Stay here: Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi review

The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi has reigned as the Grand Dame of Vietnam’s capital for over 125 years. From its original Heritage Wing and century-old elevator to its underground bunker, you get a palpable sense that you're walking through a living archive wherever you step. 

What’s the deal?  

We arrive at the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi knowing very little about the hotel’s history. But over the course of our stay, we discover that we’ve taken up residence at a storied address that’s probably been party to more history than most museums. 

That address is in Hanoi’s affluent French Quarter, its resplendent white façade and green shutters unchanged since it first opened in 1901. Upon stepping into the lobby, we’re met with the hotel’s original grand staircase – the sturdy wooden banisters and handrails preserved in all their glory – juxtaposed by mid-century modern design elements such as dark wood panelling and plush carpets that decorate the lobby. However, our admiration of this stunning feature is momentarily interrupted as we’re greeted warmly by white-gloved bellboys who take our luggage and smoothly whisk us into the reception area.

En route to our room, we’re met with another piece of functional history: a cast-iron cage elevator, wrought-iron frame and chequered floor intact, which has been operating continuously since the building first opened. It’s believed to be one of, if not the oldest, working elevator in former French Indochina. 

The hotel offers two distinct wings for guests to stay in: the original Heritage Wing and an Opera Wing that was added in the 1990s. We’re staying in the Heritage Wing in a newly renovated Grand Luxury room with a king bed. French sensibility is blended with elegant Vietnamese touches throughout – whether it’s the teak ceiling fan hung from the ceiling, traditional painted lacquer boxes filled with sweet treats placed on the table or the blue and white porcelain vessel standing above the closet. But our favourite part of the room? The spacious Art Deco marble bathroom complete with a walk-in shower and modern Japanese washlet.

Why stay? 

Each day, we find ourselves eagerly looking forward to breakfast at the glasshouse in Le Club Bar – a luminous space where sunshine pours in through floor‑to‑ceiling windows, dappling across white tablecloths. We could spend hours here, chatting over French pastries still warm from the oven, sweet tropical fruits, steaming bowls of pho and, of course, Vietnamese coffee. On our first day, our server recommends one of the made-to-order coffee drinks, and it’s then that we instantly become obsessed with Vietnamese salt coffee: a traditional recipe comprised of a strong black coffee topped with a thick layer of salted whipped cream. Once mixed, it’s akin to drinking a velvety salted caramel brew. Sweet, slightly salty, utterly addictive.

On the second day of our stay, we embark on the hotel’s Path of History tour – a daily guided exploration of the hotel’s most historic spaces. We start in the reception, where a large glass case displays various artifacts including shrapnel from the bombing campaigns, before walking through a long hallway peppered with posters depicting the history of the hotel and its many celebrity guests. A whole library could be filled recounting the events that have unfolded here: whether it’s Graham Greene’s stayin 1951 while working for Paris Match, Charlie Chaplin honeymooning here in 1936, or the 2019 Trump-Kim summit. 

We then descend into the bomb shelter beneath the hotel’s outdoor Bamboo Bar . Our guide moves through the dimly lit bunker with the ease of someone who’s walked this path countless times before, pointing out the original concrete walls, a carving etched into the stone by those who’d sheltered there and the original air vents and storerooms that still occupy the underground chamber. It was in this very shelter that renowned country singer Joan Baez recorded the sounds of warfare that appeared on her 1973 album Where Are You Now, My Son? captured during US bombing raids in December 1972. Emerging back into the Bamboo Bar – now buzzing at cocktail hour – we feel slightly dazed by the leap from one century to another. The tour transforms our stay from your typical five-star luxury indulgence into something far more profound.

editors say… 

“If you're the kind of traveller who likes a side of history with their stay – while still enjoying all the comforts of a five-star stay – then the Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi might feel like it was made for you.”