Where in the World?

Question: Where in Asia can you find a tree that’s a house—but not a treehouse—made by an architect who ignored all her training to build it?

Answer: Dalat, Vietnam

Dalat—a tranquil mountain resort town in southern Vietnam—is renowned as the "City of Eternal Spring" for its pleasant temperate climate. The French recognized the area's charm back in the early 1900s, developing a resort here and leaving behind a legacy of colonial villas that still dot the landscape.

Au contraire, the bizarre Avant Garde “Crazy House”—officially known as Hang Nga Villa—doesn’t exactly blend in with the French architectural theme of Dalat, which really ruffled the feathers of some authorities back in 1990 when it was first being built (see the “Fun Facts” section, below, to learn more). As visitors approach, they are greeted by what appears to be a massive tree trunk with windows and doorways carved into its contours. Upon closer inspection, it becomes clear that this is no ordinary structure, but a carefully crafted building designed to mimic the natural world.

Indeed, this maze of spiral staircases, sculptural bedrooms, undulating surfaces, swirls of bright colors, narrow bridges, and hidden nooks is a five-story wonder that intentionally blends natural elements with man-made constructions. Resembling a giant banyan tree with windows and doors impressively integrated into its curvy form, the Crazy House is the brainchild of Vietnamese architect Dang Viet Nga.

Nga’s vision was to create a space that reconnects people with nature—addressing her concerns about environmental destruction. After getting her PhD in Architecture and working for the Ministries of Construction and Culture in Vietnam, Nga could have taken a more formal, traditional path. Instead, she sketched out her dream on paper—instead of blueprints, she created a series of paintings to communicate her fantastical vision—and hired local artists and builders to find ways to bring the plan to life.

And that they did: Now, when walking through the halls and corridors of the Crazy House, guests feel as if they're traversing the arteries of a living organism or navigating the twisting pathways of a giant intestine. The concrete structure undulates and curves, mimicking organic forms and creating spaces that seem to breathe with life. At every turn, there's a new surprise—perhaps a giant spider web spanning across a passage or a concrete animal emerging from a wall.

Inside, each room of the Crazy House is uniquely themed and named after an animal or type of plant—guests can stay in a kangaroo room complete with a pouch-shaped fireplace, enjoy tea in a giraffe-themed space, and so on. Even insects are represented, with an ant room designed to reflect the industrious nature of the Vietnamese people. Some rooms in the Crazy House are interconnected by bridges that appear to be made of sinuous cement “tree branches,” enhancing the illusion of being in a living tree. Meanwhile, in the surrounding gardens, concrete sculptures of tigers, giraffes, and kangaroos add to the wild, wondrous, and whimsical atmosphere.

5 Fun Facts About the "Crazy House":

• There are no right angles anywhere inside the Crazy House, because Nga says that would obviously betray the handiwork of man, whereas as nature’s lines are more irregular and organic. Ironically, it took the efforts of many men to make the house structurally sound without any straight lines. (Worry not, the Crazy House meets all safety standards and has been approved by local building authorities!)


• That said, local authorities fought the building of the house from the get-go, unimpressed with the use of artisans over architects—even though the construction of the Crazy House provided employment for many local artisans and builders and greatly contributed to the economy of Dalat. Those same authorities had already torn down another one of Nga’s buildings—the “House of 100 Rooftops”—for being “inappropriately showy.” Fortunately, once the Crazy House became a tourist destination and local attraction, officials relented and finally embraced its construction.


• Fast forward to the present, and the Crazy House has been welcoming guests since 1991. However, it was not originally supposed to house overnight visitors; the costs associated with the unusual approach made the project more expensive than Nga could bear alone, so she added the ten guest rooms to help cover the rising bills.


• For all the whimsy, there is one serious note to the affair: a second-floor shrine to Ho Chi Minh’s successor, Truong Chinh. That’s right, the architect’s father was the second President of Vietnam.


• Nga says one of her primary influences is the famed, modernist Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi. This inspiration shows up not in the stylistic exuberance, but in the fact that Crazy House is still unfinished. (Likewise, Gaudi’s Sagrada Familia is still in construction after 133 years.)

Behold the "Crazy House" during your free time to explore Dalat on our Inside Vietnam adventure.