Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi’s special “Path of History” tour includes a visit down into the hotel’s underground bomb shelter, which shielded visitors including Joan Baez, Jane Fonda and others during wartime air raids.
The bunker was closed and sealed after the 1964-1975 conflict before being rediscovered by chance during the renovation of the hotel’s Bamboo Bar in 2011. The war ended April 30, 1975.
The tour, led by a Metropole historian, is exclusively offered to in-house hotel guests twice daily, at 5pm and 6pm. It also includes a look at old photographs of famous hotel guests over the decades (Charlie Chaplin honeymooned at the Metropole and numerous heads of state and royalty have also stayed there), along with vintage artifacts like century-old room keys.
But the highlight for many is the visit to the bomb shelter, where guests can experience the atmosphere of the subterranean chambers and learn what it was like for those who sought shelter there. Guests listen to Joan Baez’s song “Where Are You Now, My Son,” which intersplices music, spoken word and the sound of air-raid sirens, and was inspired by several days of bombings in December 1972.
As part of its commemorations marking the war’s end, Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi this month welcomed back Uzaki Makoto, a former reporter for Japan’s Nihon Denpa News, who stayed at the hotel between 1971-1974 while reporting on the war in the north of VIetnam. NDN is thought to be the only foreign video news outlet that had an office in Hanoi during the conflict.
During his visit, Uzaki returned to the room where he had once lived and worked, reflecting on the memories, including moments he spent in the hotel’s bomb shelter that kept him and the other guests safe. The journalist huddled in the bunker with Baez in 1972 during the air raids.
The 124-year-old luxury hotel is steeped in history. Last year, Metropole Hanoi marked the relaunch of its historic Heritage Wing following an extensive and inspired refurbishment. The Metropole Heritage Wing, with 103 guest rooms and suites, was meticulously restored and renovated under a 21-month construction project.
The new interiors maintain their traditional aesthetic and feel, and incorporate select original fixtures, while also introducing a considerable measure of bespoke comfort, advanced technology and vibrant color.
ABOUT SOFITEL LEGEND METROPOLE HANOI
A prominent fixture in the heart of Hanoi since 1901, the Hotel Metropole Hanoi has a long tradition as a luxury venue for prestigious events and a popular rendezvous for business and leisure travelers such as playwrights, ambassadors and heads of state. The recipient of numerous international awards for its fine service, this legendary landmark has contributed to the richness of local heritage.
The hotel includes 358 rooms that are divided into two wings – the historical Heritage Wing and the neo-classical Opera Wing. There are three legendary suites that are named after famous residents and visitors to the hotel (Graham Greene, Charlie Chaplin, Somerset Maugham).
The Metropole restaurants and bars are all famous dining venues, each offering a different exotic experience: Le Beaulieu has the best French fare in this corner of the world; Spice Garden offers elevated Vietnamese cuisine with a contemporary twist; angelina is Hanoi’s bespoke bar-lounge-restaurant; La Terrasse brings Parisian-style to the sidewalks of Hanoi; Le Club Bar treats guests to its famous afternoon high tea and cool jazz performances; and, finally, Bamboo Bar brings poolside lounging to the next level.
