlier, there are multiple other attractions nearby. So you may want to visit them after the mausoleum. Also, you should not forget to claim back your luggage. If you are thirsty and tired, there is a free rest station with cold water offered at the park behind the mausoleum.
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