Sofitel Legend Metropole, Hanoi: Colonial Grandeur on Hoan Kiem
The Metropole has been the finest address in Hanoi since 1901. Graham Greene wrote part of The Quiet American here. Charlie Chaplin honeymooned here. Jane Fonda sheltered in its wartime bunker. The weight of history is extraordinary, and the hotel carries it beautifully.
The Building
The Metropole opened in 1901 as a joint venture between French colonial investors — a white neoclassical building two blocks from Hoan Kiem Lake, in what was then the heart of French Hanoi. The building has barely changed externally. Inside, two wings — the Historic Wing and the Opera Wing (added in 1994) — offer quite different experiences.
The Historic Wing
We stayed in the Historic Wing, which we strongly recommend. The rooms are smaller than the Opera Wing equivalents, but they retain the original high ceilings, period mouldings, and louvred shutters that give the building its identity. The corridor outside our room — long, dark, smelling faintly of polish and timber — was unchanged from photographs taken in the 1930s.
Le Club Bar
The Metropole's bar is, by some distance, the best bar in Hanoi. The Graham Greene Collection cocktails (a series of drinks inspired by his time in the hotel) are extremely good, particularly the Phat Diem gin fizz. The bar opens onto the pool terrace, and the combination of French colonial architecture, tropical heat, and a properly made Negroni is one of travel's more reliable pleasures.
Le Beaulieu Restaurant
The main restaurant, Le Beaulieu, serves French cuisine in a high-ceilinged dining room that would not look out of place in Paris. The Sunday brunch is legendary in Hanoi — a three-hour affair of extraordinary excess that the Hanoian upper-middle class treats as a ritual.
The Wartime Bunker Tour
Hidden beneath the pool terrace, discovered during renovations in 2011, is a Second World War bunker where guests sheltered during American bombing raids in the 1960s. The Metropole runs a daily guided tour, and it is one of the most affecting historical experiences in Vietnam — there are photographs, personal objects, and testimonies from guests who sheltered there.
Verdict
The Metropole is not merely excellent by Vietnamese standards — it would hold its own against any heritage luxury hotel in the world. The combination of the building, the history, the service, and the location make it unmissable.
Best for: History enthusiasts, those wanting to understand Vietnam through its colonial past, first-time visitors to Hanoi Room rate: From £200 per night (Historic Wing) Tip: Book the Historic Wing specifically; request one of the rooms with internal shutters looking onto the courtyard.
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