Ho's Mausoleum and water puppets

My time in Hanoi will be short and I want to make sure to try and get a couple of things in.

Is Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum currently open? I could go on Friday May 11 or Saturday May 12. My book says it should be open starting at 7:30am, but during my last trip to Hanoi it was closed for renovation. Think there's any chance to get there and see it before having to head out on a pre-booked trip to Halong Bay?

Is it necessary to get advance tickets for the Thang Long water puppets? If so, do you know how I can book? I can only go May 11 or May 13, and don't want to miss them.

thank you.

I have only been to see Uncle Ho around December and January and he has always been there waiting for me. Dont know about May though. Hongha should know the answer to that question.
I dont believe you will need to get advance tickets for the water puppets. Go there when you first get there and see whats available - they have several shows a day. I dont think you need to buy the expensive ticket as there are only 40 rows in the theatre and the back 20 are almost as good as the front 20.

Norm's right about the puppets, just get your tix in th emorning of the day you want to go; and Uncle Ho should be there in May. However, the Mausoleum's only open Tues-Thurs and Sat-Sun mornings.

i bought my tix in the morning and got the less expensive seats which were fine.

Tickets when I were there were 20,000 Dong and 40,000 Dong - dont know if that has changed since.

Tickets (in February 2007) were 20dand 40d. If you go late, as I did, you can still get tickets but you may be limited with choice - I went about 30 minutes before the show started and they had ran out of the $40d tickets so i ended up with the $20d tickets. No complaints about the 20d tickets since the place is rather small anyway (besides $20d = two bottles of beer).

As some other posters said, the Mausoleum is often closed on Monday (every week), and between early Oct until early Dec (every year) for renovation. I don't think you will have any problem with visiting it in May.

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<hr>I dont think you need to buy the expensive ticket as there are only 40 rows in the theatre and the back 20 are almost as good as the front 20.<hr></blockquote>

Well, I was lucky enough to get front row seats, when a whole group cancelled at the last minute. I think they were well worth the little bit extra: the puppets are actually quite small, and it was great fun being able to see the hands of the people actually manipulating them ... Depends what's available, and well worth seeing regardless ... but a silly time to decide you want to save two bucks per person ...

... And I thought the mausoleum was only barely worth seeing. Yeah, it was kind of an interesting atmosphere ... but time to let the old man rest in peace, I reckon ...

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<hr> and it was great fun being able to see the hands of the people actually manipulating them ... <hr></blockquote>
What.....I thought they were real...I am glad I did sit back about the middle of the theatre!!!

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<hr>What.....I thought they were real..<hr></blockquote>

Sorry, Norm, should have included a "spoiler" warning! ... And just ignore that vicious rumour about Father Christmas and Easter Bunny ...

Now dont start that one JakartaBoy - if I dont get my little eggs this Easter and something special next Christmas then there will be hell to pay!!

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<hr>... if I dont get my little eggs this Easter and something special next Christmas then there will be hell to pay!!<hr></blockquote>

I've gotta say, I've always thought, if someone else is picking up the bill, why WOULD any right-minded person stop believing in Father Christmas??? Where's the percentage???

thanks to all. Happy Easter and Merry Christmas, too!

have just got back - Uncle Ho closed on Friday - open Saturday from 8am.

we bought 40K dong tickets to puppets at 10am that morning for the 6.30pm show - must see and very good seats (providing you're under 6' tall!!)