Vietnam, "Crazy House": reviews and photos

Dalat is a fairly young town, whose history began only in the late 19th century, when the French were engaged in the colonization of Vietnam. The main attraction of the settlement is the surrounding nature. The atmosphere here is quiet, peaceful, calm. There are always a lot of tourists in Dalat. They are attracted by mountain air, landscapes, mild climate, flower gardens and one unusual building - "Crazy House".

What it is?

"Crazy House" (Dalat, Vietnam) is the real embodiment of expressionism and surrealism. Designed by his man, who is the owner. But about him a little later. The aim of the project was to return people with the language of architecture back to nature, which they mercilessly destroy, and encourage them to take care of the surrounding world.

"Crazy House" is a bizarre shaped house made of concrete. By the way, the building is one of the ten most quaint residential buildings in the world. It is built in the form of a huge fairy tree, the branches and roots of which intertwine and form strange figures. The yard of "Crazy House" is overgrown with cobwebs. Inside the structure are hidden numerous stairways and labyrinths, you can walk for hours. Everywhere "grow" concrete mushrooms and various fairy-tale figures. Almost all the windows are decorated with forged cobwebs.

Even the stairs in "Crazy House" have an unusual appearance. Here you can meet ups in the form of a figure of a giraffe, a mountain, hemp or a pile of stones and so on. Some stairs are very steep, therefore it is recommended to visit the museum in comfortable shoes on a flat course.

Furniture items that fill the hotel rooms and other rooms also have an unusual look. Each item is made by hand and presented in a single copy. Another such on the territory you will not meet.

A special atmosphere is added to the construction of green plants, growing here and there. The thick lianas entwine narrow stairs and roofs, fusing with them and forming a single whole. And abundantly blossoming with pink color trees and exotic orchids make this extravagant and wonderful place into some alien location.

A bit of history

The history of "Crazy House" began only in 1990. Designed him Madame Dang Hang Nga, who for most of her life dreamed of building a house of unusual shape. When she started building the building, the local authorities were against it. In their opinion, the new structure was very much distinguished against the backdrop of lovely houses built in the French style.

To date, the construction is not yet completed, it is planned to build another building, where the restaurant and several residential rooms will be located. But without this, "Crazy House" attracts crowds of tourists, thanks to which the well-being of Dalat grows.

The hostess of "Crazy House" (Vietnam)

Dang Hang Nga is the daughter of the second adviser to Ho Chi Minh City and the Secretary-General of Vietnam. For a long time she lived and studied in Moscow (Russia), where she received her doctorate in architecture. Returning home, she began to realize her dream. In the work she relied on the work of the famous Spaniard Antonio Gaudi, who also became famous for houses of a bizarre shape. But Madame Dang Hang Nga went even further and developed a project that not only was not similar to any building in the world, but also caused bewilderment among others.

It is for this reason that the construction of "Crazy House" began at the expense of the architect. Indeed, at the beginning of the journey, even his own father refused to allocate funds for the construction of the hotel, calling the project nonsense. Years later Madame Dang Hang Nga's tenacity was rewarded, and the unusual house began to attract the attention of others. As a result, many wanted to sponsor the construction.

To date, Madame Dang Hang Nga for 75 years. She not only owns her hotel, but also lives there. Also, quite often, Dang Hang Nga is engaged in the fact that it is with great pleasure that she meets her guests, conducts evening conversations with them and is photographed against the backdrop of a bizarre building. Also this woman is one of the richest and most influential in Vietnam. And also Madame Dang Hang Nga has an impressive collection of cars, among which there is even a "Lada".

Legend of the name

Among the locals there is one legend, why the building was called "Crazy House" (in English it's a "madhouse"). When the hotel was just starting to receive guests, an Englishman settled into it. Late in the evening the man wanted to walk around the hotel and got lost. He had to wander until the morning, and when he finally saw the landlady, he said: "You own not a hotel, but a madhouse." But this is only one of the legends, which are told not only by local residents, but also by guides.

