'Spy rendezvous' at the century-old Majestic Hotel

Along with Continental, Majestic was one of the two most luxurious hotels in Saigon in the first half of the 20th century. In 1948, Majestic belonged to the Indochina Tourism and Exhibition Department. After the Geneva Agreement in 1954, the International Commission (ICCS) supervising the ceasefire between the Viet Minh and the French Union army set up an office here. Therefore, in the 1940s and 1950s, Majestic was not only a resting place for the upper class, officers, and generals, but also a "news center" - where intelligence officers, secret agents, spies, and foreign reporters regularly gathered to investigate information about the Vietnam War.

'Điểm hẹn gián điệp' ở khách sạn trăm tuổi Majestic- Ảnh 1. — Majestic Hotel - Sketch by architect Bui Hoang Bao

Previously, this place was the Hôtel d'Annam. Many sources record that in 1925, Uncle Hoa (Hui Bon Hoa) - one of the four richest men in Saigon at that time - bought and rebuilt it into the high-class Majestic Hotel. However, it is more accurate to say that it was Uncle Hoa's children because Uncle Hoa passed away in 1901, 24 years earlier.

'Điểm hẹn gián điệp' ở khách sạn trăm tuổi Majestic- Ảnh 2. — When first built, Majestic had an Art Nouveau style - Sketch by Architect Bui Hoang Bao

'Điểm hẹn gián điệp' ở khách sạn trăm tuổi Majestic- Ảnh 3. — Reception hall - Sketch by Architect Linh Hoang

'Điểm hẹn gián điệp' ở khách sạn trăm tuổi Majestic- Ảnh 4. — Sketch by Nguyen Vu Minh Tung, student of Nguyen Tat Thanh University

'Điểm hẹn gián điệp' ở khách sạn trăm tuổi Majestic- Ảnh 5. — Majestic is the first 5-star hotel managed by Vietnamese - Sketch by designer Le Quang Khanh

The Majestic Hotel and Uncle Hoa's house (Ho Chi Minh City Museum of Fine Arts) were both designed by the same architect in the Art Nouveau style (*) . The hotel originally had 4 floors. In 1965, 2 more floors were added and renovated in the direction of modern architecture (Modernism) from the drawings of architect Ngo Viet Thu. In 1994, the Majestic was renovated in the Renaissance style. At the end of 2011, the hotel added 2 more towers of 24 and 27 floors. After many renovations, the hotel's appearance has changed compared to the original.

'Điểm hẹn gián điệp' ở khách sạn trăm tuổi Majestic- Ảnh 6. — A Majestic Corner - Sketch by Bom Sketcher

As the first 5-star hotel managed by Vietnamese, Majestic has welcomed former French President François Mitterrand, former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Japanese Crown Prince Akishino...