The Rex Hotel

From L. Paul, Mark (head of CIS), his wife Kathy, Harry
(Principal-Elementary), Melanie (VP Elementary)

View from roof-top bar

 Last Friday, we went downtown and started with drinks at the Rex Hotel. You may remember the name. The hotel was originally built in 1927 during the French occupation as an auto dealership. Later, in the late 50's, it was renovated into a hotel. The first guests were U.S. army soldiers in 1961. It was made famous during the Vietnam War when it hosted the U.S. military command's 5 p.m. daily press conferences. These press briefings seldom contained any factual information and rarely reflected what was actually happening in the battlefields, and the cynical press dubbed them 'the five o'clock follies'. The rooftop bar, where these pictures were taken, was a well-know hangout for military and press personnel. The hotel itself has been featured in several Hollywood movies about the Vietnam War.