Hotel

To date, the hotel "Crazy House" (Vietnam) has nine rooms in the main building in the form of a tree and some special apartments "Medova Luna", located in the courtyard on the right side of the entrance.

Each room is named after some animal. It is noteworthy that the beast can be found in the interior decoration. The animal, whose name is numbered, is made in the form of an operating fireplace. There are rooms with a bear, an eagle, a tiger, an ant. They say that each number is the personification of a country. Hence the parallels with animals (for example, Russia is associated with a bear, and Vietnam - with an ant).

"Honey Moon" is another story. The apartments are a two-storey house, nestled in the depths of a small garden. Stay here mostly newlyweds or couples who are hungry for romance.

The residents are obliged to leave the doors to the apartments open in the daytime so that tourists can appreciate their interior. Inside the room, visitors are not allowed to enter. Bathrooms are equipped in each room and outside are decorated in the form of a hornet's nest.

The Museum

The museum "Crazy House" (Vietnam), a photo of which can be considered above, is recommended to attend either early in the morning or after four in the evening. In the daytime there is a large number of tourists, because of which really can not see anything. After all, the stairs and crossings here are rather narrow.

The tour of the museum starts right from the doorstep. At the reception of the administration you can view photos from the personal archive of the hostess of the Crazy House Hotel (Vietnam), as well as read a brief history of the creation of this wonderful building. And the information is available not only in English, but also in Russian.

In the "Crazy House" there is also a small room dedicated to the parents of Madame Dang Hang Nga, with a built altar. It is a kind of a tiny museum of everyday life. Furniture items here are quite ordinary, even the windows have the usual shape.

The entrance to the garage, where the collection of cars of the hostess is stored, is closed. But specimens can be admired through the wrought cobweb.

When tired of wandering through the endless labyrinths, the administration offers to visit a souvenir shop or mini-cafe, where cold and hot drinks are served, as well as delicious desserts and Russian cuisine (for example, chebureks, pancakes, pies and much more).

Useful information for tourists

The museum runs daily from 8:30 to 18:00. The entrance ticket costs about 40 thousand VND (about $ 2, or 112 rubles) for adults and 20 thousand for children from 10 to 15 years old. Those wishing to stay overnight in the hotel will have to pay from 45 to 150 dollars (2500 and 8400 rubles respectively). By Dalat's standards, this is very expensive.

Traveler Reviews

The house "Crazy House" (Vietnam) attracts a huge number of tourists. But most of them do not rush to stop at the hotel, noting that it's better to just take a walk there. Want those who still decided to stay the night, note the following:

• At night, all the tourists leave the house, so it becomes quiet and calm: they light garlands, include a lounge, sing crickets.
• The hotel staff are worried about the convenience of holidaymakers and always fulfill their wishes. Even if you need to light a fireplace.
• Despite the unusual and exotic hotel, the wireless Internet here works great.

Among the advantages of this place tourists emphasize such moments:

• A fabulous view of the building and interior decoration give food for imagination.
• At the entrance to the house there is a guard who is busy counting the incoming tourists. So it's not scary to get lost, you will still be found.
• The territory is clean and clean. For garbage is provided a huge number of urns, stylized for hemp.

Despite all the unusual and tempting "Crazy House", the object has several shortcomings. The main one is the hordes of tourists. And given the narrow passages and lack of space, any group of tourists can organize a traffic jam. Also this place is not suitable for permanent visits. Admiration works only from the first acquaintance with the structure and is connected with a sense of novelty.

The location of the "crazy" house

You can get to Dalat from many large cities of Vietnam by air (the airport is 30 km outside the city) or by bus. Find the "Crazy House" at: Hyun Thuk Khang, 3.

"Crazy House" is a separate growing organism, located in the south-west of Dalat. In all, it causes different sensations: ecstasy, misunderstanding, shock, pacification, admiration, curiosity and even disgust. To visit this amazing and contradictory place is necessary, at least in order to form a personal opinion about it.