Luxury hotel in the Vietnam War: Refuge for Joan Baez and Jane Fonda

Luxury hotel in the Vietnam War: Refuge for Joan Baez and Jane Fonda

The metropolis hotel in Hanoi stands majestically on a corner of the city center, bright white with elegant black shutters. When the guests arrive in front of the French-colonial building, they will be welcomed by employees in stylish silk unions.

insight into the history of the metropolis of hotels

In the foyer, framed photos hang that show some of the most famous guests in the hotel, including the French President François Mitterrand and Jacques Chirac as well as the writer Graham Greene, actress Jane Fonda and the silent film star Charlie Chaplin. In 2019 the metropolis hosted the US President Donald Trump and the North Korean leader Kim Jong un Summit meetings . But there is a darker layer of history among the elegant tile floors.

50 years of reunification Vietnam

This week Vietnam is celebrating the 50th anniversary of reunification, and the hotel-now known as Sofitel Legend Certopolis Hanoi-emphasizes his heir from times of war.

The April 30, 2025 marks half a century since the case of Saigon and the helicopter of the US ambassador Graham Martin, who ended a war that the Americans call the Vietnam War and the Vietnamnesis as American War.

The story of the metropolis of Hotel

The metropolis opened in 1901 when Vietnam was under French control. The owner changed several times until it was taken over by the Communist government in the 1950s and renamed the Reunification Hotel. It was one of the few hotels that were allowed to accommodate foreign visitors during the war, so that many prominent politicians, journalists and artists stayed there.

In 1965 the hotel built an underground bunker, in which guests during US air attacks protection. According to the hotel manager Anthony Slewka, the room was able to hold about 100 people - about as many as the number of guests - and was divided into four chambers with two access points.

rediscovery of the bunker

After the war, the bunker was forgotten - until he was rediscovered by a construction company in 2011 that was redesigning the Hotel Bamboo Bar. Today the metropolis offers two daily tours through the bunker for hotel guests at 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

During the stay in the bunker, visitors can see original light bulbs and other facilities, while they can be the Joan Baez-Song " You Now, My Son? "listen, which she recorded during her stay in the metropolis. The song combines music, spoken words, recordings of a Vietnamese woman who calls for her son, and the sound of air -raid protection sirens.

baez spent time in the bunker during her visits to Vietnam and talked about how the effects of war on people shaped her role as a peace activist.

hanoi in context

Travelers who want to learn more about the war, can also visit the Hoa Lo prison John McCain - were recorded. Under the nickname “Hanoi Hilton” it was converted into a multimedia history museum and offers extensive materials in English.

The Vietnam Military History Museum in Hanoi is the country's largest museum after an upgrade in autumn 2024. The outdoor area presents aircraft, tanks, rockets and artillery used by the American military during the war. The embalmed body of Ho Chi Minh, the revolutionary, who led the North Vietnamese army and became President of Vietnam, is in a large buildings in the center of Hanoi .

look into the future

Nowadays, Americans represent the largest group of visitors in the metropolis, says hotel manager Slewka. Some are Vietnam veterans who want to return to see the country again, while other young people from the post -war period are who are simply interested in the kitchen, culture and the landscape of Vietnam.

According to Vietnamese government data, the United States is the fourth largest source for international tourists and the largest market outside of Asia, with 717,000 American tourists who travel to Vietnam in 2023.

While the bunker tours of the metropolis are very popular with the guests, Slewka says that the majority of their questions are much more than the structure itself. "Usually you want to know whether you like Americans here or not." Slewka, born in the USA and grew up in Canada, always gives the same answer: “The Vietnamese are very open -minded. They look into the future.”