Marble Mountain Danang Vietnam

[Marketta Filipovich]

Allof the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of Mount Thủy. Several Buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains, making this a tourist destination.

The area is known for stone sculpture making and stone-cutting crafts. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in Quảng Nam Province.

The mountains were very near the American Marble Mountain Air Facility during the Vietnam War. According to William Broyles Jr., the Marble Mountains contained a hospital for the Vietcong, probably within earshot of the American air field and Da Nang Beach (which bordered the air field on the side opposite the mountains). He describes the enemy as having been so "certain of our ignorance [...] that he had hidden his hospital in plain sight".[2]

The Marble Mountains are home to several Buddhist and Hindu grottoes. A stairway of 156 steps leads to the summit of Thuy Son, the only Marble Mountain accessible to visitors. It allows a wide panoramic view of the surrounding area and the other marble mountains. There are a number of grottoes, including Huyen Khong and Tang Chon, and many Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries, the temples of Tam Thai, Tu Tam and Linh Ung, and the pagoda of Pho Dong. The sanctuaries feature statues and relief depictions of religious scenes carved out of the marble.

Most tourism comes from day trips from Da Nang and Hoi An as it lies almost directly in the middle of the two. This option is fine and still worth the time invested, but by the time most tours arrive the destination is already packed. I wanted to view this place without the hordes of tourists and constant chatter.

As day trips are the main form of touring the Marble Mountains of Vietnam, and wanting to travel straight to Hoi An afterward, the issue of luggage storage arose. Nothing online I was able to dig up confirmed or denied any type of storage facility at Marble Mountains. As well as my luggage storage, this taxi was supposed to then make the trip to Hoi An. This was confirmed possible by the internet and hostel staff, but without a fixed rate, it would be more than double the price suggested online.

It was around a 1km walk to the secondary, more secluded, almost secret entrance of the Marble Mountains. The whole side street approaching the entrance was littered with marble statue shops, as this area is renowned for crafting out of the rock. Even though marble extraction directly from these mountains is now illegal. Early morning sunshine gleaned from the smooth, polished surfaces of stone chiseled into figures of Deities and mythical beasts.

After the entrance fee of 40,000VND ($1.70 USD) was handed over, it was time for the all-important question of luggage storage. The attendant just pointed behind her, like there was never a reason to worry. No lockers, no key, my backpack just laid on the corner behind a desk.

As I explored, a couple of hours had passed quickly. Slowly edging towards the main entry and exit point, the crowds began to filter in. By the time Xa Loi Tower was in sight, marking the main gate, trying to take pictures without a random person in it was next to impossible. Quiet had turned to chatter and scuffling of shoes filing through to the sites. Get there early!

For the uninitiated, the Marble Mountains is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngũ Hnh Sơn District, south of Da Nang city in Vietnam. According to Wikipedia, The five mountains are named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of Mt. Thuy. Several Buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains, making this a famous tourist destination. The area is famous for stone sculpture making and stone-cutting crafts. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in Quảng Nam Province.

Approaching the entrance, I paid the fee of 40,000 VND and bought a paper map. For only 15,000 VND, it was a worthy investment. The main landmarks of Thuy Son are not situated along a straight path, and the signs around the mountain are not incredibly helpful.

The route I took went something like this: Climbing the staircase of around 150 steps, I began my mountain tour at an old pagoda called Tam Thai. I then proceeded to see all the caves and pagodas at the western half of the mountain before heading to the eastern portion. I finished at Linh Ung Pagoda, before walking down the mountain and entering a large parking lot. Finally, I entered Am Phu Cave, which requires its own separate entrance ticket.

The Tam Thai Pagoda dates all the way back to the 17th century. Like many historical sites in Vietnam, it had to be rebuilt more than a couple of times over the years. After being reconstructed once during the reign of Minh Mang, the pagoda was badly damaged during the Vietnam War. It currently looks pretty new, probably having been fixed up once again in recent times. As far as Vietnamese pagodas go, Tam Thai is fairly standard fare, but the setting which surrounds it is gorgeous.

