3/15 Hanoi: Ho Chi Minh mausoleum and Temple of Literature

Evergreen group shot in front of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh was born in 1890 in a village outside of Hue. In 1910 he was hired on as a cook on a French ship, which eventually took him to France. He then went to the USA, back to Europe, and in 1924 to the USSR. After an extended stay in China and Hong Kong, where he started the Vietnam Indochina Party, gathering the exiled Vietnamese nationalists together, Ho returned to Vietnam in 1940, after being away for 30 years. From 1941 to 1945, Ho hid out in with the minority people in the Northwest of Vietnam and organized the resistance to the Japanese occupation. In 1945, with the Japanese surrender, Ho used excerpts from the US Declaration of Independence, declaring Vietnam independent. Ho wrote to President Truman a number of times, but never received a response. There are certain events in history that had extraordinary consequences, and I believe the death of President Roosevelt in office was one of them. President Roosevelt, on a number of occasions, had voiced his opposition to European colonialism once WWII was concluded. Unfortunately, he died before the war ended, and President Truman supported the French return to Vietnam. If President Roosevelt had lived to see the end of WWII, he may have supported Vietnamese independence. Ho was, first and foremost, a nationalist. Being rejected by the US, Ho went to the USSR to seek an ally. Eventually that chain of events resulted in the American War, in which approximately three million Vietnamese died, and over 58 thousand American soldiers.

The President's house

Our national guide Ha, singing with Jimmy the Lionel Richie song, "Hello," which is Ha's favorite song. After going on line to print the lyrics for all the students, Ha has all the students singing this song numerous times a day.

One Pillar Pagoda

Fiona, Hallie, Kami and chaperone Matt coming down One Pillar Pagoda.

I just thought this was a classic Vietnamese face.

Meera, Izie and Angela listening to one of Ha's lectures at the Temple of Literature. Ha was obviously very excited to be back home in Hanoi, for he talked and talked today - maybe a little too much.

Max and Jimmy at the Temple of Literature, which is the oldest university in Vietnam, founded in the year 1010.

A bunch of students one the balcony of one of the buildings in the Temple of Literature.

Preparing food on the street

All the chaperones, teachers and guides at a special meal of Cha Ka, a unique preparation of fish, vegetables and noodles (and of course chilies and fish sauce)