The Crazy House in Da Lat is CRAZY! | On The Road with Niall and Adrie (And Biscuit) #7

Join Adrie and I (and Biscuit) on an adventure through Da Lat as we uncover hidden gems and more! 

We started with a trek that Google Maps recommended but were blocked by security, leading us to Happy Hill Café with stunning views and Instagram-worthy spots. 

While there, we observed the excessive use of plastic in such a natural setting. We then ventured to the Crazy House, a Gaudi-esque marvel designed uniquely. 

Throughout our journey, we navigated Da Lat's scenic routes, met locals with impressive English skills, and enjoyed lunch outdoors. Despite some challenges, the exploration was filled with beautiful landscapes, local culture, and of course, our furry friend Biscuit. 

This video captures the beauty, quirks, and environmental concerns of Dalat, making it a must-watch for future travelers!

00:00 Introduction and Trek Plans
00:48 Encounter with Security Guards
01:01 Enjoying Coffee at Happy Hill
02:10 Observations on English Proficiency
04:57 Plastic Waste Concerns in Vietnam
07:33 Exploring Hidden Gems
09:39 Attempting the Trek Again
12:38 Lunch at Moe Bistro
15:14 Visiting the Crazy House

7 Bridges Brewing Co. - An award winning Vietnamese craft brewery from Da Nang, with breweries across Vietnam!

Rabbit Hole Irish Sports Bar - Check out their new location on Tran Nao with the best views in the city over Landmark 81!

Transcript

Niall: 2:35

So we do.

Adrie: 2:36

Yes.

Niall: 2:37

Explain what's happening.

Adrie: 2:38

So we found a trek on Google Maps. I mean it says, the reviews say that it's difficult to get up. Uh, we thought we would try our luck. Especially cause finding a trek that's kind of short enough for Biscuit to go on. Said it was an hour up the hill with a nice lookout. We got there and uh, The security guards, as the Google reviews said, Um, would not let us up. So, suggestion was coming. The suggestion was to come down to this cafe, Happy Hill, and then maybe find your way up the hill. But now we're just having a coffee, drinking out of the

Niall: 3:07

view. Well, you read it says that there's a guard there that tells you you can't go up. Check. That was true. Then it said, once you get to Happy Hill, go back down like 20 meters, 10 meters. You gotta try and find a trail. And then there's gonna be another guard who's probably gonna tell you you can't do it. So, we've stopped here for the Instagram view. And we're going to have another coffee, because that's what you do in Vietnam, is drink Vietnamese coffee. That's what you do in Đà Lt. That's what you do in Đà Lt. Just drink coffee at Instagrammable places. And then we'll see if we can go on this walk, but we might get sent back again, but we'll see. But this place is pretty special. Stunning, and the weather is nice. Just met a girl there. She sees us with the camera. She asked me am I a YouTuber. I hate to say that, but, yeah. I try not to answer. I let Adrie answer for me.

Adrie: 3:56

Wow.

Niall: 3:58

How new is this, do you know?

Adrie: 3:59

No idea.

Niall: 4:01

So it still surprises me that so many people speak English here. You get, I should know by now, we've taught half of them probably. That's an exaggeration. We met a girl last night at the microbrewery. She was nine years old and she spoke better English than a nine year old who's, who was a native speaker. That's how good her English was. And she'd only been learning since she was six years old. I've no idea how she was able to have a proper conversation with us. Use some big words. Completely comprehend what we were all talking about, it was mind blowing. And then even now on this trip, we just met a family there when we parked. Just didn't expect them to speak English. And the whole family just spoke perfect English to us. What did I tell you? Instagrammable, but can't really complain, can you? What did I say yesterday? If it has a love heart, it's an Instagram place. Is this hidden gem number four?

