Dalat city is different from other resort areas in Vietnam. Firstly, it is located on a mountain plateau, and the air here is especially clean. Secondly, the city has a unique street architecture, many buildings in the colonial style. This is a legacy of history, because Dalat was built at one time by the French. Tourists love to come to the city; there are many attractions here. And it will be interesting to learn more about one of them.
History of the creation of Crazy House
Crazy House in Dalat has official name Crazy House buildings. It is not known exactly why they decided to call it in English; they say that when the first guests arrived here, someone exclaimed: “Crazy House!” But its history began long before these visitors.
The project was carried out by local resident Dang Viet Nga. She was the daughter of the Vietnamese Secretary of State and trained as an architect in Moscow. After graduating, she returned home and lived and worked in Hanoi. But her rebellious nature (they say the girl was a hippie, which was fashionable at that time) demanded a change, and Dang Viet Nga moved to Dalat. Here she began to build her dream - the Crazy House hotel in Vietnam, symbolizing freedom, unity with nature, originality of thinking, in a word, all the hippie principles.
At some point, the money for construction ran out; the city authorities did not particularly like the strange project. And the girl decided to rent out the built rooms to tourists. She named the peculiar hotel-villa Hang Nga (Moon Villa in Vietnamese). It has 9 rooms and a house for newlyweds; tourists still stay there. 
Now the Crazy House has acquired a completed look, visitors are enjoying exploring it. And Dang Viet Nga lives in Dalat and takes an active part in the work of the house-museum.
What kind of crazy house is this?
The attraction is always popular, and whenever you visit it is almost always busy. Crazy House is difficult to describe, its buildings look like fairy-tale houses irregular shape. All this resembles a huge old tree with protruding roots, numerous hollows and intertwined branches, overgrown with mushrooms and cobwebs and animals lurking everywhere. 
There are many stairs with passages on the territory of the Madhouse in Dalat different heights, caves, tunnels, labyrinths. All this is arranged haphazardly (or, on the contrary, well thought out), and emerging from one labyrinth, you don’t know where you will end up: in an open space or in a new labyrinth. Instead of benches there are chairs and tables in the form of stumps. There is a lot of greenery, flowers, and pine trees around. Some stairs lead to small observation decks, from where Dalat is visible. It turns out there beautiful pictures. However, you can take a photo against the background of any building in the Madhouse, it will turn out original. 
Hang Nga Guest House has rooms decorated in the same unique design as the entire Crazy House. Each room is dedicated to an animal (bear, tiger), and its image is in the room. The wooden furniture is made in the form of stumps with thick roots, the windows are irregularly shaped, and there are bars with a cobweb pattern on them. There are original drawings on the walls, the entire interior is colorful and bright. If the rooms are not occupied, then you can go into them and examine them like an ordinary museum exhibit. Many tourists stay here overnight not at all because they have nowhere to stay, but to feel the evening atmosphere of the Madhouse.
This unusual museum has stands in Russian where you can read information about the Crazy House Hotel (Vietnam) Dalat and its history. There is also a shop here where you can buy souvenirs to remember the Madhouse, Dalat and Vietnam.
The Crazy House Hotel in Dalat turned out to be so interesting that I decided to devote a separate article to it.
We arrived at the Crazy House at a time when the sun was at its zenith - around one o'clock in the afternoon local time. The weather was wonderful and everything was very bright.
The name of the hotel is usually translated into Russian as “madhouse”, but this is incorrect. We call a madhouse a place where mentally ill patients are treated. But here the house itself is completely insane. Therefore, I think it would be more correct to call this creation “mad house”.
"crazy house" - garage
“crazy house” - a corner for relaxation
We spent examining it, it’s hard to even say how much time, maybe half an hour, maybe 2, and maybe all 3. In the broken space of the “madhouse”, time flows unusually.
I walked around it this way and that, and then back, visited both the top and the bottom, walked along all the stairs (and the stairs here are a special song),
I looked into the toilet, walked around the yard and on the roofs. It’s like I’ve already been here, but here’s a new turn, and completely the new kind. What about the windows? Neither one is like the other!
