The Rex Hotel or Rex Hotel Saigon (, ) is a famous luxury and business hotel in

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

. During the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

, the daily U.S. briefings at the hotel became known as " The Five O'Clock Follies". The 286-room (as of 2024), six-story building is located on the corner of Lê Lợi Boulevard and

Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard Nguyễn Huệ Boulevard (Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Đường Nguyễn Huệ'') is a boulevard in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, District 1, downtown Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Being one of Saigon's oldest thoroughfares, the boulevard has ...

in District 1 of the city.

History

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 Citroën ()The double-dot diacritic over the 'e' is a diaeresis () indicating the two vowels are sounded separately, and not as a diphthong. is a French automobile brand. The "Automobiles Citroën" manufacturing company was founded on 4 June 19 ...

and other European cars.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 cafeteria, called canteen outside the U.S., is a type of food service location in which there is little or no waiting staff table service, whether in a restaurant or within an institution such as a large office building or school; a scho ...

, a dance hall and a library. The cinema was adorned with the most developed technology at the time, such as high-speed air conditioning, a 150-square-meter

Todd-AO Todd-AO is an American post-production company founded in 1953 by Mike Todd and Robert Naify, providing sound-related services to the motion picture and television industries. The company retains one facility, in the Los Angeles area. Todd-AO ...

screen, and a stereo sound system to indulge up to 1,200 customers.

Vietnam War

In 1960, the building was leased by the American Culture Centre and at that time the Abraham Lincoln Library was established on the building’s ground floor. 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. The hotel was the site of the United States military command's daily press conference, derisively named

Five O'Clock Follies The Five O'Clock Follies is a sobriquet for military press briefings that occurred during the Vietnam War. The briefings were conduction by the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) Office of Information and held at Saigon's Rex Hotel. In ...

cynic Cynic or Cynicism may refer to: Modes of thought * Cynicism (philosophy), a school of ancient Greek philosophy * Cynicism (contemporary), modern use of the word for distrust of others' motives Books * ''The Cynic'', an 1875 book by James Gordon ...

al journalists who found the optimism of the American officers misguided. The daily event was hosted by

Barry Zorthian Barry Zorthian (1920–2010) was an American diplomat, most notably press officer for years during the Vietnam War, media executive and lobbyist.Pyle, Richard"Barry Zorthian dies at 90; U.S. diplomat and press spokesman in Vietnam War" ''Associat ...

, chief spokesperson for the U. S. government in Saigon from 1964-68. In these briefings, United States,

South Vietnamese South Vietnam, officially the Republic of Vietnam (RVN; , VNCH), was a country in Southeast Asia that existed from 1955 to 1975. It first garnered international recognition in 1949 as the State of Vietnam within the French Union, with i ...

military and civilian press officers would give a breakdown of the day’s hostilities, casualties and alleged successes. Its rooftop bar was a well-known hangout spot for military officials and war correspondents. 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.

1975 to present

After the

Fall of Saigon The fall of Saigon, known in Vietnam as Reunification Day (), was the capture of Saigon, the capital of South Vietnam, by North Vietnam on 30 April 1975. As part of the 1975 spring offensive, this decisive event led to the collapse of the So ...

, the state's Saigon Tourism Bureau took ownership of the hotel and renamed it Bến Thành Hotel in 1976. In 1986, the hotel was renamed Rex Hotel, the name Bến Thành still kept for official Vietnamese documents and used along with the original name. File:Lascar Rex Hotel (4607406155).jpg, Rex Hotel in 2008 when it is still not recognized as a 5-star hotel and still has its official Vietnamese name "Khách sạn Bến Thành" on the welcome gate File:SAIGON (2042419898).jpg, Rex Hotel at night in 2008 In 2003, the hotel underwent extension and renovation works in its

architecture Architecture is the art and technique of designing and building, as distinguished from the skills associated with construction. It is both the process and the product of sketching, conceiving, planning, designing, and construction, constructi ...

interior design Interior design is the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to achieve a healthier and more aesthetically pleasing environment for the people using the space. With a keen eye for detail and a Creativity, creative flair, an ...

and

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

services. It is owned by the state-owned enterprise Saigon Tourist.

Rex Arcade

Imex Pan Pacific Group (IPPG; ''Tập đoàn Liên Thái Bình Dương'') of Jonathan Hạnh Nguyễn vi">:vi:Johnathan_Hạnh_Nguyễn">viand his ex-actress spouse Lê Hồng Thủy Tiên vi">:vi:Lê_Hồng_Thủy_Tiên">vihas made a investment for the renovation of Rex Arcade, a shopping mall in the Ground Floor of the hotel, spans over three streets of Lê Thánh Tôn – Nguyễn Huệ – Lê Lợi, where was the Abraham Lincoln Library, it gathers some high-end fashion brands, including these names in currently: Balmain,

Burberry Burberry Group plc is a British luxury fashion house established in 1856 by Thomas Burberry and headquartered in London, England. It designs and distributes ready to wear, including trench coats, leather accessories, and footwear. It is l ...

Chanel Chanel ( , ) is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1910 by Coco Chanel in Paris. It is privately owned by French brothers, Alain and Gérard Wertheimer, through the holding company Chanel Limited, established in 2018 and headquarte ...

Christian Louboutin Christian Louboutin (; born 7 January 1964) is a French fashion designer. His stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. Initially a freelance designer for fashion houses, he started his shoe salo ...

Dolce & Gabbana Dolce & Gabbana (), also known by initials D&G, is an Italian Luxury goods, luxury fashion house founded in 1985 in Legnano by Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana. The house specializes in ready-to-wear, handbags, accessories, ...

Ferragamo Salvatore Ferragamo S.p.A., doing business as Ferragamo, () is an Italian luxury fashion house focused on apparel, footwear, and accessories headquartered in Florence, Italy. It specializes in designing and manufacturing footwear and leather good ...

, Jacqueline,

Paul & Shark Paul & Shark is an Italian clothing brand founded in 1975 by Paolo Dini,paulshark.coAn Italian Story/ref> son of mill owner Gian Ludovico Dini.Laura HawkinsReef encounter: Paul & Shark drops anchor in London Wallpaper* 27 April 2017 It has 280 st ...

Rolex Rolex () is a Swiss watch brand and manufacturer based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1905 as ''Wilsdorf and Davis'' by German businessman Hans Wilsdorf and his eventual brother-in-law Alfred Davis in London, the company registered ''Rolex ...

, Runway with their subsidiary, Duy Anh Fashion And Cosmetics JSC (DAFC), is the official retailer of those brands for the mall. Currency exchange counter is located at the main lobby with some ATMs are also installed inside the Rex Arcade. File:Rex Hotel (52681003636).jpg, Rex Hotel was decorated for 2023 Lunar New Year with the logo of IPPG on the hotel eaves File:Chanel store at the Rex hotel (14585399366).jpg, Chanel store at Rex Hotel on Nguyễn Huệ Blvd File:Opera House station - Entrance 1.jpg, Opera House Station on Lê Lợi Blvd next to the Rex Arcade entrances with stores of Rolex, Ferragamo

References

External links