One of the more peculiar sites of the cave is the pair of marble statues sitting on the ground and playing chess with each other. According to legend, these were a couple of chess-enthusiast fairies who took on the guise of wise old men to disguise their true form.

Perhaps stories about mythical beings playing chess is fairly common in Chinese, and by extension Vietnamese, lore. I recalled a story about Lion Grove Garden in Suzhou, China, involving deities getting lost in the cavernous labyrinth. Giving up on trying to find a way out, they sat down for a friendly game of chess instead. Apparently, even Emperor Minh Mang himself enjoyed playing chess in the caves during his numerous visits to the mountain.

Depictions of hellish landscapes are fairly common in the Buddhist world, one recent famous example being the White Temple of Chiang Rai, Thailand. But some of the sculptures at Am Phu ranged from humorous to bizarre to downright disturbing. I get the guys with scary masks and the serpents devouring humans. Those were pretty cool.

But did they really need to have statues of children getting their throats slit? What kind of sicko took the time to carve this stuff? After walking through the narrow and dark caverns of hell for several minutes, I was ready to move on to the next section.

The route to a few of the other mountains was included in the map I bought. Since I finished Thuy Son sooner than I expected, I decided to go check them out. The closest ones are Quan Am and Linh Son, both across the street from each other, and about a 10 minute walk from the water mountain. But as I got closer, I saw a man in the distance trying to get my attention, and could immediately tell that something was up.

He told me that Quan Am across the street was closed, and he tried to get me to go into Linh Son. He was not wearing a uniform and looked like a sketchy character. I was also surprised to see absolutely no other staff at all, considering this was supposed to be an official tourist site.

He then told me to pay him 110,000 VND to enter the cave! I showed him my ticket and he said it was no good. This cave was part of an active temple, and I then saw a monk walk by only to snicker. Clearly he was in on it, or at least aware of the scam.

Built over several levels around the mountain, this monastery is impressive in its beauty as well as its engineering. Pagodas, temples, burial tombs, and bridges over serene fish ponds alternate with caves holding altars and painted statuary. I spend two hours exploring every nook and cranny and descend via a different stairway that is much less steep than the one I ascended.

hi. barbra i was in vietnam in 69-70 all over nom . Hue the emperors palace ,a tile is missing from the floor where he use to give his speeches.I have a picture of myself sitting by his gold and jeweled chair.I was also in marble mountain and i took home two marble statues. thanks for some memories gary.

Barbara :

Pictures and thoughts were beautiful ! The pics of Vietnam were most interesting . I traveled the Hai Van

pass to Hue during the 68 Tet offensive and even in those days , you could still see the beauty . The country has recovered from the insults that were inflicted on her and the scenery is outstanding .

Thanks

Larry

Hi,

Thanks for the elaborate details on marble mountains.

Would you recommend we make a trip to these mountains with a 2 year old, directly from danang airport upon arrival mid-morning? We are then heading to Hoi-An, for a 3 night stay.

Alternatively, we have plans to visit Bana Hills too one of the days. Not sure if we directly go to bana hills or marble mountains from the airport.

Hi, this sounds great much prefer doing our own thing o the tourist hoards. What stop is it on the bus route? What direction do you go when you get off the bus? Do you go back to the same bus stop to return to the city? thanks

By booking our Monkey Mountain Sunset Tour, you not only have a chance to conquer the Marble Mountains with fabulous natural caves, ancient pagoda, and Buddha statues as well as admire the attractions on the Son Tra peninsula such as Linh Ung Pagoda, the tallest Lady Buddha Statue, wild monkeys, Ban Co peak, Helicopter pad, radar station, etc.

Marble Mountains is a cluster of 5 lime and marble mountains that represent 5 basic elements to create the Universe or the 5 fingers of Buddha. We will explore some highlight attractions in the Marble of Water such as the Linh Ung Pagoda, Tan Chon Cave, Van Thong Cave, Tam Thai Pagoda, Hoa Nghiem Cave, etc.

Our knowledgeable tour guide will tell you a lot of ancient stories about the formation of Marble Mountains Da Nang and the beauty, function, and meaning of each cave, and how the locals worship their gods.

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