In fact, this is not one house, but several buildings (like 4, but I couldn’t count), united by a common courtyard and connected by passage stairs.
The house evokes some kind of joyful feeling. It’s as if you returned to childhood and found yourself in a good fairy tale.
In some ways it is similar to the works, and to the Hudertwasser-Kravina house in Vienna, and to the hobbit houses from famous fairy tale. Evokes memories of both Alice and her Wonderland and Russian fairy tales.
It did not at all evoke in me associations with a tree, as is written in most reviews about it unusual house. After visiting the Linh Phuoc Pagoda, I can say that the “mad house” reminded me of this pagoda with its intricate passages and complex topography.
It didn’t seem to me that it was very environmentally friendly, as its creator, architect Dang Hang Nga, wrote about. Yes, bushes and bamboo grow on its territory.
And even a large pine tree has been preserved and is growing, as it seems, right from its wall. But the poor tree, placed inside the building, must inevitably die. What happens is that the pine dries out.
The materials used in the construction of the house are also not environmentally friendly, but the most ordinary: red brick, iron fittings of different thicknesses, cement.
But how much imagination did its architect put into the “mad house”!
The history of the house and its creator
Here we need to say a little about the history of the construction of Crazy House and its creator.
Madame Dang Hang Nga is the daughter of Truong Tinh, who in the 50s was the second person after Ho Chi Minh in the hierarchy of the Vietnamese Communist Party (Truong Tinh is a pseudonym, his real name is Dang Xuan Khu). Then it was lowered due to pro-Chinese sentiments, and in 1986 it even became general secretary Communist Party. He died in retirement in 1988.
Dang Hang Nga (the first word in a Vietnamese name is the surname, the second and third are the given name, which in in this case means Lunar) graduated from the Moscow Architectural Institute in 1965, and defended her dissertation in Moscow in 1972. In total, she lived in Russia, as they say, for 14 years.
When she began building her villa in 1990, which is called Biệt thự Hằng Nga in Vietnamese, or “moon villa” in Russian, her father had already died, but the connections apparently remained. There was money too, and then it ran out. I had to take out loans. To pay, the villa, which Madame Dang originally built for herself, had to be converted into a hotel.
The house has either 9 or 10 rooms, each of which is dedicated to an animal.
access to one of the rooms, the lock, as you can see, is purely symbolic
Yes, there is also a “Honey Moon” house, which is rented out to newlyweds for their honeymoon. And under the arches of the “Mad House” there are several shops. The goods there are simple, mostly souvenirs, which are sold all over Vietnam, and some clothes.
"crazy house" - store
At first, the Crazy House Hotel was not particularly popular either among the Vietnamese or among tourists. But over time, fame came, and people simply began to be taken on excursions. Now tourists are pouring in, new buses were constantly arriving. People come to marvel at the work from all over the world. With me there were Chinese, Japanese, Russians, Americans, Germans and others who were not identified by me.
Is it good to live in Crazy House?
Already at home, I looked on Booking to see if it was possible to book a room for the end of February. It turned out that 7 rooms were available. And the price of accommodation is not high: from 1400 to 6000 rubles per night.
But is it pleasant to live under the constant supervision of thousands of tourists?
And I didn’t find it comfortable to walk along narrow stairs high above the ground. Imagine, you settled in a “mad house”, and as it is said in our old comedy, “drank a little too much.” After all, this happens on vacation? But here it’s not far from trouble, since you can easily fall from a fairly large height.
And a tipsy person can easily get lost in the intricacies of Crazy House. It’s not for nothing that they talk about a certain Australian who got lost and wandered around the “crazy house” all night. They even say that he still wanders around and scares guests at night. But I think it's just a legend. Although…
In some rooms of the guest house, construction and repair work is underway, and sand, cement and bricks are piled up. In general, permanent construction and repair - characteristic feature Southeast Asian countries in general and Vietnam in particular.
