May 21, Metropole Hotel bunker opens for visitors
Previously, in August 2011, during the construction of the foundation to renovate the Bamboo Bar of the prestigious Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi hotel, the construction team accidentally touched the roof of a long-buried bunker, starting the search and discovery of the forgotten historical story of the wartime of the over one hundred year old hotel.
After digging more than two meters into the ground and solid reinforced concrete block, the construction team had to drill through the 278 mm thick concrete ceiling, from where it opened up a flooded corridor, several rooms and stairs leading down to the basement.
Image of the shelter at the Metropole Hotel
was discovered by accident in August 2011.
Also in August 2011, the General Director of Sofitel Legend Metropole Hotel - Mr. Kai Speth and the Technical Director drilled a hole one square meter wide right on the roof of the tunnel and discovered a tunnel area of about 40 square meters.
Here, they found an old wine bottle, intact light bulbs, air ducts, graffiti on the wall and somewhere in this space, there were still traces of the war that ended nearly four decades ago, recalling memories of this shelter through the fierce bombings in the winter of 1972.
The 40-square-meter basement has been preserved in its original state. Metropole also arranged an exhibition area of the hotel's 110-year history along an 18-meter corridor, including 13 panels recording the hotel's restoration images from the first days of its opening, and more than 300 famous guests who stayed at the hotel, such as: King of Comedy Charlie Chaplin, actress Jane Fonda, singer Joan Baez or actress Angelina Jolie...
It is known that the upcoming bomb shelter opening day will be attended by many international guests who once took shelter in the bunker. Among them is Bob Devereaux, an Australian diplomat who carved his name on the bunker wall in 1975. At the end of 2011, Devereaux happened to read an article in Australia about the discovery of this bunker, he immediately contacted the Metropole Hotel in Hanoi and said that he had carved his name on the bunker wall in August 1975.
The Sofitel Legend Metropole Hanoi Hotel, opened in 1901, is considered one of the standard hotels in Asia. On April 7, 1967, the image of the Metropole Hotel appeared on the cover of Life Magazine. The magazine published an image of a row of personal bunkers up to 1.5 meters deep, right on the sidewalk outside the hotel, which is now the La Terrasse cafe on Le Phung Hieu Street, all of which recreated a part of the life of Hanoi people during the time when they were bombed by American planes.
Historian Andreas Augustin, President of the World's Most Famous Hotels, commented: Vietnam is famous for its underground shelters such as the Cu Chi tunnels, Vinh Moc tunnels or bunkers in war memorials such as Khe Sanh. The Metropole Hotel's contribution to this historical site opens a new page in the story of the war in Vietnam.
According to thethaovanhoa.vn
