Ha Noi: the cult of personality of Uncle Ho

Arriving by plane at Ha Noi gives you a chance to admire the whizzy new airport, seemingly funded by the Chinese:

Along with an impressive new road system linking the airport to the city:

The single most important thing that everyone more or less HAS to do in Ha Noi is go to pay respects at the mausoleum of the great, the invincible, the all conquering, the eternal Ho Chi Minh, known affectionately to all Vietnamese as Uncle Ho (it's a term of endearment, a recognition by all of the enormous debt of gratitude they feel they owe him, not as one bemused tourist thought, that he was somehow related to just about every member of the population! Honestly, some people are so thick you wonder how they manage to ever make enough money for such a trip!)

When you first arrive you have to park your scooter. Finding it later might be more difficult:

Then along with a cast of thousands, of all ages, literally, from 3 months up to 90, many more Vietnamese than tourists (I think you have to go if you are Vietnamese, it is expected of you, although I got the impression that most of them wanted to be there, all a bit freaky!) I lined up in my neat row of 2, having had to deposit my bag, water, iPad and so on at security ( lots of that visible) for the long line waiting to shuffle round the gardens, round building after building, endless neat lines of people 2 by 2 until about an hour after I started I reached the hallowed ground of the inside of The Mausoleum Of The Great Fighter For The People: Ho Chi Minh (you might get the impression that I'm not taking this seriously and you would be right: I find this unquestioning obsession of one human being quite unhealthy, maybe I just spent too long in the late 60s studying the Soviet Union, put me off this sort of nonsense for life)

Anyway, back to Uncle Ho: as you reverentially approach the open casket bearing his (incredibly enbalmed) body the white uniformed guards become even more animated in their gestures to ensure that the line remains 2 abreast, no more no less, it really is very hard not to burst out laughing at the pomposity of it all. Then you see the wizened yellowish body of a little old man and your thoughts turn to Madame Tussaud's which is maybe not how you're supposed to feel. Escaping from this living tomb is a blessing.

Now that you've trodden on hallowed ground you are allowed to retrieve your belongings and can stroll round the gardens and view Uncle Ho's house and garage, although stroll is a bit of a false description as the thousands of visitors are still snaking round in their 2 x 2 line up and there is so much cordoning off that it is impossible to do other than follow the flow.

The Mausoleum: external shots only of course:

His garage:

Why he needed 3 cars I have no idea, but that's true Communism for you!

His house interior:

Upstairs:

A peek into the bedroom:

The downstairs verandah: ( I kept thinking how much Fiona would have liked the furniture!)

You can just see one of the guards in his white uniform, standing at the bottom of the stairs:

The gardens surrounding the house:

Complete with pet peacocks:

And Government House in the complex:

You can always tell which are official buildings in Vietnam as they are all more or less the same colour, although the more modern ones have a more subtle shade of the standard issue.

And the Visitor Centre. It won't surprise you to know that I felt no need to go in there.

Ah, Communism, don't you just love the equality for all idea!

So what else has Ha Noi to offer other than the Cult of Personality?

Well, there's a rather nice lake literally in the centre of the city:

With a great strolling path round it:

And an Ethnic Museum:

Complete with one of my favourite exhibits of the whole trip:

Shown as a photo:

And historic photos of my favourite creatures at work:

And a woman you wouldn't argue with:

And a university:

And a museum charting the history of women in Vietnam:

And a theatre:

And a lot of scooters:

And monuments extolling the virtues of working for the system:

And lots of narrow crowded streets in the Old (French) Quarter:

And a Water Puppet Theatre:

And a thriving night scene:

And fortunately for all of us, for a refreshing change, no temples, just Uncle Ho! That's Ha Noi.