Adrie: 4:56

I would say so, yeah. This place is called Happy Hill. We, um, got here by motorbike. It's kind of a dead end around, uh, Tuyinlam, Tuyinlam Lake. And as you can see, or as Neil has shown you, it's a pretty happy hill. You pay 90k to get in at the top of the hill and that gets you one drink. I had salted apricot, Neil had a coffee, and access to all of these very Instagramable sort of spots. Aside from that, it's absolutely stunning. Beautiful view of the lake. It's a nice sunny day. The flowers are gorgeous. Biscuit's relaxing. We're all just chillin So, well worth it, I would say. It's not too crowded. I mean, it's crowded. There's people here, but there's places to sit. Adequate places to sit. And you're not too close to anyone else. You kind of have a little private nook, wherever you choose.

Niall: 5:49

So what's a downside though?

Adrie: 5:51

Uh, unfortunately all of the drinks are just plastic and disposable. Like, they give you a carrier and a top and a straw. There was some food on the table before we sat down. It's like a plastic plate and a plastic bowl and a plastic spoon. Plastic cups. And when we walked in, they're just throwing them all in the bin. So that's a bit annoying. Especially in such a natural, beautiful place.

Niall: 6:15

Yeah, Vietnam is still behind on a lot of things. And You read about, what was the latest country I just saw? I think it was in Africa, like out, uh, banning, like, single use plastic. And it's obviously going to be a massive change. We come from countries where single use plastic bags were outlawed years ago. Or maybe not years ago, but still a while ago, and they're all moving towards that. And Vietnam had a massive plastic problem. And so, if you've not been to Vietnam, if you're watching this video and you've never been here, you do have to manage your expectations. I even showed you in the video we did yesterday. There's just so much plastic trash and things like this contribute to it So I doubt that they're throwing it in the lake. The lake looks really clean It's going somewhere. It's being thrown away.

Adrie: 7:00

Well, it's going into landfill. Yeah, I don't, they're not recycling much. Probably not recycling it. The other frustrating thing is like even if you come prepared Sometimes your efforts are kind of futile like we brought a reusable water bottle on this trip But basically when we've finished drinking our water There's very few places that you can really refill it for free or even for money, like they just don't really do that. So if you go to a restaurant and you're not really refilling it, you're buying a new bottle of water. And water is not given freely either at most restaurants unless they're usually kind of western owned. You might get a free tea, but yeah.

Niall: 7:34

What kills me is uh, takeaway food, it's in a styrofoam container. I feel like in the West, I might be lying, but I'm pretty sure, I don't think we've used styrofoam for years. Right, when was the last time you got something to take away? I

Adrie: 7:47

mean, I haven't been in the West. Well, we haven't been in the West

Niall: 7:49

for so long, but I feel like Styrofoam has probably been phased out in most places. And here, it's cheap. Like, we've spoken to people before, like, it's just ten times cheaper. Like, it's not, I don't blame the options. Yeah, like getting a paper bag or a cardboard box instead of Styrofoam is like ten times the price. It's just sheer economics, and when a lot of people, especially the roadside sellers, they're not making very much money. Of course you're going to use Styrofoam. But it's something that Vietnam, I think, needs to change quickly and catch up with the rest of the world as it's developing because this is a stunning place. But then you see all the plastic everywhere and it brings a bit of a downer on it. But, hidden gem number four, Happy Hill. Alright, so that was hidden gem number four. We have, we're not going to give this a number yet, but it may be hidden gem number five.

Adrie: 8:39

20 meters up.

Niall: 8:40

20? That was like, well, that's about 20 from the entrance.

Adrie: 8:43

It also said parking lot. I don't know if it's this parking lot or that parking lot.

