[2] 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 dance hall and a library.

[3][4][5] The cinema was adorned with the most developed technology at the time, such as high-speed air conditioning, a 150-square-meter Todd-AO screen, and a stereo sound system to indulge up to 1,200 customers.

[7][8] The hotel was the site of the United States military command's daily press conference, derisively named Five O'Clock Follies by cynical journalists who found the optimism of the American officers misguided.

[9][10][11][12] In these briefings, United States, South Vietnamese military and civilian press officers would give a breakdown of the day’s hostilities, casualties and alleged successes.

[15][16] 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.