Experience Ba Dinh Square - "Heart" of Hanoi Capital

Ba Dinh Square is known as the "heart" of the capital and is one of the outstanding historical sites, not to be missed when traveling to Hanoi.

Ba Dinh Square is one of the important monuments of the capital. This place has witnessed many golden historical milestones and special events. Not only domestic tourists but also foreigners traveling to Hanoi also visit this place. 

1. Ba Dinh Square - A location identifying important historical events

Ba Dinh Square is located on Hung Vuong Street, in the west of Hanoi city. The four sides of this site are bordered by famous monuments and important offices such as Uncle Ho's Mausoleum, the Central Office of the Communist Party of Vietnam and the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This is where President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence in 1945.

If you have ever seen pictures of Ba Dinh Square, you will see that this place is very large. The square's campus is up to 320m wide and 10m long. In particular, Hanoi's Ba Dinh Square is planted with green grass plots with 1.4m wide aisles interspersed.

This is the venue for important events such as the memorial ceremony for heroes and martyrs, the military parade, the party's admission ceremony, etc. In the early morning and evening of weekdays, visit Ba Dinh Square and Uncle Ho's mausoleum that you will see the flag raising and lowering ceremony. In the tourist map of Hanoi, this place is always ranked in the top position to visit.

2. The development of Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi

Besides the brief introduction about Ba Dinh Square, the history of this place is also of interest to tourists. Before the twentieth century, this place was just an empty piece of land, then the French built it into a flower garden called Pugininer, surrounded by office buildings and villas.

After the Japanese coup d'etat, Doctor Tran Van Lai - the mayor of Hanoi changed the name of the flower garden to Ba Dinh Square. After just over a month of official naming, this place was chosen as the venue for the most important event in the history of our country. On September 2, 1945, here, President Ho Chi Minh read the Declaration of Independence, giving birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.

The images of Ba Dinh Square on this special occasion appear majestically, surrounded by many people, whose faces are all radiant, joyful and excited. Anyone who was present and spent that day surely cannot forget the atmosphere and emotions at the historic event of Ba Dinh Square.

After a while, this place was called Independence Square or Hong Bang Square. However, in the end people still kept the current name to remember the sacred historical event of 1945.

3. What to visit in Ba Dinh Square Hanoi?

3.1 Watch Flag raising and lowering Ceremony – Top 1 experience in Ba Dinh Square

Visitors to Hanoi check-in, definitely cannot miss the flag raising ceremony at Ba Dinh Square because this is an important national ceremony. Coming here, you will experience a solemn and emotional atmosphere.

At the beginning of the ceremony, the military flag "Decision Victory" will be paraded at Ba Dinh Square, followed by a team of 34 soldiers, representing the first 34 soldiers of the Vietnam Liberation Army propaganda team.

Three soldiers of the Red Flag team went up to the flagpole to prepare for the flag raising ceremony, and at the same time, the door of the Presidential Mausoleum began to open. At the signal, the flag is hoisted to the top of the 29m high flagpole in front of the Presidential Mausoleum. After the flag raising ceremony, the team of soldiers went around the mausoleum and ended the ceremony.

Besides, the flag-lowering ceremony at Ba Dinh Square is also visited by many locals and tourists. The ceremonies also take place similar to the flag raising ceremony on Ba Dinh Square and officially begin at 9pm. During this time, guests are expected to follow orders and maintain a dignified posture.

3.2 Visit tourist attractions near Ba Dinh Square

After visiting and being introduced to the Square, visitors can visit the nearby monuments. The distance between the places is very close, you only take a few minutes to walk to the place.

• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum

Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is the place to keep Uncle Ho's body and is one of the historical relics bearing the capital's soul. The architecture of the mausoleum is designed simply, but with Vietnamese style, with natural materials such as marble, incense wood and gold leaf.

• Ho chi minh museum

It contains many precious artifacts related to the history and culture of the Vietnamese nation, including many memorabilia of President Ho Chi Minh.

• One Pillar Pagoda

One Pillar Pagoda is a famous pagoda in Hanoi. This place is distinguished by its unique architecture with a single pillar touching the ground in the middle of the pond.

• Uncle Ho's house on stilts and fish pond

Uncle Ho's house on stilts and fish pond is a relic located in the grounds of the Presidential Palace, where Uncle Ho used to live and work. Coming here, you will admire the traditional architecture of the Vietnamese people and immerse yourself in a peaceful space.

• Presidential Palace

This location is where President Ho Chi Minh lived and worked during his leadership. The rooms here are kept almost intact for visitors to understand more about the life and revolutionary work of the venerable President.

• Hanoi Botanical Garden

Botanical Garden is a large and green park located inside the Presidential Palace area. This is the ideal place for those who want to relax, take a walk or learn about the nature and plants of Vietnam.

• West Lake

West Lake is one of the famous entertainment spots of this city. Here, visitors can have fun and entertain with many activities such as sailing, fishing, enjoying specialty dishes at lakeside restaurants...

4. Experience visiting Ba Dinh Square and Uncle Ho's Mausoleum

4.1 How to get to Ba Dinh Square

The square is located on Hung Vuong Street, with a large location, the traffic is not too crowded, so visitors can easily move here.

The vehicle that many people choose is a motorbike because they can see the scenery along the way and breathe the cool and airy atmosphere of Hanoi. If traveling to the Square by this means, you should go from one of two directions: Ong Ich Khiem Street or Ngoc Ha Street.

In addition, many tourists also choose the bus because of its low cost and quick travel time. To get to the Square, you should catch bus numbers 16, 3, 29, 50, 34…

This place is open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily. Especially, on national holidays, Uncle Ho's birthday or other important events, this place is open all day to welcome tourists and people to attend commemorative activities.

The square does not require tickets for visitors to visit. However, if you go to the historical preservation areas and monuments right next to it such as the Presidential Palace, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, Ho Chi Minh Museum, you need to buy an entrance ticket with the price from 30,000 VND to 75,000 VND. Some special subjects will be exempted from drawing such as: pupils, students, the elderly, people with meritorious services to the Revolution, people with disabilities and officers and soldiers serving in the armed forces.

4.2 Notes when visiting Ba Dinh Square

• When coming here, visitors are not allowed to take photos or videos at prohibited locations and do not infringe on the solemnity of the monument.

• You should choose polite, not too short clothes when visiting the Square and nearby monuments

• Visitors are not allowed to step on the grass or destroy the monuments and landscapes at the Square

• If you want to visit Uncle Ho's Mausoleum when visiting this place, you should come in the morning because the President's Mausoleum is not open to guests in the afternoon.

Ba Dinh Square is a famous tourist attraction of the capital, witnessing many important and meaningful historical events. Tourists coming here should combine visiting the nearby monuments to discover more historical and cultural stories. Hopefully the above introduction to Ba Dinh Square that prepared by Threeland Travel has helped you "pocket" the experience when visiting this place.