Half a century after Ho Chi Minh’s death, his embalmed body is guarded around the clock
- Even after hours, Ho is never alone: soldiers flank his encased body 24 hours a day
- Rumours abound that the body might not really be Ho, or that he is sent to Russia every year for maintenance
Protecting him is the ultimate patriotic service for men in stiff white uniforms at Ho’s towering tomb in Hanoi, a monolithic shrine to a man who still pervades public life despite his fading relevance among the youth.
The job is a “dream come true” for guard Nguyen Xuan Thang, even if it’s not always easy.
“We have to have our eyes on everything to deal with any situation that may arise,” the 41-year-old lieutenant colonel said.
All year round, he works up to four two-hour shifts every day – often outside the tomb in the blistering summer heat, monsoon rains, or frigid winter weather.
Some days he works inside the cool, dark chambers where Ho’s waxy body – his wispy goatee beard still intact – is on display for daily pilgrimages by thousands of schoolchildren, tourists and war veterans who come to pay their respects.
