History Metropole (Sofitel Legends) Present Metropole (Sofitel Legends)


The Metropole in its opening year 1901, and to the right, the almost unchanged façade of the hotel (with one floor added), today.

Metropole (Sofitel Legends)

 


"The Metropole is one of the last grand hotels of the so called exotic East. I have returend to the Metropole many times. While researching its history I have - romantically - fallen in love with many elements of its past. I think you feel it when you read my book. But no period has been more fascinating than the past 20 years, when the hotel developed again into an international grand hotel. That is great hotelkeeping at its best. I congratulate the managers and the owners, who have created an island in this city."

Andreas Augustin

 

Charlie Chaplin enjoyed it, Graham Green visited it as a war correspondent and Jane Fonda found shelter here, togehter with singer Joan Baez, who sang in the hotel's bunker during air raids.
Please enjoy the history of this hotel, the legendary stories and if you want to book your stay at this wonderful legend of Asian hospitality, please click the button "Book a Room".

Have a look at our latest book Sofitel Legend METROPOLE HANOI

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1901 Edouard Lion
1905 Mr. Perrichel
1933 Jean Boeuf
1936 Mr. Brunelière
1940 Louis Blouet
1942– 46 Jean Melandré
1946 Giu Sinh Hoi
1954 Mr Cam
1955 Mr Luu Dinh Dien
1969–1972 Luu Thien Ly
1991 Ricardo Perran
1996 Richard Kaldor
2000 Franck Lafourcade
2005 Philippe Bissig
2005 Gilles Cretallaz
2008 Kai Speth
2014–2017 Franck Lafourcade

Managed by: Sofitel Accor Hotels & Resorts
201/31 Rooms


Imperial Suite, Charlie Chaplin, Graham Greene, Somerset Maugham,

Hanoi – for a thousand years the royal capital of Vietnam, for over 60 years the centre of French Indo-China and since 1954 the capital of independent Vietnam. The name Hanoi describes the situation of the city; ‘in the bend of a river’. The main part of the capital of Vietnam lies in the Red River Delta. The Red River – indeed red due to its contents of alluvium, a natural fertiliser – rises on the Nguy Son mountain (1,776 m) in the Yunnan province of China. The length of the river is 1,160 km, almost exactly half of it (556 km) on Vietnamese territory.
Floods are usually caused by two tributaries of the Red River, the Da and Lo Rivers. The flood season lasts from June to October. Dykes of 14 metres have protected the city from floods since 1108. The highest level of alarm No 3 is 11.5 m.
Hanoi borders six provinces, Thai Nguyen to the North, Bac Ninh to the North East, Hung Yen to the East, Vinh Phuc to the North West and Ha Tay to the South West. It covers a total area of 913,8 sq km and reaches a maximum North–South length of 50 km, East –West 30 km. In the 1989 census the population of Hanoi was 3,056,146.
Hanoi’s latitude is 20°53’–21°23’ North, its longitude 105°44’–106°02’ East. Metropolitan Hanoi covers an area of 2146 sq km. The city is divided into nine administrative sectors: Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da, Hai Ba Trung, Tay Ho, Cau Giay and Thanh Xuan, Long Bien and Hoang Mai.
Hoan Kiem, the oldest and most densely populated sector, is located on the banks of the Red River. This area is characterised by French colonial-style buildings and wide boulevards. Picturesque Hoan Kiem Lake (the Lake of the Restored Sword) is located here, named after the legendary tale of the 15th century. The famous Ngoc Son (Jade Hill) Pagoda stands on a small island connected to the shore by The Huc (Sunbeam) Bridge. North of the lake stretches the Old City with an area called the 36 streets, representing the 36 guilds in the 15th century. These are narrow streets, each one named after the product it sells, lined by typical nha ong (tube houses).
Northwest of Hoan Kiem is the Ba Dinh sector with the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. The National Assembly and Party Headquarters buildings and Tran Quoc Pagoda, are also located there.
Its highest point is Chan Chim Hill 462 m, the lowest point is Gia Thuy Commune at 12 m below sea level, the average elevation of the city is 5 m above sea level, gradually decreasing from the North to the South and from the West to the East, following the natural course of the river towards the Gulf of Vietnam.
The average humidity is about 80%. The temperature undergoes seasonal changes, from hot during July and August to the chilly winds from the lake Baical in Siberia in November and to a final drop of temperature in January to as low as 12°C. Spring and autumn are considered the best times to visit Hanoi.

Le Beaulieu (French)
Spices Garden (Vietnamese)
Bamboo Bar
Angelina (Italian steakhouse and bar)
Le Club -
Bar Met's Club

 


Le Beaulieu

There are a few sensations at this hotel that sets it apart from all the rest.
Hospitality is one thing (and outstanding in every respect!). But this hotel has also an original American (Vietnam) War bomb shelter, where Jane Fonda and Joan Baez once sought refuge. You visit it during a guided tour through the so called PATH OF HISTORY, an inspiring 45 minutes tour in the corridors of the shopping arcade, for hotel residents only and of course free of charge.

The vintage Citroen car is a hit. When it comes to accommodation, we prefer the classic rooms in the colonial wing. Stay at Graham Greene Suite or Charlie Chaplin Suite.

famoushotels.org is responsibel for the historical photographs you see there or in the Somerset Maugham Suite. Walk the historic staircase, enjoy the lovely pool and dine on Vietnamese fare and at some point you might remember that the Metropole was once the centre of the action, as Graham Greene wrote in his memoirs Ways of Escape: 'The Metropole Hotel where I used to stay was in the hands of the International Commission. Vieth Minh sentries stood outside the building where de Lattre had made his promise; 'I leave you my wife as a symbol that France will never, never ...' That was, of course, in 1955.

The pool is great fun. The hotel is a safe place and so is the city. The Vietnamese are very friendly and never hassle you.

Swimming in the large pool Workout at the gym Sunbathing and relaxing A visit to Hanoi: Walk down to the lake or the opera house. Why not rent the vintage Citroen and drive around? Ask the concierge for some good restaurants, but only once you've tried all the hotel has to offer.


Garden and Swimming Pool


Meeting Room

The Metropole is a city hotel in the capital of Vietnam, therefore you will lunch and dine among presidents and tycoons, ambassadors and business people as well as famous writers and legendary actors, travellers and tourists. You are never wrong to wear a jacket in the evening, around the pool even shorts are all right although they make you feel a bit out of place when you cross the elegant lobby on your way out or in.
Wear long trousers, shirts, cool shoes with a certain elegance — and you can't be wrong.
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Our Select Member Hotel

Metropole (Sofitel Legends)
Country: Vietnam
City: Hanoi
Opening date: 1901

Note from the Host

General Manager

William HAANDRIKMAN: "The Metropole is more than just a historical hotel, it is an integral part of the city, a landmark where many historical events took and still take place. It is a legend in its own right, a landmark of South East Asian hotel history."


Coordinates

15 Ngo Quyen Street
10000 Vietnam, Hanoi

Tel: +84-4-8266 919
Fax: +84-4-8266 920

Google Map

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