The plaza in front of Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Truong leads Lynn and Terry.
After lunch, we went to the Ho Chi Minh District where Truong explained the historical significance and reverence for Ho Chi Minh in light of the Vietnamese struggle for independence. The mausoleum where Ho’s body is preserved was closed — which didn’t bother me in the least — but the park included the French Governor’s mansion, another small house where Ho lived simply in three rooms, and a stilt house where he lived the last years of his life. The stilt house was the most interesting as the architecture is based on houses in the jungle where Ho lived during the struggle against the French.
After leaving the Ho Chi Minh District, we went to visit the Temple of Literature dedicated to Confucius which was built in 1070 CE. Truong led us in on the right hand path — the lucky one — through the various courtyards of the temple. The layout was completely symmetrical so when we left — again by the right hand path — we were on the opposite side.
The plaza in front of Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum. Truong leads Lynn and Terry.
The mausoleum.
The parliament building.
Standing guard at the mausoleum entry.
The French governor's mansion. Ho Chi Minh refused to live in it.
Sitting on the front steps of the governor's mansion.
A view into the three-room house Ho Chi Minh lived in before the stilt house was built.
Koi in the pond.
Cypress knees along side the pond.
Ho's stilt house, the architecture based on hill houses in the countryside, where he lived until he died.
The lower level was an open air conference room.
Upstairs a porch surrounded the upper rooms.
The wood finishes made the structure very attractive.
The One-pillar Pagoda represents a lotus blossom. The original was burned down by the French.
Entry to the Temple of Literature complex.
A vigorous waterlily - I would've liked to to have seen it in bloom.
According to Wikipedia, this is the Khue Van pavilion.
Stelae of Doctors, listing the names of those passing the royal exam, rest on the back of a turtle, a sacred creature.
A line of graduates posing for pictures in the innermost courtyard.
Truong with a statue of a phoenix (also sacred) standing on the back of a turtle.
A pair of dragons ornamenting a burning incense holder.
The altar to Confucius.
Jonathan and a bonsai Plumeria.
The graduates sans caps and gowns.
