Uncle Ho's Cabin, a photo from Ha Noi, Red River Delta

Photographer's Note

There are many beautiful buildings in Hanoi. I wouldn't regard this as one of them, but it has nevertheless an important place in the modern history of Vietnam.

This is the mausoleum of former North Vietnamese President and Communist party leader Ho Chi Minh (Hồ Chí Minh; 1890–1969). Ho Chi Minh, often referred to as Bác Hồ, "Uncle Ho", is still venerated by millions of people in mainly northern Vietnam (but most probably not by all) as the father of the nation.

Ho is said to have expressed his wish to be cremated after his death, but the leaders following him decided to treat him like Vladimir Lenin and Mao Zedong. His body was embalmed and later displayed in this building which was opened in 1975.

I decided to behave like a true tourist, so I joined the queue of people waiting to see Uncle Ho. A few years earlier I had seen the embalmed remains of Mao Zedong in Beijing. From maybe five meters' distance Mao looked very much like a wax figure created at Madame Tussauds. Ho Chi Minh made a similar strange impression. He didn't look quite... real.

The mausoleum is located in a large park in the northern part of central Hanoi. In the same area the Presidential Palace is located, as well as the simple stilt house Ho chose as his home for the last 11 years of his life. Nearby is one of Vietnam's most famous Buddhist temples, the small One Pillar Pagoda, built in the 11th century, destroyed by the retreating French colonial forces in 1954 but rebuilt after the Vietnamese had regained control of their country.

Everywhere in this area you can meet large groups of people visiting the sacred places.

All photos were scanned from Kodachrome slides, and they were all severely affected by the dull weather in northern Vietnam in the autumn.

For the title I was of course inspired by the novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852) by Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Here is a larger version.

PaulVDV, PaulVDV, alvaraalto, papagolf21, Fis2, pierrefonds, jhm, macjake, PiotrF, COSTANTINO, drt100, jean113, Royaldevon, mcmtanyel, adramad, ChrisJ, maloutim heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (115963) 2019-09-01 0:46

Pozdrav.
Lepo mesto i stara arhitektura.
Dobar rad sa lepom fotografijom u radionici, dobro uhvacen trenutak. Lepa fotografija i secanje.
Zelim vam sve najbolje.
Paja.

Greeting.
Nice place and old architecture.
Good work with nice photography in the workshop, well captured moment. Beautiful photography and memories.
I wish you all the best.

PaulVDV (62970) 2019-09-01 0:58

Hello Gert,
I like your first picture in the WS the most.
It has a very attractive composition and shows a long and quite colourful row of Vietnamese people.
This is an area where I saw a lot of Vietnamese visitors and that was the best part of it.
I remember the mausoleum, as you write especially of historic importance. Also the One Pillar Pagoda, of which a masterful description in my travel guide, couldn't convince me anymore.
I visited this area at the end of my holiday in Vietnam and was clearly dreaming of other and better destinations.
The picture of the pagoda would indeed have been better with only the woman at the entrance.
Best regards, Paul

alvaraalto (42804) 2019-09-01 1:13

Hello Gert,
It doesn't happen often that our photos are next to each other.
Your photos of an important historic building that has a prominent place in the history of the last century alongside my photo, an example of modern architecture.
I think they are contrasts that are worth standing next to each other.
Excellent presentation
Have a nice Sunday, groet Rob

papagolf21 (152607) 2019-09-01 2:38

Bonjour, cher Gert,
L'on apprend beaucoup à travers vos compositions et vos notes (à propos des embaumements, l'on nous aurait trompés !) ;o)
Comme quoi, vos voyages sont utiles et intéressants à tous les niveaux.
Amitiés.
Philippe

emka (158204) 2019-09-01 4:03

Hello Gert, Again I am so envious. You have seen Mao and Uncle Ho. And I have seen four mausoleums but not even one inhabitant :(. The first mausoleum was in Sofia, for Georgi Dimitrov. I was in Sofia in the late fifties. Why I didn't go inside? I do not remember. I still regret :). When I was in Sofia last year, I saw only the place where once was this mausoleum. In Moscow, I do not why, but it was closed. And I was ready to join even a long queue. I do not remember why I didn't see Mao. But in Hanoi again bad luck - Uncle Ho went for a treatment to Moscow.
I also posted a picture of One -Pillar pagoda here
. And mausoleum 18 years later I will show as WS.
My uncle spent half a year in Vietnam in the late fifties and told that the people really loved Ho.