I can assume that this is the design in the “Mad House”, and these rooms are the most expensive. But I wouldn’t want to live on a construction site. However, I admit that I am a conservative, and perhaps my tastes are outdated.
“the most expensive” (according to my assumptions) room “Crazy House”
Now the architect Dang Hang Nga, who lives in the same house, has become a millionaire, and not a dong one at that (I myself became a dong millionaire by changing $100 and receiving 2,300,000 dong).
She is many years old, but she looks great (with some help modern medicine, but it’s expensive in Vietnam).
The architect is full of new creative plans and ideas. She hopes that Crazy House will finally be completed entirely in accordance with the original project (although construction was officially completed in 2010). God forbid!
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Crazy House in Dalat is an extraordinary phenomenon. In Vietnam, pop art is treated more than coolly, but this house is not touched: its creator is Dang Viet Nga, daughter of Truong Tinh (he ruled the country from 1981 to 1987). This (very atypical for Southeast Asia) woman received architectural education in Moscow (MARCHI), there I learned about Gaudi and wanted to create something unusual, whimsical - I entered into a creative competition with the legend of Barcelona.
Crazy House is inferior in scale to Antonio's works, but the boldness of Viet Ng's imagination is visible from afar. The first impression is when Hang Nga Guesthouse first appears in sight: a strange giant plant has sprouted from the ground, right in the center of the city. If you come closer, the absolutely chaotic arrangement of windows, stairs, and doors catches your eye. It seems that it is impossible to be inside, but at the same time there is an irresistible desire to verify this in practice. Probably because of this there is no end to visitors to the “Madhouse”.
Conservative townspeople gave the building an unflattering nickname: in Vietnam, such creativity is a sign of clouding of the author’s mind. At the same time, in a hurry to attract tourists, the name was borrowed by the enterprising owners of several cafes and small hotels. Mrs. Nga did not sue anyone, she simply renamed her creation the Nga Guest House.
How to have fun in Crazy House
Crazy House is a fun place, there is entertainment for every taste. Firstly, this sightseeing tour through a labyrinth of corridors and rooms (ticket cost: $2 for adults, $1 for children over 10 years old). The highlight is the national rooms. In Vietnam, animal symbolism is traditional, Dang Viet Nga pays tribute to customs: the eagle room conveys the spirit of America, the bear room - Russia, dedicated to the tiger - China, the ant - Vietnam, the kangaroo - Australia. There are rooms whose design is dedicated to pumpkin, bamboo, and pheasant. In the garden there is a tea house in the shape of a giraffe (in honor of Africa). The guide accompanies the journey with colorful comments in Russian and English.
After getting acquainted with the house, many rush to the souvenir shop. There you can buy commemorative magnets, postcards and calendars, as well as original sculptures or even clothes. It is not recommended to show off new clothes in Dalat itself - they may be misunderstood: the design from Dang Viet Nga impresses with its originality. It’s best to end your visit with tea at the Giraffe House ($5 for a full breakfast or lunch with dishes of Vietnamese and European cuisine).
Unusual architectural structure caught the attention of thousands of journalists, became a sensation and a member of the top most unusual hotels in the world - all this is the Hang Nga guest house, also known as Crazy House.
One of the most vivid impressions from, yes, perhaps, for all of us, was a trip to the hotel, also known as “ Madhouse", which is located in the city of Dalat. We planned this trip for the whole day, since it takes a long time to get here, but it’s worth it.
Beautiful crazy house area
As I have said, and more than once, we plan and visit all our excursions and visits to attractions on our own, but we purchased this excursion from a Russian agency in Nha Trang. We took a VIP tour so as not to go with a whole crowd of tourists, there were 10 of us. We thought it would be cheaper and more convenient. In general, early in the morning at 6.30 am a minibus arrived for us.
