HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam — A 115-year-old municipal theatre designed by French architects is the centrepiece of a newluxury holiday showcasing Vietnam’s colourful culture in the heart of its most progressive metropolis.
The Caravelle Hotel’s ‘Opera Nights’ package aims to amplify the echoes of Ho Chi Minh City in its early days, as a beautifully laid-out city of wide boulevards, tree-lined parks and grand buildings along the Saigon River.
The four-day, three-night package will see guests installed in the Caravelle’s 119-square-metre Opera Suite overlooking historic Lam Son Square and the Saigon Opera House, where guests attend an evening performance of the critically acclaimed cultural show, Hon Viet (Soul of Vietnam.)
Before attending the programme, the couple will dine off any of three new L’Opera menus in the hotel’s fine-dining restaurant Reflections.
Additional highlights of ‘Opera Nights’ are a 150-minute Relaxation Spa Package for two at the Caravelle’s newly-opened wellness sanctuary, Kara Salon & Spa; as well as full Opera Suite benefits such as complimentary cocktails, canapés and all-day refreshments at the hotel’s 9th-floor Signature Lounge.
Daily breakfast buffets, taxes and service charges are included in the offer, priced at USD 2,237. Running from January until May 2013, ‘Opera Nights’ is available for three-night stays covering the 14th or 23rd of each month.
Staged twice monthly at the Saigon Opera House, Hon Viet weaves hundreds of years of history into an hour-long production featuring traditional music and dancing from Vietnam’s three regions. The show is designed to offer insight into Vietnamese culture, depicting scenes as diverse as the Legend of the Trung Sisters, the life of city sidewalk vendors, and ethnic bamboo dancing.
Built in 1897 under the direction of architect Ferret Eugene, the ornate façade of the 800-seat Saigon Opera House was designed to mimic France’s Petit Palais, erected in the same year. Partially destroyed by Allied bombings in 1945, the façade was restored in 1998 in time for the 300th anniversary of the founding of Saigon.