Have a nice Sunday afternoon

MAlgo

[workshop] [compare] +

Fis2 (170839) 2019-09-01 4:08

Witaj Gert!
A very interesting mausoleum, building makes impression.
Curious scene from daily life.
Good framing, colors and light.
Well done.
Nice sunday afternoon.
Krzysztof

Silvio1953 (221695) 2019-09-01 4:15

Ciao gert, lovely composition with beautiful mausoleum, excellent perspective, good clarity, splendid light and wonderful colors very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

pierrefonds (114516) 2019-09-01 4:47

Hi Gert,

The standing policeman is an eye-catcher. The point pf view is showing the details of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The overcast sky does not hurt the colors output. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jhm (211736) 2019-09-01 4:54

Hello Gert,

The police man are a perfect guard aboutthe area.
Of course is the building still out of the previous century
You remains perfect old pictures scanning.
Nice quality fot this old picture.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

jmdias (115230) 2019-09-01 7:45

gert

the personality cult is evident in many of the leftist governments, fidel, chavez, peron, lenin, mao, stalin, etc... here isn't different despite the saint is inside a jail, but maybe he will be resurrect soon. curiously attempts of the right leaders to be an idol were destroyed..
the building has a modern mood and I liked the details around. in beijing I avoid to visit mao because the lines, I had much more things to do with my time.

taKE CAre

jorge

rychem (72187) 2019-09-01 8:07

Not all embalmed leaders were impeccable persons, most often they were simply dictators, the mausoleum of some positive and deserved politician is still missing.
Nice photos of the mausoleum
regards Ryszard

Nicou (193806) 2019-09-01 9:00

Hello

quelle architecture ce building superbe quel pierre grise et colonne avec la rue et une image aussi avec la végétation verte qui ressort cet arbre ces buisson les personnes dont le policier quel ensemble superbe
Bravo et belle soirée
Nicou

macjake (98456) 2019-09-01 10:08

Hi Gert
where do I begin with this one? first off, the photo...the quality is actually very good from this scan, i think it came out rather well. What I don' like is the composition with that tall tree trunk in the middle, thats too bad. Perhaps one or two steps further and you would have yourself a clear path. But then again, you know what I always say - I wasn't there, so perhaps there was some reason prohibiting you from getting a different view. I wonder how I'd feel if I had a dying wish, then later find out (I know that's not possible) they went totally against that wish. So he wanted to be cremated - yet they do the TOTAL OPPOSITE and put him on display for millions of people to visit him - Oh My Goodness! He must be so pissed off. I know I would be. That's not right. I wouldn't want to see him as a 'wax figure' looking man, that's not right either. Let the poor man rest in peace. Interesting WS too, where we can see how different the local area is. informative post cheers
Craig

Miguel82 (47110) 2019-09-01 13:20

Gert, instructive text about the former Vietnamese president. The mausoleum was built in a park. Its green space is well maintained and the site is watched by a guard. Appealing green colors.

Tue (92442) 2019-09-01 13:57

Hej Gert,
Jeg kan godt lide billedets navn. Det er jo sært at skønt mandens betydning for landet og plads i dets historie man alligevel valgte at ignorere hans ønske og udstille ham i denne bygning. Det ser ud som om det forsøgte at kopiere Lincolnmonumentet her. Bygningen kan ses godt mellem de mange træer og soldaten på højre hånd er også godt kommet med.
Lars

GyurMaster (24838) 2019-09-01 13:58

Dear Gert,

Maybe WS3 would have constituted a better postcard, but I understand you choice, the guard enhanced the photo, obviously, just as the woman on WS2. These four pictures constitute a nice reportage of the life back then.

Best Wishes,
Gy.

PS: Thank you for your kind words under my latest photo and for faving it.

Gerrit (62042) 2019-09-01 13:59

Hello Gertr,
Great that you could take the militairy man on the right along in this fine composition.
thanks and regards,
Gerrit

PiotrF (54758) 2019-09-01 16:10

Hello Gert
An interesting nice series of photos from Hanoi.
Thank you for informative note.
Fine presentation.
Regards
Piotr

COSTANTINO (116560) 2019-09-01 22:07

Hello dear Gert and have a nice new week
I red carefully your useful notes that there
are many beautiful buildings in Hanoi and
here we can see mausoleum of former North
Vietnamese President
interesting presentation
regards
Costantino

mesutilgim (0) 2019-09-02 3:45

Hello dear Gert,
Another perfect capture and TE entry in your gallery.
The mouseleum of a quite important man of the region during the afte war periods.
Both photographycally and informative, perfect TE job.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

BennyV (34748) 2019-09-02 10:16

Hej Gert

Much less green in front of the mausoleum these days, Gert. I visited the uncle in 2000, but this time just waved at him from a distance.

