Marble Mountains are a group of five limestone and marble hills set 10kms south of Da Nang City on the south central coast. All the mountains are dissected by tunnels and caves which are great to explore.
The mountains are home to several Buddhist sanctuaries, with statues of Buddha found inside many caves. In the past, war lords used the mountains to store their wealth, giving the monks the responsibility to safeguard the caves. Nobody knows for sure how many riches were hidden in these mountains since the only custodians who had this information and could recognize the diverse ways into the mountains were the monks.
The highest summit of Marble Mountains, Thuy Son, can be climbed by visitors and offers a magnificent view of China Beach]] below. Stone steps are carved into the mountains leading to both the Tam Thai Pagoda and the Huyen Khong Cave, which are the two main tourist draws here. Today, the pagoda is dedicated to Cham deities, while the cave played a significant role as one of the essential bases for the Vietcong during the war.
The region is renowned for impressive stone sculpture which provides an important income for the locals. The mountain village of Dong Hai is home to about 600 families who are occupied with the business of stone engraving and are skilled in art work and jewelry. The government has however recently banned rock extraction in this area and materials are now being brought from pits in Quang Nam province.
Getting There & Away
Marble Mountains lies 10kms south of Da Nang and 20kms north of Hoi An. Da Nang International Airport receives daily flights from Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City as well as weekly flights from Bangkok, Singapore and Seoul.