President Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum in Ba Đình Square, Hà Nội. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The President Hồ Chí Minh Mausoleum Management Board has so far this year served more than 2.2 million Vietnamese and foreign visitors who came to pay tribute to the late leader and tour Đá Chông (K9) historical relic site in Hà Nội.

The figure was released at a year-end conference held by the board to review its performance in 2023 and set out tasks for 2024.

As heard at the event, the unit's mission in external relations and international cooperation has been expanded, sustaining robust collaborative ties with its partners in Russia, Laos, and Thailand. The board orchestrated the reception and served 109 high-level delegations, including 13 heads of state, from foreign countries who paid tribute to President Hồ Chí Minh and fallen heroes.

President Hồ Chí Minh passed away on September 2, 1969. His body was embalmed and placed in a glass coffin inside his granite mausoleum, which has become an important landmark of the capital city and is integral to the political and social history of Việt Nam.

K9 is located on Ba Vì Mountain, about 70 kilometres from downtown Hà Nội to the west. In May, 1957, President Hồ Chí Minh decided to choose the site as a working and relaxing place for the Party Central Committee. Many decisions and instructions of the Committee were issued here, contributing to the liberation of the South and the national reunification in 1975. During 1969-1975, the body of the president was preserved there. — VNS