Not to miss

Dien Huu Pagoda

This small pagoda, which surrounds a garden courtyard, is one of the most delightful in Hanoi. The old wood and ceramic statues on the altar are distinctively northern. An elderly monk can sometimes be found performing acupuncture on the front porch.

Ho Chi Minh Museum

The two separate sections of the Ho Chi Minh Museum relate to the past and future. Start in the past and move to the future by walking in a clockwise direction downwards through the museum, starting from the right-hand side of the top of the stairs. The modern displays all have messages, such as 'peace', 'happiness' and 'freedom'.

This is a fascinating, although sometimes obscure, museum. The concept seems to be to convey Ho's ideology in an ethereal manner through exhibits that are artistic, at times impressionistic, and always philosophical and thought-provoking. Naturally, it's not for raving anticommunists. English-speaking guides are available and recommended, unless you just want to do a quick walk-through (still worthwhile).

Presidential Palace

Near Ho Chi Minh's stilt house is the Presidential Palace, a beautifully restored colonial building constructed in 1906 as the Palace of the Governor General of Indochina. There is a combined entrance gate to the stilt house and Presidential Palace grounds on Pho Ong Ich Kiem, inside the mausoleum complex, when the main mausoleum entrance is closed.