The trip to the city took 2.5-3 hours. As soon as Nha Trang and its suburbs ended, complete off-road conditions began, but thanks to our driver, the trip was very comfortable, plus the bus had air conditioning. On the way, we stopped at a local cafe, which I think is completely pointless, all the tourists had already had breakfast and this was an unnecessary advertising ploy to sell tourists three different expensive trinkets.
There was another 10-minute stop, where they showed us how coffee grows on the slopes of a mountain, an interesting sight, of course, we saw this for the first time in our lives. It is especially interesting and surprising how the Vietnamese assemble it; if you are not careful, you can break all your legs by flying off a cliff.
The only way to get to the house is by taxi.
Address: 03 Huynh Thuc Khang Street,Ward 4,Dalat City 67000,Lam Dong, Trần Phú, Phường 4, Tp. Đà Lạt, Lâm Đồng, Vietnam
Provinces: Lamdong
Telephone: +84 263 3822 070
Working hours: 8:30–19
Hotel on the map
Impressions from Madame Dang Viet Nga's Madhouse
Login and immediately quirks
Cobwebs, want to scare?
To familiarize tourists with the history of the hostess, photographs are posted with the history of life and the creation of this amazing place.
Madame Dang Viet Nga
Mistress's story
This house simply fascinated me with its uniqueness and unusualness. There are many winding stairs going into the sky, some have no railings and you need to be very careful not to fall. When you climb higher and higher up the stairs, it takes your breath away, raising your hands up, you feel the breath of the wind.
Fancy stairs
Complete immersion in childhood, I completely forgot about everything in the world, I wanted to see every detail, every corner of this house. Having climbed one of the stairs, we found ourselves on a balcony where huge buffalo horns were located.
One of the hotel rooms
Room view
After wandering around further, we saw a room of a bear, an eagle, a kangaroo, an ant, and a tiger. What do you think of these names? Very unusual. Everything inside is miniature: the table, the bed, in general everything. All the furniture here is designer and made from natural materials. I was amazed at how meticulously everything was done and with love for my creation. You won't see here obtuse angles, everything is made in the form of various twisted and rounded shapes. This tree house with its labyrinths and caves is simply mind-blowing. The house seems to be alive and envelops you with its winding roots and branches. There is a special energy here, the energy of nature.
Bear room
The territory of the house is very green, they add colors bright flowers. Just an amazing sight. When we walked around the house, it felt like we were walking through a labyrinth, everything is so unusual and you don’t know where you’ll end up and what awaits you around the next corner and big amount descents and ascents.
History of creation
Initially, this building was called “Villa Hang Hga” Lunar Villa (dedicated to lovers) and only then the tourists themselves renamed it “Crazy House” or “Madhouse”. This work of art is ranked 10th in the world as the most extraordinary structure. Its area is 1,600 sq.m.
The area is quite green
The architect and designer Dang Viet Nga herself built it with the idea of showing people how fragile and beautiful our nature is. Another interesting thing is that she studied at Moscow architectural institute and lived in Moscow for 14 years. Upon returning home, I designed houses according to the state. order and only years later was she able to begin implementing her own ideas. She fundamentally departed from the usual traditional principles design and built something truly unique.
View from above of all this disgrace))
Construction began back in 1990 and continues to this day. Additional extensions are being added to the house. The structure is made in the form of a huge fairy-tale tree with spreading branches and exciting transitions. The style is a bit like the famous Gaudi. Just think about it, every step here is made by hand.
You could even break your neck on these steps.
At one stage of construction there was not enough money and all the banks refused her, but Dang Viet Nga did not give up and it was then that it occurred to her to take a nominal fee for viewing this house of hers. We can only say thank you to her for not backing down and for the world to see this unique structure.
I don't even know what this is
Transitions
Sometimes the hostess comes out to the guests, communicates with them and agrees to a photo session. Having charged a very small fee for visiting, today she is a millionaire and a highly respected woman all over the world. Lives in a separate house on the territory of his building. Dang Viet Nga was able to make her dream come true and showed the whole world how to move away from stereotypical thinking. With its structure, it encourages everyone to protect and appreciate the nature around them, and not destroy it.
