Dalat has the power to not only romanticize but also inspire people to go beyond their limits. Hang Nga guesthouse, also known as the “Crazy House,” is a piece of artwork that really surpasses the limit of people’s imagination. Designed by Vietnamese architect and impressionist Dang Viet Nga, this extraordinary building of non-rectilinear shapes has appeared in many international architectural journals and finally made its way to the list of the world’s ten most creative buildings.

As the intention of the architect is to make a fairy tale house, the “crazy house” resembles a tree with uneven windows, tunnel-shaped stairways, etc.  Both the exterior and the interior of the guesthouse are created and decorated with twisting organic forms and very few right angles. The hollow “tree” extends in many directions, rising above to reach to the sky of the amazing Dalat. Walking along the cave-shape hallways inside the house is not simply a visit but an exhilarating experience, a departure from the norm; wild mushrooms and spider webs popping up on your way is not unusual.  Besides, the guesthouse is really a spectacular construction with ten themed guest rooms such as the tiger room, the eagle room, the ant room and the kangaroo room, etc., with decorations and handcrafted furniture matching the theme. According to Viet Nga, each room has its own meaning: the tiger room refers to the Chinese; the eagle room describes the American; and the ant room represents the Vietnamese, etc. 

Even though it is theoretically a hotel, Hang Nga Guesthouse is today regarded as a “museum” of dream, childhood, abnormality, etc. Everyone has their own interpretation of the house, as well as their own experience but all of them agree on one thing: the guesthouse is so pure and natural that they were once again lost in their childhood dream.

Sightseers are welcome to tour the building during the day for a small fee or to book a room and stay the night. Bring warm clothes because the Da Lat Crazy House is at a high altitude, and all that concrete gets mighty chilly after sunset.