The Marble Mountains: a revered site definitely worth a visit, in Da Nang, Vietnam

View from Marble Mountains

The marble mountains are a collection of 5 limestone mountains in Da Nang area, which is otherwise flat. These mountains are full of caves, and now these have been organized and made accessible. There’s a lift that goes to the first level (chargeable) , beyond which there are staircases to the various parts of the mountains.

There are 5 “karsts”- mountains- named after each of the 5 elements: metal, water, wood, fire and earth. Over the years, Cham culture made the marble mountains a revered site in Vietnam, and several Vietnamese emperors also visited these mountains, giving it a special place in the culture of the country.

Huyen Khong Grotto

The highlights of the marble mountains are the caves, and the pagodas and temples hidden in thick foliage, and beautifully maintained as well. The largest cave that must be seen is after a long staircase, called Huyen Khong. 

This is a dramatically large cave, housing one huge buddha on a pedestal (see photo), and two smaller shrines on two sides. It’s a cool, quiet place. This cave at one time also housed the Vietnamese revolutionaries during that conflict, leading to bombing that left openings in the vast high roof (see photo).  The entrance is guarded by two warriors statues.

The other grotto is called Tang Chon, on water mountain, and which has a beautiful lady Buddha statue (see photo). Elsewhere on the marble mountains, there’s the beautiful Tam Thai Pagoda with a nice laughing buddha in the forecourt. 

The other nice temple not to be missed is the Linh Ung Pagoda (see photo). And down the walk from this Pagoda is the tall Xa Loi Tower, which has 200 Bodhisatva statues.

Just going around in this area gives peace of mind. Its quiet, wooded, and when we went, in December, drizzling and cool, though could become humid fairly quickly. 

The Marble mountains also have a lot of stonework shops around the base, with large statues of various deities and Lady Buddha.

The marble mountains are a must visit when in Da Nang. Quite easy to reach and can easily spend 2 hours there. Just time it right ( early morning or later towards evening). 

Lady Buddha

The marble mountains open at 7am (best time to visit) and close at 530pm. The entry fees are not too high- 40,000 Dong, and 15,000 Dong for the lift (about INR 186 per head).We reached about 3pm and left at 530pm, and went off to Hoi Ann the same evening.

Da Nang- historic center of Vietnam

Beach front , Da Nang , Dec 2022

Our next stop from Hanoi, a 1 hour flight from HaNoi , was Da Nang. This is a beach side city in the center of Vietnam, with a distinctly different weather than Hanoi, which is the far north, and has a distinctly colder feel to it. That said, Da Nang is the closest an Indian can get to Goa in Vietnam. The beach is long and wide and clean, bordered by a road like Marine Drive of Mumbai, and beyond which the skyscraper hotels have sprung up.

Our hotel was in one of those series, the Radisson blu. There’s the option of staying near the beach, or near the river with a view of the Dragon Bridge. We chose the beach.

Da Nang is famous for the Hue-Da Nang campaign, when the PAVN (People’s army of Vietnam/ North Vietnam) attacked these two cities and area to take them over on March 5, 1975. The campaign ended with a victory for PAVN by April 2, 1975. Another slice of history is that on March 8, 1965, units of the US army landed at Da Nang ostensibly to defend the airbase there, but that marked the start of active US involvement in the Vietnam conflict.

That was of course part of the history of Vietnam. Today, Da Nang is a modern city, with all the trappings thereof. It’s the largest city in central Vietnam, and a big port and commercial center.

Da Nang, looking out at the Lady Buddha ,
Linh Ung Pagoda, Son Tra Peninsula

You visit Da Nang for several attractions. Hue, the ancient imperial capital of Vietnam (1802-1945), lies about 90 km to the north of Da Nang, and it’s a nice day trip clubbed with the Tomb of  Khai Din and the Thien Mu Pagdoa. (each will be covered in subsequent posts).

Another attraction is Hoi Ann, a very beautiful and well-preserved ancient village is about 20km to the south. Another attraction, which we decided not to visit, is the Ba Na hills, which is a large amusement park reached by two cable car journeys, and at which you can walk on the famous “Golden Bridge”, so often shown when you look for Da Nang.

A great attraction not to be missed are the Marble Mountains, a series of 3 mountains in an area which otherwise is flat. These are several caves and temples which are inside the mountains, reached by a series of staircases. Nice place to take a stroll around and see the surroundings.

The Dragon Bridge, Da Nang

Along the way south to Hoi Ann, you can see a series of empty shells of hotels and casinos which were started to cash in on the tourism boom planned but got derailed in the covid years. When we visited this area in December 2022, there was a whole series of hotels under construction and incomplete.

The Dragon Bridge is another sight, a bridge in the shape of a dragon. Every night at 9pm there's a fire works and light show which attracts large crowds. You can see it from the road, or from a boat ( for a price). Its a well marketed attraction, like Hoi Ann and The Golden Bridge. But an undiscovered gem still remains Hue and its surrounding areas. Dont miss it when in Da Nang. 

Tran Quoc Pagoda - Hanoi , Vietnam: Beautiful and peaceful.

Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hanoi 

The Tran Quoc Pagoda is one of the oldest ones in Vietnam, today placed on a small peninsula on the lake called West Lake. 

This Pagoda was made around 541 AD- that makes it over 1500 years old, and witness to many of Vietnam’s cultural and evolutionary landmarks.

Tran Quoc Pagoda was originally on the banks of the Red River, but was moved to this place after the dyke there collapsed. The words Tran Quoc means “national defense” – clearly the hope was that this pagoda would protect the people and bring happiness and peace to the people of Vietnam.

Buddha statues on very floor

The most interesting part of this heritage site is the 11-story pagoda, a red-brown stupa structure that you can’t miss. Each floor has distinct Buddha statues. People place offerings, much like we do in India, for blessings.

There are also several other places worth seeing here. One of the incenses burning house, where visitors can burn incense for health and good luck. The Stele House houses poetry of scholars of old. And of course, don’t miss the Bodhi Tree, which was a gift from the late President of India, Rajendra Prasad when he visited Vietnam in 1959. It is said to be extracted from the Bodh Gaya tree, and today it’s a nice peaceful site.

Overall, this is a nice place to visit. ( no entry fee). It’s calm and peaceful (on most days), and its easy to reach from the city; we took an uber back to the Tha Long Water Puppet show from here.

For more pictures of Tran Quoc, and our Vietnam trip, please visit my instagram handle (sjbaxi). 

Cambodia has had a dark history in the 1970s-1980s, with the Khmer Rouge running amok in the country. 

The Killing well, Wat Thmey

One of the sites of their outrages is near Siem Reap , now an active Pagoda site, called Wat Thmey. This is a small museum just on the outskirts of Siem Reap, which one may visit for an understanding of this dark era. 

This place is also sometimes referred to as " the killing fields" in literature. The skulls and bones of the people who died here are displayed. Its a somber site, and we hope such atrocities never happen again anywhere. 

The larger Cambodia Landmine museum with the war materials and all is a bit further away and we didn't visit that. 

Above it all!

The Pagoda Parsik Hill, at Belapur, Navi Mumbai, on top of the hills while entering Mumbai. Lit up in all its glory. Unmistakable and welcome reminder that you are entering the Maximum City.  This is part of a center that teaches techniques of meditation. 

More on www.vipula.vridhamma.org. 

Photo taken August 17, 2023.