The Crazy House, in the relaxed mountain resort town of Da Lat in southern Vietnam, is exactly what its name suggests and more. Standing in stark contrast to Da Lat’s French colonial villas, this unconventional structure serves as both a museum and a fully functioning one-star hotel.
CNN Travel described it as a bizarre avant garde guesthouse with a maze of spiral staircases, sculptural bedrooms, curving tunnels, swirls of bright colours, narrow bridges and hidden nooks. The artist behind the structure is Vietnamese architect, Dang Viet Nga, who is now 86 years old and still maintains her private quarters in the residential section of the complex.
Madam Nga told CNN that instead of traditional architectural plans, she created a series of paintings to communicate her vision, using materials like steel, wood, and inexpensive concrete to build her ideas, with the aim of promoting sustainability.
Because the design is so unconventional, locals initially thought Nga was crazy for pursuing the project, which is how the guesthouse earned its famous nickname.
Journey through winding staircases
When you walk in the small, unassuming entrance of the Crazy House, you feel a breath of cool, fresh air as if you were in a forest. First, you walk past an old-fashioned living room and the normalcy ends here.
You start your journey by going through a maze of tunnels with small winding paths or staircases shaped like tree branches, and venture into tree houses which surround a main elevated house. These wonderful staircases as well as interconnecting bridges are the key to exploring this place. It is up to you which path you choose (sounds very much like real life) as they can lead you up or down, indoors or outdoors.
As to which path I chose, I left it in the hands of my amazing guide, Hoi for whom I would have been lost without his guidance exploring the many facets of the house.
The amazing Ocean Room
The big highlight of this house is the aquarium or ocean-themed room that comes with 3D paintings of sea creatures, and structures of giant corals, seashells, mushrooms, a massive chandelier as well as a bizarre-looking fireplace.
There is a stage, where Madam Nga and her friends often recite poetry, enjoy tea and dance together. This area is also a special place for guests, who stay the night to enjoy breakfast in the cozy atmosphere with music.
Themed guest rooms
There are 10 rooms that can be rented out to guests at prices ranging from US$30 to US$80 a night. Living up to its architect’s philosophy of being close to nature, there are no TVs or air conditioners in the rooms. Each room is named after an animal or plant, for example Bamboo representing Vietnam, Bear for Russia, Kangaroo and so on.
I read that the architecture of Crazy House is a striking example of Expressionism, known for radical distortion of forms, devoid of right angles. Madam Nga is a true expressionist who has unleashed her creativity and imagination into this building.
It is also obvious why it has been likened to the works of Antoni Gaudi and Salvador Dali or even to fairy tales like Hansel and Gretel. You have to see it to believe it.
Open daily from 8.30am to 6.00pm, there is a small entrance fee of about US$3.00. You can visit the website for more details.
