Rex Hotel
Rex Hotel in 2011
Former namesBen Thanh Hotel
General information
Location141 Nguyen Hue Street, Ben Nghe Ward, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City
Coordinates10°46′33″N 106°42′5.4″E / 10.77583°N 106.701500°E / 10.77583; 106.701500
ManagementSaigon Tourist
Technical details
Floor count6
Website
www.rexhotelsaigon.com

The Rex Hotel (Vietnamese: Khách Sạn Rex, French: Hôtel Rex de Saïgon) is a famous luxury and business hotel in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. During the Vietnam War, the daily U.S. briefings on the rooftop garden of Saigon’s Rex Hotel became known as "The Five O'Clock Follies".[1][2][3] In these briefings, United States, South Vietnamese military and civilian press officers would give a breakdown of the day’s hostilities, casualties and alleged successes.[4][5]

The 286-room (as of 2024),[6] six-story building is located in District 1 of the city,[7] close to the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica and the Municipal Theatre. In 2003, the hotel underwent extension and renovation works in its architecture, interior design and engineering services. It is owned by the state-owned enterprise Saigon Tourist.[8][9]

History

Citroën garage in 1930.

Constructed in 1927, for French businessman Bainier, during France's colonial rule of Vietnam, the building started out as a two-story auto dealership and garage complex, called "Bainier Auto Hall". The building showcased Citroën and other European cars.[10] From 1959 to 1975, Mr. and Mrs. Ung Thi renovated the building into the 100-room "Rex Complex" hotel, which featured three cinemas, a cafeteria, a dance hall and a library.[11][12][13] The cinema was adorned with the most developed technology at the time, such as high-speed air conditioning, a 150-square-meter Todd-AO screen, and a stereo sound system to indulge up to 1,200 customers.[14]

In 1960, the building was hired by the American Culture Centre and at that time the Abraham Lincoln Library was established on the building’s ground floor.[12] At its height in the late 1960s, the Rex complex had around 600 employees and was frequented regularly by over 450 international journalists covering the US war effort.[15]

The first guests in the Rex came in 1961, while it was still in its final construction phase. They were 400 U.S. Army soldiers,[16][17] 200 each from the 57th Transportation Company from Fort Lewis, Tacoma, Washington.

During the Vietnam War, the hotel was the site of the United States military command's daily press conference, derisively named Five O'Clock Follies by cynical journalists who found the optimism of the American officers misguided. The daily event was hosted by Barry Zorthian, chief spokesperson for the U. S. government in Saigon from 1964-68.[18] Its rooftop bar was a well-known hangout spot for military officials and war correspondents.[19][20]

Decline and revival of the Rex

After the Vietnam War ended, the state's Saigon Tourism Bureau took ownership of the hotel and renamed it Ben Thanh Hotel in 1976.[21][12][22] In 1986, the hotel was renamed Rex Hotel.[23][24]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Diaz, John (March 26, 2020). "White House daily briefings: the new 'five o'clock follies'". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on December 6, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  2. ↑ "Fighting to preserve commercial rebirth; Vietnam: After rallying from a decade of centralized economy, Ho Chi Minh City's revived business sector is again under siege". The Baltimore Sun. February 23, 1999. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  3. ↑ Dillow, Clay (June 29, 2017). "5 Reasons to Visit Ho Chi Minh City Now". National Geographic. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  4. ↑ Wordie, Jason (October 10, 2019). "Hong Kong now has its own 'Five O'Clock Follies' media cabaret as press briefings stretch public credulity beyond breaking point". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  5. ↑ Zwick, Barry (March 10, 2002). "Footloose on the Busy Streets of Saigon". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Rex Hotel". Tuổi Trẻ. August 27, 2016. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Rex Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City". Booking.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  8. ↑ Scoop Media (November 9, 2004). "Cablegate: Saigontourist: State-Owned Enterprise Syndrome". Scoop. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  9. ↑ "Vietnam's three top travel agencies to equitise soon". VietNamNet. September 2, 2019. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  10. ↑ Doling, Tim (January 20, 2015). "Icons Of Old Saigon: Établissements Bainier Auto Hall". Saigoneer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Lịch sử Rex". Rex Hotel in Ho Chi Minh (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 "Rex Hotel - Vietnam's home to foreign tourists". VietNamNet. February 10, 2014. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  13. ↑ Nguyen Vu, Thanh Dat (June 6, 2013). "Rex Hotel - Vietnam's Home to Foreign Tourists". Vietnam News Agency. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  14. ↑ Bui, Dang (September 4, 2014). "The Cinemas Of Old Saigon". Saigoneer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  15. ↑ Doling, Tim (April 22, 2015). "In Search Of Saigon's US Vestiges: Part 2". Saigoneer. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  16. ↑ "War Tourism In Vietnam: A Guide To The Top Vietnam War Sites". Rainforest Cruises. June 11, 2020. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  17. ↑ Mark (April 2, 2016). "Vietnam War sites in Saigon: Exploring places related to the US-Vietnam War". Kathmandu & Beyond. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Famous hotels: Soft beds and hard battles". The Independent. November 30, 2011. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  19. ↑ Allison, Bill. "The Vietnam War Tour". The Cultural Experience. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  20. ↑ Treaster, Joseph B. (March 30, 1973). "U.S. Forces Out of Vietnam; Hanoi Frees the Last P.O.W." The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  21. ↑ Crossette, Barbara (January 30, 1988). "Ho Chi Minh City Journal; A Haunt of Old Saigon Gets New Life". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 9, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  22. ↑ Mai Ny (October 26, 2018). "Khách sạn 5 sao gần 100 năm tuổi ở trung tâm Sài Gòn". VnExpress (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  23. ↑ Bảo An (July 12, 2019). "Những cột mốc phát triển của khách sạn Rex trong 90 năm". VnExpress (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  24. ↑ Hoài Thương (November 1, 2020). "Theo dòng lịch sử: Rex Hotel, khách sạn 5 sao có tuổi đời gần 100 năm ở TP Hồ Chí Minh". VietnamFinance (in Vietnamese). Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved January 17, 2024.
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