Niall: 8:47

I think it's this path here. So, Adri's reading the guide. Our first attempt was thwarted by the guards. Wait, they're just doing their job. It says in the guide that Adri found that you can't go that way anymore. They closed the gate, sure enough, as soon as we got there. We've come to this awesome hidden gem, Happy Hill. Then, in the guide Adrie read, it said you walk 20 metres from the car park, there's a path into the forest, there may be a guard there that tells you to go back, there may not be, but if we find it, it will be hidden gem number 5. And I don't know what number they're going to be, but there's two hidden gems I can't wait for. One, I love coming to every time we come here. Adrie will know what I'm talking about. And the other one we've never been to, but it is one of the most popular things to do. In Dalat, so it's probably not that hidden a gem, depends if you've never been here before, then it's hidden to you. But I'm excited for them. So, let's have a look and see. Alright, we're going to try and go up this path. It's only about 2 metres from the car park. Adri read 20 metres, but I think it's 20 metres from the entrance. There's a definite path. If we don't get turned back, it says it's an hour trek. Which I don't think we're going to do. We're already at a crossroads. It's pretty overgrown and we just did that trek where they said there's loads of poison ivy and snakes and spiders. I know I'm being a bit dramatic but this could be the case here.

Adrie: 10:19

I don't want to do it.

Niall: 10:20

You don't want to do it? Nah,

Adrie: 10:21

look ahead.

Niall: 10:22

Yeah, a bit overgrown. Alright. We've given up on that, we're not going to give this a number. Right, we've abandoned this one just like we abandoned the dark cave. If you don't know what I'm talking about, go back and watch the videos we did about Phong Nha. Remember, let me know in the comments, have you been to Da Lat? Have you got any hidden gems that people should explore? Have you been to Vietnam? Maybe you're watching this video, you're planning a trip. Leave a message in the comments, I'll respond. If you get any questions, I'll try my best to answer them. Can't always answer them. Don't always, don't know everything, unfortunately. Adri knows everything though. So don't worry, Adri knows more than Google. So she's going to help answer all those questions that I don't know the answer to. Alright, we're getting back on the bike and we're gonna find lunch now. I think

Adrie: 11:09

we just left. Happy Hill. We're going in search of lunch now we're gonna go around the lake. Beautiful views. The breeze feels nice. It's actually quite warm today. Uh, so being back on the bike is very refreshing. Oh look, the guards are gone. Should we go over it? I'm over it.

Niall: 11:29

So this is the start. I don't know if you can see in the video. It's all broken rock. It's broken, it's not like a paved road. Really looks like there's nothing up there. So it is really a hidden gem. The original Google Maps said to go up that way, but as soon as we arrived, the guards shut the gate, which was kind of half open. I tried to ask if we could walk up there. I think he said no. Pretty sure he said no. Then we went up there and then that was amazing. Apart from all the plastic. Uh, and like Adri said, we're going to go find lunch now. We are at the Forest of Dreams, another find by Adri. So this is hidden gem number five. We are at Moe Bistro. Didn't make a reservation, didn't know we needed one. So we can't get an inside table. Oh no, we can get an outside table. Which I assume has the view. So we're going to get an inside table, but we're allowed to take biscuit. So that's amazing. You found it on Google Maps?

Adrie: 12:21

Uh, yeah, on Google Maps. I just looked up restaurants. This one's highly rated. I also am following a dog friendly list from Facebook. I think it was on that. Xin

Niall: 12:34

chào.

Adrie: 12:34

Thank you.

Niall: 12:36

There's just so much to do and all that. It's so spread out. Like I said at the beginning of the day, that guide said get a bike within 10 to 40 kilometers. It's so much.

Adrie: 12:44

So much. I mean, this has been built since the last time we've been here. For sure. I don't know that for sure, but I think so, for sure. But it's 100

Niall: 12:52

percent built into the pines, like, it doesn't look like they've really cleared They've probably cleared a few trees,

Adrie: 12:57

but

Niall: 12:58

This is super nice. Looks brand

Adrie: 12:59

new. I love the tunes as

Niall: 13:01

well. What? You want our attention? Why are you barking? Are you stuck over there?

Adrie: 13:05

No.

Niall: 13:10

This is what's barking at us right now. Bless you. Are you having fun? Are you exploring everywhere?

Adrie: 13:22

Hey, no barking. No, mm mm. You mean cheat?

