Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi

the hotel metropole hanoi is an award-winning french colonial-style hotel lying in the heart of hanoi, near hoan kiem lake and the magnificent opera house. boasting a classical white façade, green shutters, original wrought iron detail, wood paneling and a lush courtyard lawn, the hotel is one of the region’s few remaining hotels of its era. built in 1901 by two private french investors, the hotel quickly became the rendez-vous point for colonial society in the first half of the century. following vietnamese independence in the 1950s, the new national government opted to maintain it as the official hotel for visiting vip’s. during and after the war years, it became a base for press and diplomats. 90 years after it had risen so gloriously from the swamps of ancient hanoi, the thong nhat hotel was closed for the face-lift of the century. under the first phase, the existing hotel was refurbished over an eighteen-month period and reopened in march 1992, again called hotel metropole.