Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Vietnam / Hanoi / Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
Hanoi, Vietnam · Sofitel Legend · Grand Luxury
The Grand Métropole opened in August 1901 as French Indochina's largest modern hotel. Somerset Maugham wrote here; Charlie Chaplin honeymooned in 1936; Graham Greene stayed while shaping The Quiet American. Nationalized as Thống Nhất, it hid a courtyard bomb shelter where Joan Baez recorded air-raid sound for Where Are You Now, My Son? The bunker, rediscovered in 2011 under the Bamboo Bar, now offers guest-only tours inside today's Sofitel Legend.
- 364 rooms
- Opened 1901
- Neighborhood: Hoan Kiem District
- Architect: André Ducamp and Gustave-Émile Dumoutier
About Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi
- Maugham was writing The Gentleman in the Parlour during his stay.
- Charlie Chaplin and Paulette Goddard honeymooned here in 1936 after marrying in secret in Canton.
- A wartime bomb shelter built in the mid-1960s was rediscovered in 2011 under the Bamboo Bar and restored for guest tours by 2012.
- That recording happened specifically during the December 1972 Christmas bombings.
History
Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi traces its origins to 1901, when it opened as the Grand Hotel Metropole and became one of Hanoi's best-known colonial-era landmarks. The property later went through major changes under different political eras, including a 1950s conversion to the Thong Nhat Hotel and the addition of a wartime bomb shelter. Accor’s current brand page positions it as a historic landmark combining colonial heritage with modern luxury and a strong sense of place. The hotel remains notable for its long-running status as a grande dame address in Vietnam’s capital.([Accor](https://all.accor.com/hotel/1555/index.en.shtml))
A concrete bomb shelter built in 1965 and forgotten after the war was rediscovered by chance in 2011 during renovation of the Bamboo Bar; it reopened as a guided attraction in 2012 and now runs twice-daily tours exclusively for in-house guests.
The setting
The hotel sits on Ngo Quyen Street in Hoan Kiem District, within Hanoi’s French Quarter near the city’s historic center. Its location reflects the area’s colonial-era urban fabric and its proximity to major civic and cultural landmarks.([Accor](https://all.accor.com/hotel/1555/index.en.shtml)). 27 km from Noi Bai International Airport.
Restaurants and bars
- Angelina — Restaurant
- Le Beaulieu — Restaurant · French
- Le Club Bar — Bar
- Spice Garden — Restaurant · Vietnamese
Amenities
- Heated outdoor swimming pool
- Private spa
- 24/7 butler service
- Fitness center
- Wi-Fi
- Meeting rooms
- Restaurant and bar
- Car park nearby
- Sauna
Awards
- Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star (2026)
- MICHELIN Two Keys (2026)
- Condé Nast Traveler Gold List (2025)
- MICHELIN One Key (2025)
- AAA Five Diamond
- Condé Nast Readers’ Choice
- Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star
- Michelin Keys
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