Saturday, June 18, 2011

Hang Nga - The Crazy Tree House in Vietnam

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The main building



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A branch building



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Hung the driver



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Courtyard



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A little something to catch the customers



5086316591349569090Reception


5086316307881727538Alice???


5086315766715848098The front of the Ant Room - where I stayed


5086315771010815410Inside the Ant Room


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The Ant



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Matching ant lamp



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Ant room ante-chamber



5086315135355655506The Honeymoon Room - The world's smallest duplex, Duyen had a one-person honeymoon.


5086315139650622818Honeymoon room downstairs - It's rather upscale to have a tree embedded in the wall.


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Honeymoon room staircase



5086315143945590146Honeymoon room upstairs bedroom - It just exudes a feeling of closeness.


5086315148240557458The office

Though there are some very nice things about Da Lat, the main attraction (for us) was Hang Nga's Tree House, known to the locals as "The Crazy House". It's owned by the daughter of the ex-president of Vietnam, who studied architecture in Moscow. Being a celebrity, it was easier for her to get permission to build such a place than, say, you or me.

The place is Georgia O'Keefe-meets-Gaudi, with some Lewis Carroll thrown in for good measure. Hang Nga
is a popular hotel name, and this wasn't the first Hang Nga we stayed at. In mythology, Hang Nga was a moon fairy, which points to yet another place where the designer might have studied.

That night, the whole place was empty. Apparently, all the sensible tourists spend the night elsewhere and come to see the place during the day. I found out why – when the construction work started at 7AM and people with cameras walked into my room.

Source: travelogues.net