Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is a large granite memorial in Ba Dinh Square, Hanoi, housing the preserved body of revolutionary leader Ho Chi Minh. Located in the Ba Dinh political complex, the monumental structure was built between 1973 and 1975 and inaugurated in 1975. Inspired by Lenin's Mausoleum, it features a grey granite exterior, central hall with glass sarcophagus, and surrounding gardens, serving as a major national landmark and ceremonial site.

Visitors can expect a highly formal, solemn visit in Ba Dinh Square. The exterior is a massive grey granite structure with columns and a central inscription, set in a large square with gardens and parade grounds. Inside, visitors file in a quiet, guided line through a dimly lit central hall to view the glass sarcophagus. Photography is not allowed inside. The surrounding complex includes landscaped gardens, Ba Dinh Square, and nearby stilt house and museum areas that can be explored on foot.

The mausoleum was constructed between 2 September 1973 and 29 August 1975 to house the embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh (1890-1969). Designed with Soviet assistance and inspired by Lenin's Mausoleum in Moscow, it was built from grey granite and other materials sourced from across Vietnam. It was inaugurated on 29 August 1975 and stands on the site of Ba Dinh Square where Ho Chi Minh proclaimed independence on 2 September 1945.

The mausoleum is a nationally significant memorial and ceremonial site where visitors pay respects to Ho Chi Minh. It is a focal point for national commemorations and a widely visited landmark within the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Complex, which also includes the Presidential Palace, stilt house, and museum, reflecting Vietnamese respect for Ho Chi Minh's legacy.