Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Security Command, also known as the 969th Regiment, directly under the Ministry of National Defense of Vietnam, is a special subordinate agency of the Mausoleum Management Committee of President Ho Chi Minh of Vietnam. The staff size is 3,000 people, and the current commander of the Mausoleum Security Command of President Ho Chi Minh is Major General Bui Hai Son;Political Commissar Senior Colonel Ding Guoxiong.
On September 2, 1969, Ho Chi Minh passed away at the age of 79. In his will, Ho Chi Minh said that he wanted to be cremated and that his ashes would be buried in Son Luang in central, southern and northern Vietnam, and he also said that he preferred cremation because "cremation is more hygienic than cemeteries and saves some agricultural land".
Later, when the Viet Cong established the cemetery, they violated Ho Chi Minh's wishes. Because the Viet Cong sent people to Moscow two years before his death without his consent, he contacted experts to discuss the embalming and preservation of his body after his death, and ordered a crystal coffin from China in advanceEven during the Vietnam War, when the U.S. bombing of Hanoi was at its most frequent, the remains were quickly and secretly transferred to a jungle cave in the north of the city for disposal. Therefore, Ho Chi Minh's body is in a very good state of preservation.
In August 1975, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was officially inaugurated, Ho Chi Minh's body was officially transferred to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, and Vietnam also set up the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Security Command. The commanders of the headquarters are all with the rank of colonel, so they are divisional units like the garrison area.
The Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh is located in Ba Dinh Square, the capital of Vietnam, in Hanoi. Construction of the memorial hall began on September 2, 1973, and the structure was officially inaugurated on August 29, 1975. Ho Chi Minh's body is kept in a crystal coffin provided by the People's Republic of China in the ** hall, and access is carried out through a winding tomb passage and many stairs and stairs. Ho Chi Minh's body rests against the wall in a crystal coffin, dressed in a familiar faded Ka Ratch tunic and rubber sandals, with a ruddy and serene complexion, hands hanging down from his chest, and his signature beard clearly visible. Visitors enter from the right side of the body and leave on the left. The crystal coffin is guarded by a military guard of honor. In the dim light, the crystal glass will shine. The atmosphere in the tomb was solemn and solemn.
The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum is open from Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., with no admission after 10:15 a.m. The museum will be closed every winter, and will be closed for inspection and maintenance at other times. During the opening hours, there is a mobile security booth at Ba Ting Square, and after the security check, all visitors are lined up in a neat line under the command of military personnel and staff. Foreigners must make a group reservation in advance, otherwise they can only queue up to enter the mausoleum after all the reserved group visits have been completed.
The main mission of the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Security Command is to "preserve the body of President Ho Chi Minh for a long time and ensure its absolute safety" and to carry out flag-raising and flag-lowering ceremonies. The flag-raising task was undertaken by 34 members of the National Flag Guard of the 275th Regiment of the Mausoleum of President Ho Chi Minh of the Vietnamese People's Army. The convoy entered the stadium at 5:50 a.m. and raised the flag at 6 a.m. p.m.
The Honorary Guards of the 275th Regiment under the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Defense Command are often known as the "Imperial Guards" known as the "Iron Nerves". The team's mission was to ensure the safety of President Ho Chi Minh's body and to conduct daily flag-raising and lowering ceremonies at Ba Dinh Square. Despite their sacred and important duties, most of the members of the Guards are young. Almost all of them were conscripts between the ages of 18 and 20, and they came from all over the country and villages. During each duty, there are 4 soldiers standing on duty around the crystal coffin, changing guards every 30 minutes. In front of the main gate, two salute guards are guarded day and night, and the guard is changed only once every hour.
During the flag-raising process, a soldier held the national flag with both hands, and when the Vietnamese national anthem "March Song" sounded, the soldiers threw the national flag into the sky, and the national flag was automatically raised to a 29-meter-high flagpole.
In 2022, the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Guard Command received nearly 9 million visitors;Guarantee 34 national ceremonies;Welcoming 44 delegations of Heads of State and 314 delegations at the ministerial level and equivalent;More than 1,600 delegations were guaranteed to celebrate the merits, which were trusted and highly praised by the party, the Vietnamese people and the people.