Niall: 13:27

What do you think she's barking at right now? I actually don't know. She

Adrie: 13:30

wants attention. Just attention? She probably wants us to chase her. Sit. That's it.

Niall: 13:42

Alright, Biscuit, you got your treats. Dad and Mum want their treats. I'm starving. Let's eat. Lunch is served. What do you think?

Adrie: 13:48

It looks delicious. Smells delicious. I'm ready to eat.

Niall: 13:53

I'm wary of the chicken spaghetti.

Adrie: 13:55

Why?

Niall: 13:56

It's so small. And normally the smaller the portion, the more delicious it is, right?

Adrie: 14:01

I think it's quite a deep bowl, maybe? I mean, if it was served on a plate the other way around, it would just be a little

Niall: 14:09

Alright, let's eat.

Adrie: 14:10

Yes.

Niall: 14:11

I got it.

Adrie: 14:13

No, don't.

Niall: 14:14

Okay. You ready? One. Hey, Biscuit. Two. Biscuit. Three. Hey! Okay, let's leave it. We are here at another gem in Dalat, but we've decided this is not a hidden gem, so we're not going to give it a number. It's

Adrie: 14:42

not hidden.

Niall: 14:42

This is probably the number one thing to do in Dalat. But we've been here, this is our fifth visit, we think?

Adrie: 14:50

We've been here countless times. Yeah,

Niall: 14:52

and we've never been here before. So we're gonna go see if, first of all, if we can get Biscuit in. We are here at the crazy house, which, uh, just is exactly what it is. It's a crazy house, crazy architecture.

Adrie: 15:03

Gaudi

Niall: 15:04

esque. Gaudi esque. Gaudi was on even more acid. Was Gaudi on acid? Probably. But anyway, let's go check it out and let's see, first of all, if Biscuit can get in. That's the big question. Alright, let's go. Xin chào. Xin

Adrie: 15:21

chào.

Niall: 15:22

Can we bring our dog in?

Adrie: 15:23

Uh.

Niall: 15:26

She's a small French bulldog.

Adrie: 15:28

Okay.

Niall: 15:28

Uh, so can we have two people? Yeah.

Adrie: 15:30

Alright, one hundred and sixty for two

Niall: 15:33

please. Okay. Alright, we've never been here before. In five visits, they let us in. Let's go check it out. What the hell? So this was built in 1990 by an architect trained in Moscow, and her dad was the general secretary of Vietnam. And she came here and after doing architecture for state based projects, which I can understand. Only imagines, and in a communist based country like Vietnam, they weren't exactly imagining it, so it's absolutely crazy that she came here, fell in love with the lat and decided to build this crazy house, which can't be anything but a, we're in the kindergarten right now, there's a bunch of rooms, we're gonna go explore, uh, this is literally, I can't believe somebody had this

Adrie: 16:13

in their

Niall: 16:14

head to

Adrie: 16:14

build it, it's amazing. I mean, we've been to the crazy place, but the difference here is that there's actually guest

Niall: 16:21

rooms. Yeah, it's super weird. Let's go, man. Hey Biscuit, is this cool? Are you kidding? This is so cool. And

Adrie: 16:29

the maze bar is so cool.

Niall: 16:34

I know.

Adrie: 16:35

The maze bar is like this big.

Niall: 16:38

Yeah, yeah. Hidden gem.

Adrie: 16:39

And

Niall: 16:40

the maze bar, which we are going to show you, that's going to be our next hidden gem, I think, is amazing. It's absolutely trippy, and they sell really cheap rum and coke. couldn't be more aptly named than the Crazy House. It is absolutely crazy. And it is a house, which I didn't know.

Adrie: 17:03

Next episode at the crack of dawn to go and do, what's it called, cloud chasing? Cloud chasing.

Niall: 17:13

We got like chilli, some shreddy jicama, peanuts. So as tradition dictates, we've always got to get a drink before we start. I always get a rum and coke. It's only 60k, it's strong, it's good, it makes it way more fun. I have learned the lesson from the last

17:27

time.