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The Hotel Metropole in Hanoi is one of the most famous hotels in the city - Graham Greene, Charlie Chaplin and Somerset Maugham have all stayed there.

During the Vietnam War diplomats and high-ranking American prisoners of war were put up in the hotel by the North Vietnamese government and the hotel’s bunker was used to provide guests with shelter from US bombs. Folk singer-songwriter, Joan Baez, sought refuge in the bunker during one bombing raid and used sounds recorded in the bunker in her anti-war album.

After the war was over the bunker was concreted over and forgotten about until a new general manager decided to reopen it.

Rajan Datar visited the bunker with a former hotel chef who worked at the Metropole during the war.