1. About Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House
1.1. Where is Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House?
This magnificent and authentic construction is located in the center of Ba Dinh District. Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House is considered to be one of the most well-guarded buildings in Hanoi nowadays. It is a part of the Presidential Palace heritage site in Ngoc Ha Ward, Ba Dinh District along with House 54, House 67, and Uncle Ho’s Pond.
Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House is located in the city center and is one of the addresses most searched for when traveling to Hanoi, so moving here is not difficult due to the assistance of Google Maps.
Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House is right at the top of Ngoc Ha Street, through a crossroads that leads to the Presidential Palace heritage site with mostly yellow and antique European architecture style textures.
Front side picture of Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House in Hanoi
1.2. History of Ho Chi Minh’s Stilt House
In October 1954, when Hanoi was finally liberated after 10 years straight under occ, President Ho Chi Minh returned from the Viet Bac war zone to the capital Hanoi. At the end of December of the same year, Uncle Ho moved back to live and work at the Presidential Palace until his death. This was a decisive period for the Vietnamese revolutionary cause. Therefore, the Presidential Palace Relics was also ranked as a special national monument in 1975 and since then this magnificent construction has been opening for decades and has attracted many tourists from all over the world to come and explore it.
In March 1958, during a visit to Dai Tu district, Thai Nguyen province, Uncle Ho expressed his wish to have a Viet Bac stilt house next to the fish pond on the grounds of the Presidential Palace. After that, Ho Chi Minh met architect Nguyen Van Ninh to plan to build a small two-story wooden house on stilts, enough for one person to live and work due to the shortage of materials during wartime in Northern Vietnam.
On May 17, 1958, the stilt house was completed in time for Ho Chi Minh's birthday. Since then, it had been a place to work and meeting for President Ho Chi Minh for more than a decade until he passed away.
Sometime after the autumn of 1969, after President Ho Chi Minh's death, the Communist Party and the government created a policy of preserving the artifacts of Uncle Ho's Stilt House and had another stilt house restored according to the prototype for everyone to visit. The task of sealing and preserving has been carried out meticulously and carefully by military engineers for 2 years, following the same sealing process as with supplies and weapons in the military warehouse.
2. Architecture and structure
Ho Chi Minh's stilt house brings the beauty of the stilt house architecture of Tay and Thai ethnic groups in Viet Bac in accordance with Uncle Ho's wishes. The house is made of wood, tiled roof, has a widespread outdoor site, 2-storey structure. The upper floor is divided into 2 rooms: bedroom and personal office. The lower floor has a living room, usually a place to meet officials in the Politburo or to intimately receive a number of domestic and foreign delegations.
The house is made of wood
This stilt house is unique and nostalgic due to the pond next to it, which was constructed by Ho Chi Minh’s fellows and guards during the time he was working in the Presidential Palace in Hanoi.
3. What can you do in Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House?
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Exploring the pond of the stilt house - a nice place to visit
This pond was a place for President Ho Chi Minh to relax and go fishing during his break time. However, long before his arrival, the pond was completely ruined and abandoned until some of his comrades decided to restore and renovate it. Its excellent atmosphere and natural surroundings will amaze tourists a lot during your visit to this site.
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Many artifacts and relics that were once belonged to President Ho Chi Minh
Tourists will have an opportunity to explore and spectate every corner of the stilt house. In there, many old personal belongings of Uncle Ho are exhibited and displayed here. All of them are well-preserved for decades and some of them are still in good use nowadays such as notebooks, pens, documentaries, clocks, and so on. Remember to put things back in the right place after picking them up to observe.
4. Opening hours and entrance fee
Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House opens for tourists from 8 AM to 11 AM during summer and from 8 AM to 11:30 PM during winter. It is open 6 days a week, except for Monday. Vietnamese visitors are free of charge when entering the entrance. Foreign visitors oppositely will have to pay 40.000 VND per person as the entrance fee. Small children are also free of charge as well.
>>> Read more: Hanoi city tour to visit Ho Chi Minh complex
5. What to keep in mind when visiting Ho Chi Minh's Stilt House
Some of the artifacts are not allowed to be touched by visitors. In fact, you can only observe or explore the interior and exterior of the stilt house with other components of the Presidential Palace.
Tourists should bring along food and beverages due to the fact that there are not many vendors or convenience stores that sell the things you need.
Plus, follow the instructions of the tour guide carefully and cautiously when visiting this site of history.
