Crazy House

Crazy House, Dalat, Central HighlandsThe official name is Hang Nga Guesthouse and gallery, but all locals refer to it as the crazy house. And when you stand in front of its entrance it is easy to see why: this house is indeed strange. It does not comply with any convention about house building, has unexpected twists and turns, roofs and rooms. It looks like a fairy tale castle, it has enormous "animals" like a giraffe and a spider, no window is rectangular or round, and it can be visited like a museum.

Stair outside Crazy House, DalatThe base of the building is a tree, which can be seen especially from the outside. Huge tree trunks and branches try to make you believe that this is a tree-house instead of a house-tree. One thing is sure: this is something you would perhaps not expect to find in Vietnam. It would seem much more into place in Barcelona, amidst the Gaudí fantasies and exuberant architecture. It is hard to imagine that the designer of the house was not influenced by his controversial and unconventional buildings.

Bedroom in crazy house, DalatActually, the architect of this little wonder in Dalat is a woman named Hang Nga (hence the name of the guesthouse). One earlier of her design buildings was torn down because it was considered to be anti-socialist. There must still be party people who do not approve of the lavish style of this house. The one advantage of the architect, though, is a very strong one: her father was formerly president of Vietnam in the 1980s.