The Marble Mountains

From a plain on the Vietnamese coast twenty minutes south of Da Nang rise the Marble Mountains, a dramatic cluster of five marble and limestone hills named for the five natural elements of Chinese feng shui: Fire, Earth, Air, Water, and  Metal. The five mountains are stunning, looking almost fake as they rise impossibly high from the completely flat surroundings.

one of the five Marble Mountains

For generations the mountains were mined by local marble carvers who reside in the craftsman's villages just below the hills. Nowadays, craftsmen mostly import their marble, and the five mountains have become something of a sacred site.

Marble Mountains

Our taxi pulled up in front of Thuy Son, the Water Mountain, the only mountain that is climbable, on a hot, sunny morning. It was late morning, but without a cloud in the Vietnamese sky, the day was already almost unbearably hot. We purchased a ticket, skipping the elevator that would take visitors halfway up the mountain, but would force them to miss half of the sights, and began our ascent up the carved steps on foot.

a temple on the mountain

The mountain is dotted with hundreds of caves, shrines, statues, and pagodas. As we mad our way up the first set of steps to the first landing, where a small Buddhist temple sat, the unrelenting heat from the tropical sun had us actually wishing for some rain! I should be used to the heat after spending five years in Thailand, but Vietnam is actually significantly hotter, and this day in particular was almost unbearable!

inside the temple

The Marble Mountains played an important role during the Vietnam War as well. Although located just adjacent to the Marble Mountains Air Facility, a United States Marine Corps Air Base, the mountains themselves were the location of a secret Vietcong field hospital. The Vietcong thought so little of the US military that they didn't even question setting up their secret base on the grounds of existing an American base. The US military, unfamiliar with jungle warfare and unaccustomed to the guerilla tactics of the Vietcong, remained ignorant of the nearby base.

pagodas on the mountain

Now, both bases are long gone, and the mountain is no longer a place of war, but a place of peace. Dozens of sacred Buddhist grottoes dot the mountainside, along with temples and statues of Buddha, Guanyin, Budai, and other Buddhist figures carved directly into the stone.

Buddha, of course, is Siddhārtha Gautama, the Hindu prince who attained enlightenment and became  the Buddha. Guanyin is the female Buddhist Bodhisattva (saint) of compassion, who is also considered in Taoism and Chinese folk religion to be a deity. Budai, the "Lucky Buddha" or "Laughing Buddha" is the fat, jolly monk that many westerners think is the Buddha. He is A Buddha, but not THE Buddha. That is, he is considered to be enlightened, but is a different person than Buddha.

Guanyin

It's all a bit complicated! I like Budai, because he's always happy, jolly, fat, and looks like  he would be a lot of fun to hang out with. He's considered to be a bringer of wealth, joy, luck, fortune, and happiness.

a marble statue of Buddha preaching under the Banyon tree

As we climbed higher up the steep and sometimes slippery marble steps, occasionally the thick  jungle surrounding us would clear, giving an unparalleled view of the breathtaking My Khe (China Beach) nearby.

China Beach

Many of the mountain's most amazing sights are inside the numerous caves and tunnels that are to be found all over Thuy Son.

Guanyin carved into the stone

We entered the largest of these caves. As our eyes adjusted to the dim light, we found a large natural grotto where several shrines and statues were carved right into the side of the wall.

entering one of  the caves on the mountain

high above, the cave opened up to the sky

The air in the cave was cool, and thick with incense. Although there were plenty of tourists, there were many more locals. It's definitely a popular tourist site, but it's still an important place for Vietnamese Buddhists as well.

cave temple carved out of the stone

By this time, the sun was high in the air, and the day was growing hotter and hotter. We bought two bottles of (overpriced) cold water, and tried to cool off in the shade. I've been spending a lot of time outside in the heat in the past two months, and while I am getting stronger, sometimes it's still just too much for me! The very last path that we hadn't taken yet pointed to the highest point on the mountain. Pinky and I took one look at the very steep steps, and decided that it just wasn't worth it. I'm sure the views were nice, but my legs were already so tired from climbing, and the heat had just sapped all of my energy.

on the mountain

We stopped at the very last temple on our way to the exit. It had been such a fun day! The visit to the Marble Mountains was one of the coolest and most fun things that we have done since arriving in Vietnam.

leaving the mountain

The best part is that it's just outside of Da Nang, just a short taxi ride away from the city center, although you feel like you are so far away from the city.

gates to the mountain temple