Two Vietnamese hotels sparkle as Asian heritage gems

The Hotel Continental Saigon in HCMC's Dong Khoi Street and Sofitel Legend Metropole in Hanoi's Ngo Quyen Street have showed up on the list of Asia’s most beautiful heritage hotels compiled by CNN.

Just a short walk from Saigon’s Notre Dame Cathedral, Hotel Continental Saigon was built in 1880 and was the place to be for many high-ranking French colonial officials.  It was shut down in 1980 and resumed operations in 1989.

Despite the ups and down of the history, it has retained much of its classic charms from “candlelit street-side dining, wrought iron balconies, a frangipani-filled courtyard, wood-paneled rooms to excellent French cuisine, ” CNN says.

Founded in 1901, the Sofitel Legend Metropole is a “beautiful example of colonial architecture” in the heart of the capital city.

The Sofitel Legend Metropole in Hanoi is one of the oldest hotels in Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Giang Huy

The hotel is home to a two-meter-high wartime bomb shelter which was discovered by chance in 2011. It was where many famous figures of the Vietnam War, including actress Jane Fonda and anti-war activist Tom Hayden, took refugee as bombs rained down on Hanoi.

Other heritages in CNN’s list include Raffles in Singapore, Yabshi Phunkhang Heritage hotel in China, Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Cambodia, the Majestic Malacca in Malaysia and Manila Hotel in the Philippines.