VISIT WITH UNCLE HO

Ho Chi Minh is affectionately referred to by the Vietnamese as Uncle Ho and revered as the father of modern day Vietnam. While the country did not remain true to his communist ideology, it remains an independent country today thanks to his work in throwing off the yoke of French colonialism and defeating the USA in war. Sorry I can't provide any pictures as we are still in Laos with extremely slow internet.

After a few days of exploring the city and trying to set up a tour of Ha Long Bay we decided to pay a visit to what is arguably one of the most bizarre attractions found anywhere in the world; the mausoleum of Ho Chi Minh. Many people go to revere this great man. Others go with a macabre curiosity. Still others go because it is a “must see” in Hanoi. I went with a combination of all of the above. I wanted to know more about this enigmatic man who was a curious combination of warrior, savior, poet and leader.

Visiting Uncle Ho was a study in paranoia and reverence which are two words I don’t usually associate with each other. The security surrounding his corpse is usually reserved for sitting, not to mention living, heads of state. To visit Ho there is a long queue that is nearly half a mile in length. After about half an hour of inching forward you finally arrive at the large granite and marble mausoleum where Uncle Ho lies in state for eternity (except for the few months each year when he is removed for maintenance). When visitors approach the entrance they are admonished to show respect by not talking, chewing gum or even putting hands in their pockets. Even an inadvertent cough draws a glare from the armed guards that line the queue. After walking up the marble stair case and winding through a series of turns one catches the first glimpse. Uncle Ho is preserved under glass in his trademark semi military garb. His wispy white beard accentuates the waxy look of his embalmed body. The effect is accentuated by the dim lighting and somber attitude of the visitors. It is quiet as a tomb. (Sorry just could not resist the analogy) Rumor has it that he has been preserved with the same secret embalming techniques as the Russians used for Lenin. After a few seconds of shuffling by the sarcophagus our visit with Uncle Ho is over and we find our way back to daylight.

We are directed next to the presidential palace in which Ho refused to live because he was a man of the people and felt that it was too ostentatious. At first he lived in the gardener’s residence and in the last few years of his life lived in a small two room teak house on the grounds. There was also a reconstruction of the stilt house where he lived during the war with the US. He conducted the war from a ground level open air war room beneath the stilted house. His sophisticated equipment consisted of a simple wooden table surrounded by ten chairs for the politburo and three telephones on a side table. With a few advisers, a few simple tools, and what I believe to be an intellect unmatched by many of his generation, he defeated the “mightiest “ nation on earth. He did this with a firm belief in his people and his ideology while retaining his humility.

The final part of our visit was to the museum dedicated to Ho Chi Minh. This museum is one of the more interesting museums I have seen anywhere. It intertwines three components; the life of Uncle Ho, the life and times of Vietnam, and an overview of contemporary world history. The museum has countless letters, documents, photos and exhibits of Ho that show his path from a humble birth to communist organizer, patriot in exile and finally the savior of his country. There are abstract sections of the museum that portray contemporary leaders, entertainers and other persons of noteto set the scene for Ho's life . Finally, there are representations of Vietnamese villages, the war with America, and day to day life in Vietnam to complete the picture of the life and times of Uncle Ho.

The visit with Uncle Ho renewed my perception that he was not the evil man as portrayed by America during the Vietnam war. He was a great man who took his country from a feudal state to the country it became in the 20th century. The exhibits showed he was a very intelligent man with unquestionable leadership qualities. Examples of his poetry revealed him to be a sensitive and contempletive man as well. He truly cared about his people and nation. His selfless dedication to his country is unmatched in modern history. One has to respect his accomplishments even though you might disagree with his political philosophy. He was unquestionably one of the great leaders of the 20th century.