As the world prepares to mark the 50th anniversary of the end of the U.S.-Vietnam War, guests at one of Southeast Asia’s most storied hotels are invited to revisit the conflict’s history in a unique and personal way.
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.
For more information on Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi or to make a booking, please call 0243 826 6919 (ext. 8500), email metropolehanoi.reservations1@sofitel.com or visit www.sofitel-legend-metropole-hanoi.com/.
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