House-hotel
This is not just a unique Crazy House building, it is also a working hotel. It is possible to stay in any of the rooms here, and there is a wide choice, but still, I would not want to stay here overnight. And although I do not suffer from claustrophobia, the rooms here are still too small, and the ceilings are very low, the windows are simply miniature, only a child can live here)) and in addition, according to the rules, it is forbidden to close the doors.
Dalat Madhouse, with its magnificent and bizarre beauty, was built in an unconventional architectural style without any architectural motif. Villa designed like a fairy tale home in modern life, attracts many both domestic and foreign tourists.
Crazy House in Vietnam - a stunning installation in honor of nature
Beauty is actually very picturesque. The shimmering natural scene was created by the colorful roadside flowers, sparkling cascades, and the poetic feel of the foggy city. Separated from the valley, evergreen pine forests or flower beds, tourists will have the opportunity to experience a special Dalat, they will discover the Crazy House. Located on Huynh Thuc Khang Road with an area of almost 2000 m2, Crazy House is extremely famous for its unique architecture and unusualness.
The madhouse in Da Lat was officially named Hang Nga Villa, the name of the place was changed because some people copied it original title for your buildings. The owner of Crazy House is Ms. Dang Viet Nga, a Vietnamese architect who studied in Moscow. With the desire to bring people back to nature, to be more friendly to it and love it; not only to only use its resources and then destroy it, in the voice of architecture and construction, the architect built the villa to show her dreams and love for nature.
Crazy House Dalat – this tree house is amazing with its unusualness
Instead of relying as usual on the classical principles of figure arrangement - straight vertical lines And perpendicular planes, the architect made the paintings and hired non-professional local artisans to turn them into structural elements. Several right angles were found throughout the building, which instead have a complex organic structure, reflecting natural forms. In addition, Ms. Dang Viet Nga also took advantage of open space on all four sides of the room to create a rich ambient vision. Inspired by the romantic and beautiful natural landscapes around Dalat, as well as from the works of Gaudi, the architect built the Madhouse right on the street in the city center.
The Madhouse Hotel is a very beautiful place, but you will not have peace there
The Madhouse was built mainly between 1990 and 2010 with the prevailing meaning: From cut trees and stones, a person can still create a warm and fully equipped place or even a castle full of mystery and attractiveness. This is also a hotel for tourists who would like to stay longer in this place and take a good look at everything. The house is believed to consist of the Hoc Cay Hotel (Tree Cavity) and the Gossamer Castle, both of which are tree trunks made of concrete.
Walking a short distance from the entrance, tourists will truly feel lost in a forest like in a fairy tale: evergreen tangled vines along with shaggy old trees. Around the house are statues of wild animals and giant mushrooms, all made of concrete. The spiders, which are made of steel rods, sit on top and watch the visitors, creating a stunning ambiance. The house retains the uneven and rough architectural concrete elements of black, yellow and Brown with unusual various forms, cause a strange mysterious feeling.
Climbing the winding stairs, tourists will see small rooms with fairly well-equipped amenities. Crazy House offers 10 functioning rooms for tourists. The rooms are located in niches, like caves, and are named after wild animals: bear, tiger, eagle, kangaroo, etc. All rooms are very special and are not repeated in architecture and design. The interior decoration is particularly odd and roughly carved, suiting the curved walls. In addition, the windows in the rooms also preserve relatively special forms, some convex or concave. Everything from floor to roof, entrances and corridors leading to rooms are designed in accordance with the inspiration of the owner of the house.
The rooms offer a full range of services, as required by a luxury hotel. Perhaps the most beautiful room is the pumpkin room. This is also the highest room of the villa and receives greatest attention from foreign tourists. While relaxing here, tourists can spend time comfortably, burn wood inside the pumpkin and warm themselves from it throughout the night without a blanket. In fact, they will enjoy the feeling of being in a fairy tale when they spend the night here. But Crazy House is open to tourists all day long, and they walk not only along the corridors and halls, but also enter all the rooms.
