Hello, everyone! This week, let me take you to other parts of Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Bich Dong Pagoda, and the famous Obama’s bun cha!
Well, no, Obama doesn’t own a bun cha restaurant… I said that because it was the place where Obama and the late Anthony Bourdain ate bun cha together when they were in Hanoi πππ
Okay, let’s start with Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum!
Travel to Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
What’s so special about this place?
As the name suggests, it’s the burial chamber of the late Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary and ex-president of Vietnam.
Ho Chi Minh or Uncle Ho was a prominent figure in Vietnam.
He was the one who founded the Viet Minh independence movement, which defeated the French Union in 1954 and ended the First Indochina war.
Although he wished to be cremated, the government and people loved him so much thus they decided to preserve his body and placed it in the Mausoleum.
If you think that the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is packed with travellers, you’re wrong!
According to my local tour guide, it’s mostly packed with locals and students who want to commemorate and visit him. By this, he literally means students from all over Vietnam.
Oh boy, he is right!
When the tour group and I reached there early morning, it was packed with students from different schools. They came from all over Vietnam to Hanoi to see Uncle Ho with their own eyes.
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So, we queued for about 1 or 1.5 hours before finally stepping into the Mausoleum. We had to remain silent the whole time…
The inner side of the Mausoleum is like a square. Uncle Ho’s preserved body is kept inside a glass coffin, placed in the middle.
At every corner of the coffin, there’s a soldier guarding the coffin.
So, you will walk around the square quietly and slowly… You won’t be able to take your eyes off Ho Chi Minh’s preserved body.
He looks like he’s sleeping…
One of our tour members said that as if he was starring at a wax doll in Madame Tussauds.
We wondered what kind of technique to preserve and maintain the body… it must be costly!
By the way, if you’re travelling to Hanoi and want to visit Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, remember these:
- Be there early morning (around 8 or 8.30 am)
- No short pants
- No DSLR/professional camera
- No big backpack/handbag
- No slippers
- Strictly no taking photos around and inside the Mausoleum
Our tour guide missed the “no short pants” when he briefed us the day before, so I had to cover my legs with my jacket. Luckily, my jacket was long enough to cover my legs πππ
I’m sorry, Uncle Ho! πππ
Only after you exit the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum you can take photos with your phone. There are many things to see, like:
We took a shortcut to exit this place as the queue was super long, so I couldn’t take an up-close photo
Sorry guys, I didn’t manage to take good photos… It was my last day in Vietnam, the tour group and I had to go to the airport soon.
The queue took too much time, so we were rushing. If only I didn’t join a group tour!
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Bich Dong Pagoda, Hanoi
Only when I returned from Hanoi I realised that the entrance of Bich Dong Pagoda is very famous among influencers.
Yet, above are the photo that my mom, sister, and I took πππ
Bich Dong aka “green cave” is a beautiful spiritual cave, surrounded by trees, flowers, and limestone mountains.
I was so happy knowing that we would climb some natural stairs as I had a heavy breakfast at the hotel. Finally, the exercise that I’d been missing!!! π₯²π₯²π₯²
You will find three pagodas in Bich Dong Pagoda: Chua Ha (lower pagoda), Chua Trung (middle pagoda), and Chua Thuong (upper pagoda).
I was busy taking photos so the tour leader was far, far away ahead of me… If only I stick close to him, maybe I would know this information.
I find the article from vietnamtravel.com useful and can explain to you more about Bich Dong Pagoda π
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Some of you may want to take beautiful photos but remember, the stairs are quite steep. Make sure that you wear comfortable shoes or sandals.
No high heels, please!
Also, please don’t wear sports attire to Bich Dong Pagoda. It’s a charming, ancient short-hike destination but Buddhist people come here to pray.
So, choose your outfit wisely π
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Bun Cha Huong Lien: The Obama’s Bun Cha, Hanoi
Alright, what is bun cha?
Bun cha is one of the most popular traditional Vietnamese foods. Think of caramelised pork meatballs eaten with vermicelli noodles, vegetables, and broth.
At Bun Cha Huong Lien, you can order the Obama Combo – traditional bun cha + deep-fried spring rolls + Hanoi beer (what he had that day).
Why did Obama choose this bun cha restaurant? According to Vietcetera, he was invited by Anthony Bourdain for dinner there, to shoot an episode of CNN: Parts Unknown.
Obama and Anthony Bourdain didn’t visit the restaurant without notice. They did notify the owners about a VIP coming and to ensure hygiene and food quality.
The ‘ordinary people’ sitting near Obama and Anthony? Some say that they were spies or special agents dressing like ordinary people.
But Vietcetera says they were normal people paid to sit there, pretending as if they were having their usual dinner.
By the way, the article mentioned that Obama’s bun cha restaurant was actually a famous family-run restaurant in Hanoi and served the freshest ingredients at all times.
My mom, sister and I can confirm the truth.
My mom is sensitive to smell and taste, she would know if something isn’t fresh, especially when it comes to meat and seafood.
She would also know if her favourite restaurant has a new chef because the food or sauce tastes different.
Bun Cha Huong Lien gets double thumbs up from my mom ππ
The ingredients are fresh and the pork meatballs aren’t smelly. The Hanoian-style deep-fried spring rolls are also delicious!
However, my Vietnamese friend who stays in Hanoi thinks there are many bun cha restaurants that are better than Obama’s bun cha. Hmm… now I’m curious!
Alright, friends! It’s 11pm in Malaysia on a fine Sunday night. Writing this blog post makes me feel like eating bun cha π€€π
I hope you enjoy our express tour of Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Bich Dong Pagoda, and Obama’s Bun Cha. Have a productive week ahead! πͺπͺπͺ
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Click “Add Promo Code / Voucher” and enter CLARA10 when you checkout at onelifeadventures.com
