In the city of Dalat, Vietnam, an architect built a giant tree-shaped hotel with rooms inside mushrooms, spider webs in the corridors, and caves on the floors — and it is considered the most bizarre building in Southeast Asia.

Written by Noel Budeguer

Published on 29/04/2026 at 19:37

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Hằng Nga Guesthouse was designed by architect Đặng Việt Nga after her doctorate in Moscow and resembles an enchanted forest more than a hotel

In the small city of Dalat, hidden among mountains in south-central Vietnam, there is a building that seems to have come out of a dream — or a nightmare, depending on who looks at it.

Furthermore, the Crazy House Vietnam is not a theme park attraction. In fact, it is a real hotel, with rooms to sleep in, a reception, and guests who pay to spend the night inside giant mushrooms.

The person responsible for this creation is architect Đặng Việt Nga, daughter of the former Secretary-General of the Communist Party of Vietnam. After completing a doctorate in architecture in Moscow, Nga moved to Dalat in 1983.

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A hotel that looks like an enchanted forest inside

The entire structure of Crazy House Vietnam resembles a giant tree. Consequently, the walls have no straight lines — everything is curved, organic, and irregular.

Thus, winding staircases climb through concrete trunks. Sculpted spiderwebs connect corridors. Leaf-shaped windows let light in from unexpected angles.

10 themed rooms where each one tells a story

Crazy House Vietnam features 10 themed rooms, each decorated as a different animal.

In the tiger room, for example, a giant tiger with glowing red eyes dominates the wall. Furthermore, in the kangaroo room, an animal sculpture has the fireplace built into its belly.

The eagle room has a giant egg-shaped fireplace. Thus, each room is a completely different experience.

Tiger Room: tiger with glowing red eyes
Eagle Room: giant egg-shaped fireplace
Kangaroo Room: fireplace inside the animal’s belly
Ant Room: decoration with tunnels and colonies
Total: 10 themed rooms, all different from each other

The inspiration comes from Gaudí — but the result is unique

Nga acknowledges the influence of the Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí. However, visitors also compare Crazy House Vietnam to the works of Salvador Dalí and even Disney settings.

In 2009, the Chinese newspaper People’s Daily listed Crazy House Vietnam as one of the 10 most bizarre buildings in the world.

From indebted project to international tourist attraction

What few know is that Crazy House Vietnam started as a personal project that almost bankrupted its creator.

In February 1990, Nga drew the first plans. However, she accumulated over 30 million dong in debt. Consequently, she transformed the house into a guesthouse and opened it for paid visits at the end of 1990.

Today, Crazy House Vietnam receives hundreds of visitors daily and has become one of Dalat’s most photographed attractions.

Why Bizarre Buildings Attract More Tourists

Crazy House Vietnam proves something that modern tourism confirms: the stranger the building, the more people want to see it in person.

In practice, buildings like the Crazy House, the Dancing House of Prague, and the Guggenheim Bilbao generate more tourist revenue than beautiful but conventional buildings.

Despite this, the construction is not just an aesthetic whim. Nga designed the building to integrate with Dalat’s natural environment — a city surrounded by pine trees.

Should more cities allow architects to build without rules — or is the Crazy House the exception that confirms the importance of building codes?

In the city of Dalat, Vietnam, an architect built a giant tree-shaped hotel with rooms inside mushrooms, spider webs in the corridors, and caves on the floors — and it is considered the most bizarre building in Southeast Asia.

Hằng Nga Guesthouse was designed by architect Đặng Việt Nga after her doctorate in Moscow and resembles an enchanted forest more than a hotel

A hotel that looks like an enchanted forest inside

10 themed rooms where each one tells a story

The inspiration comes from Gaudí — but the result is unique

From indebted project to international tourist attraction

Why Bizarre Buildings Attract More Tourists

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In the city of Dalat, Vietnam, an architect built a giant tree-shaped hotel with rooms inside mushrooms, spider webs in the corridors, and caves on the floors — and it is considered the most bizarre building in Southeast Asia.

Hằng Nga Guesthouse was designed by architect Đặng Việt Nga after her doctorate in Moscow and resembles an enchanted forest more than a hotel

A hotel that looks like an enchanted forest inside

10 themed rooms where each one tells a story

The inspiration comes from Gaudí — but the result is unique

From indebted project to international tourist attraction

Why Bizarre Buildings Attract More Tourists

Gaddafi built the world’s largest artificial river under the Sahara — it’s 4,000 km of giant pipes that pump 40,000-year-old fossil water to entire cities in Libya.

The Soviet Union spent 22 years drilling into the Earth’s crust and reached a depth of 12,262 meters — they found water where it was thought impossible, hydrogen bubbling from the rock, granite that is 2.7 billion years old, and temperatures of 180 degrees that melted the drill bits.

Discovery in Africa scares even scientists: a study published on April 23 reveals that the crust in Turkana has become so thin that it could pave the way for the continent’s division and the emergence of an ocean in the future, in a gigantic geological transformation.

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Two African countries will inaugurate in 4 days an 825-meter bridge suspended 90 meters high over a reservoir — it is the largest of three bridges of a megaproject that will supply millions of people.

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