Shadowing Practice: I Visited Vietnam's CRAZIEST House on Halloween! 🎃 - Learn English Speaking with Video
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Happy Halloween everyone!
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If you're looking for an activity to do in Vietnam, especially in Đà Lạt, you need to go to Crazy House.
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One thing you need to know is that the Crazy House is basically a giant maze.
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It's like Mother Nature decided to become an architect after watching too many Tim Burton movies.
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For instance, just look at this staircase.
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Who designed this?
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We'll find out later in this video.
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I feel like if someone have acrophobia or crossphobia will be afraid of this.
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It is so steep and so narrow.
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Honestly, the architecture is impressive.
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Some pathways are incredibly narrow.
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And the higher you climb, the more beautiful the views of Dalat become.
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So why is this place so special?
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This house is all about twisted trees,
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creepy tunnels, and honestly, I feel like I've entered a fairy tale written by someone who had way too much Vietnamese coffee.
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First of all, this is definitely not your typical Vietnamese house, although it was inspired by the traditional communal longhouse called Nhà
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Rồng from the ethnic minority groups in the central highlands of Vietnam.
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And the craziest part, you can actually sleep here.
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I don't know about you, but if I wake up at 3am and see this giant tiger staring at me, I'm checking out immediately.
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Would you dare to spend Halloween night here?
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Let me know in the comments below.
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Construction started in 1990 with a design inspired by nature and the idea of bringing people closer to it.
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That's why you'll see giant tree trunks, tiny caves, and the hotel rooms are inspired by different animals,
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including bears, eagles, and even kangaroos.
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And don't expect a typical five -star hotel experience.
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These rooms are designed to be environmentally friendly, so you won't find televisions or air conditioning.
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But honestly, with Dalat's cool weather, you don't really need air conditioning.
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This place was designed by a Vietnamese architect named Đăng Việt Nga, who studied architecture in Moscow.
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And here's an interesting fact.
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Her father was Trung Chinh, one of Vietnam's most prominent political leaders.
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Did you know this place was once threatened with demolition?
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When Đăng Việt Nga started building the crazy house, not everyone appreciated her vision.
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The neighbors didn't like the spiderweb designs because they symbolize something old and neglected.
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The government didn't approve it at first because it's a little too crazy.
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But despite the criticism and difficulties, she kept pursuing her vision. And today,
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the Crazy House is one of Dallas most recognizable tourist attractions
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and Miss Nga even invites people to take dance classes in her aquarium area.
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Here are some local tips before you visit this place.
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First, come early in the morning, ideally around 8 .30 or 9 .00am before it gets too crowded.
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Second, give yourself at least an hour to explore.
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There are so many unusual corners that you'll probably spend half your time taking photos.
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Third, bring a light waterproof jacket and wear comfortable shoes with good grip because Dalat can get chilly and slippery with the rain.
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And finally, you don't need to spend the night here.
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You can buy a sightseeing ticket, which is currently around 80 ,000 VNĐ.
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But what I love the most is that behind all these strange staircases and weird -looking rooms, there's actually a beautiful story about creativity,
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imagination, and having the courage to be different.
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Is this house a masterpiece or is it completely crazy?
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And would you dare to spend Halloween night here?
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Let me know in the comments.
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Don't forget to like and subscribe to learn more interesting facts about Vietnam.
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Happy Halloween from Đà Lạt and I'll see you in the next adventure!
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Vocabulary and speaking notes for this lesson
This speaking lesson is built on the video “I Visited Vietnam's CRAZIEST House on Halloween! 🎃”. The speaker keeps coming back to these words: crazy, Halloween, spend, Nga, Vietnamese. This video has 51 sentences and 616 words to shadow. The speech runs for 4:11. The speaker talks at a steady 147 words per minute, a comfortable pace for shadowing. Only 79% of the words are among the 3,000 most common in English, so the vocabulary is demanding.
Key vocabulary in this video
15 words from the video worth learning, with pronunciation and meaning:
| Word | Pronunciation | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| inspire verb | /ɪnˈspaɪə(ɹ)/ | To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by… |
| architecture noun | /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/ | The art and science of designing and managing the construction of buildings and other structures, particularly if they are well proportioned and decorated. |
| narrow adjective | /ˈnæɹəʊ/ | Having a small width; not wide; having opposite edges or sides that are close, especially by comparison to length or depth. |
| dare verb | /dɛ(ə)ɹ/ | To have enough courage (to do something). |
| architect noun | /ˈɑɹ.kɪˌtɛkt/ | A professional who designs buildings or other structures, or who prepares plans and superintends construction. |
| staircase noun | /ˈstɛɹˌkeɪs/ | A flight of stairs; a stairway. |
| impressive adjective | /ɪmˈpɹɛsɪv/ | Making, or tending to make, a positive impression; having power to impress. |
| adventure noun | /ədˈvɛn.t͡ʃə/ | A feeling of desire for new and exciting things. |
| unusual adjective | /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/ | Not usual, out of the ordinary. |
| minority noun | /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/ | The state or condition of being smaller, inferior, or subordinate to something or someone else; lesserness. |
| incredibly adverb | /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/ | In an incredible manner; not to be believed. |
| difficulty noun | /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/ | The state of being difficult, or hard to do. |
| ethnic adjective | /ˈɛθ.nɪk/ | Of or relating to a group of people having common racial, ancestral, national, religious or cultural origins. |
| prominent adjective | /ˈpɹɑmɪnənt/ | Standing out, or projecting; jutting; protuberant. |
| courage noun | /ˈkʌ.ɹɪd͡ʒ/ | The quality of being confident, not afraid or easily intimidated, but without being incautious or inconsiderate. |
Phrasal verbs you will hear
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| check out verb | To record the departure or withdrawal of someone or something (such as guests, employees, books, etc.). |
| find out verb | To discover, as by asking or investigating. |
Grammar in this video
The structures the speaker uses most, with the exact words from the video:
| Structure | In the video |
|---|---|
| Passive voice be + past participle — the focus is on what happens, not who does it | was inspired · are inspired · are designed |
| Relative clauses who / which + clause — extra information about a person or thing | someone who had · ticket, which is |
| Future with “will” will + verb — a decision, promise or prediction | We'll find · will be · you'll see |
| Present continuous am/is/are + -ing — something happening right now or around now | you're looking · I'm checking |
Pronunciation to watch
The speaker uses 15 contractions and reduced forms, such as don't, didn't, you'll. Say them the short way, as you hear them.
- The “th” sounds: ethnic /ˈɛθ.nɪk/, threaten /ˈθɹɛt.n̩/, pathway /ˈpæθˌweɪ/
- The “sh” and “zh” sounds: unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, shoe /ˈʃu/, imagination /ɪˌmæd͡ʒəˈneɪʃən/, attraction /əˈtɹækʃn̩/, demolition /ˌdɛm.əˈlɪʃ.ən/
- Long words — get the stress right: architecture /ˈɑː.kɪˌtɛk.t͡ʃə/, unusual /ʌnˈjuːʒ(u)əl/, minority /maɪˈnɒɹ.ɪ.ti/, incredibly /ɪŋˈkɹɛdɪbli/, difficulty /ˈdɪfɪkəlti/
How to practise with this video
- Listen to the whole video once without speaking and note the words you do not know.
- Shadow it sentence by sentence at normal speed, repeating each one until your rhythm matches the speaker.
- Record yourself and compare with the original, paying attention to words like inspire, architecture, narrow.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.