Hanoi (VNA), Sept. 3 -- The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum in Hanoi welcomed 28,688 visitors on the morning of the National Day (September 2), according to the management board.

The mausoleum was scheduled to open until 10:30am, but the board decided to extend the opening time to accommodate the large number of visitors from all over the country and international friends arriving on this special day to pay their respect to the late founding father of Vietnam.

The Hanoi Department of Tourism and the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum Management Board presented free gifts, including cookies and bottles of water/milk boxes, to visitors to the mausoleum on the day.

The department said a total of 20,000 gifts were offered.

The department wants to popularise the...