A very interesting character, though. If you haven't already, I highly recommend Willem Duiker's biography of the man. Duiker is an American veteran, but his biography is very well balanced and I found it a very interesting read. I have lots and lots of respect for this ultimately tragic historical figure.

Btw, Ho Chi Minh himself had explictely stated that he did not want a mausoleum and would have jeered at the idea of being balsemed.

Benny

drt100 (4038) 2019-09-02 12:53

Greetings Gert - Good Note and thanks for the larger view.

I was just here 6 months ago. Those guards watching you intently. As your note rightly points out there is little to say about the structure. It is basic as would the leader probably want it to be. His nearby brightly yellow home and administrative buildings are much more charming.

Knowing the place, you have found a more pleasant sport, with trees, to shape the image overall view. Not many spots or vantage points to do this from. It is a rather empty area. Well done.

Have a good week - drt100 David

jean113 (27893) 2019-09-03 8:03

Hello Gert, three very interesting pictures with an excellent set of notes.
I like the title!
A pity about the dull weather, but the green of the trees and those tiny bits of red look good against the grey building.
Excellent sharp quality.
Kind regards
Jean.

Royaldevon (85932) 2019-09-04 2:32

Hello Gert,

I'm sure Vietnam is a place that I will never personally visit so I love finding out about the place from reliable sources. The mausoleum looks quiet and calm, set behind the trees, though the guarding officer in the street gives it a sense of national importance.

I like the w/s of the people moving from one sacred place to the next. They look remarkably orderly and very colourful. There are always the thoughts about where are they now and what will they look like! I think I must be becoming more interested in people ... I wonder how that happened!

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

kasianowak (17676) 2019-09-06 13:49

I can compare my lack of luck with mausoleums to that of Malgo's. I have a very vague recollection of "paying a visit" to Georgi Dimitrov in Sofia, when travelling with my parents in the 70s or 80s - is that possible, was he still there? Or maybe I just remember my parents talking about it and it never really happened? What I do know for sure though - I went to Pyongyang and did not get to visit the most famous mausoleum in the world - it was undergoing some kind of renovation work or so we were told...
Anyway... the Hanoi monument you presented here seems like a peaceful place to rest, with all the greenery around (and guarded by a soldier).
I really like the One Pillar Pagoda image, with or without the girl in the foreground - you can always crop her off and make it a square shot. But what I find attractive about including her is the juxtaposition between the old (or old-looking) building and her western-style clothes.

mcmtanyel (68593) 2019-09-06 22:06

Hello Gert,
It looks like an interesting place. I would appreciate a slightly different POV to get that tree out of the way. 👌👏
Regards,
MT

adramad (73006) 2019-09-10 12:27

Hi Gert.
A magnificent note about the mausoleum and its owner ... both this photo that combines the austere lines of the building, as the surrounding gardens, as the two great photos of the WS, form a set that recreates very well what is described in the note.
Wonderful colors in soft tones, excellent sharpness and splendid light. Great scan job.
Very well done. I like very much.
You have a good day.
Very best regards.
Luis.

ChrisJ (171878) 2019-09-10 16:59

Hello Gert,

I recall visiting Ho Chi Minh's Mausoleum too. Apparently he gets regular maintenance in Moscow. I don't think I bothered going inside to see his remains but I did make the effort to see King Tut in the Valley of the Kings. Many people come away from the Cairo Museum disappointed that they didn't see him among the large collection of mummified remains there of various Pharaohs. I also recall the guards outside were very strict and fussy about how tourists approach the structure. Tfs!

maloutim (13617) 2019-11-04 3:14

Nice picture with pleasant colours !
But what attracted my attention most was the title. And learning it was all about Ho Chi Minh, I had to do some further research on this great man, as my history syllabus, a long time ago didn't stress that part very much. If anything, we were led to think he was a trouble maker associating with the bad communists ! The insolence of colonialism !!!
Thanks for this picture which caused some opening in my knowledge and thinking.
Marie-Louise.