Hello, hello!
As promised, here’s the new article about my visit in Da Lat, Vietnam. Right now I’m back in Saigon and the week that past by has been so intense and full of activities, deadlines, and things to change and restore. Which means I haven’t really had the time to focus on writing this article for it is indeed really interesting and deserves the right attention! So, starting from the beginning, when I was in Da Lat, I visited the most “out of this world” building ever! It is called the “Crazy House” or Hang Nga Guesthouse and is a fantasy building designed as an artistic private house full of dreamy rooms which you can also book to pass the night. It looks very special and different from all the other houses in that street which are all typical french colonial villas. I was there only as a visitor and it kind of reminded me of Hobbiton but with more dramatic architectural structures and design. When I saw it from the outside, I thought it was just a small building but in fact it was just covered by four big trees so you can see the beauty and magic hidden once you enter. The artist behind it is a 79-year-old woman, Dang Viet Nga. Mrs Dang Viet Nga or locally known as Hang Nga has a PhD in architecture from Moscow and has designed a number of other buildings around Da Lat. On a business trip to Dalat, she fell in love with the lush landscape, cooler climate and kind people and hoped to eventually move there soon and I feel her completely because that town was a really nice place to live! In 1983, she moved there and after years of working on state-owned developments, which afforded little creativity, she finally felt ready to unleash her imagination and fantasy! In February 1990, she started to make paintings related to the Crazy House so she could express her vision and goals.

The first thing I noticed once I entered were some paths of stairs that I guessed I had to follow. These stairs were made of concrete, wood and steel with no right angles but rather organic forms that are designed to mirror natural elements. The artist has mentioned that she used a lot of concrete because it’s inexpensive and very easy to play with and her main goal was to bring people closer to nature and this expressionist architectural form has been the most culminating moment of her creativity and imagination. Since she could create whatever shape she wanted, it reflects what she envisioned in her mind. The stairs were very curved structures at times narrow and wide again. So following them I found myself in different rooms which were all unique giving me a sense of a house built inside a tree of a very dense forest full of animals.

This picture represent the feeling of the dense forest I was talking you about. While following the stairs, you can see different views and different perspectives of the building around. There is not a sight which looks the same. This view made me feel like I was in a festival or a gathering which I really really miss.

A different view which finally made me imagine a bit what the structure of this house is. Now it really looks like a house, different but still a house. What can I say! A beautiful garden which also feels like a mix of Disney Land and Gaudí style where the elements of nature are the main and most obvious details.

Another view while climbing the stairs where you can also see the other houses of the street. What a contrast! Doesn’t it feel like for a moment you can just shift in another dimension which is in a certain point of the town?

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So here I was climbing to go on the top of the building and I tell you guys, this moment was terrifying! The stairs started to get very tight and they were very bent from the top to the bottom. It was so high I could also see a big part of the town but with all those tight stairs I was just pushing myself not to see down and continue the journey. Decided to not use the phone in these moments so here are the pictures from the highest point before I really passed there.

And this another room that appears after you go down again. A magical world filled water elements, plants and animals. It also serves as dancing area. How wonderful it would be if there was held a Psytrance Party over there!

There’s also an area dedicated to the artist including some of her own pictures, projects, sketches, paintings and the concepts of inspiration of designing and building this house. “Reconnecting nature is one message that I want to communicate with the house,” she has said.

From the Ocean to the Forest again…An outdoor area full of trees where there’s also a small wetland, sculpted mushrooms, and neon lights. There’s also this small house with a very interesting room inside like all the others. Everywhere you can hear the sound of the water flowing and for a moment you forget you’re just in a town. There’s so much nature around and all the other well thought fantasy elements put you in a state of a far far away land when everything is like in a fairytale.

I don’t know about you, but I would live here if I could! haha. Hope you enjoyed this article! I tried to collect here as much content as I could to show you the magic of this place. But still I have to say that this is that kind of expressionist art which you have to touch and visit to gain the complete experience. I’m so glad I got to experience this!

Until next time,
Kurisu