Just 10 km south of Da Nang and 20 km north of Hoi An in Central Vietnam is a small group of 5 “mountains” known the world over as the Marble Mountains.
In Vietnamese they are called “Nui Ngu Hanh Son” which translates to “Mountains of the Five Elements”. The small sandstone and marble mountains are named – Nui Thuy Son (water), Nui Tho Son (earth), Nui Kim Son (metal), Nui Hoa Son (fire) and Nui Moc Son (wood).
The marble mountains have become a major tourist attraction as they are filled with caves and various tunnels and have been used over the centuries by Buddhists monks for worship and even ancient warlords for treasure storage.
In more recent times they were used as a field hospital during the American Vietnam War.
The main attraction most visitors see is Nui Thuy Son Mountain. It is the largest in the group and has the most caves. You can climb the staircases to various viewing platforms around the outside and be rewarded with terrific views of the countryside, even down to China Beach a few miles away.
Many of the caves are filled with various Buddhist statues, some freestanding and others carved beautifully out of the living rock. The outer slopes are dotted with pagodas and temples and some of the caves even have ancient buildings inside them – make sure you see the spectacular Huyen Khong Cave.
Admission to the mountain is only $1US and there are local guides available if required. It can be worth the few extra dollars to hire them as they can show you a great deal more than what is shown on any tourist map.
Make sure you take a torch as a couple of the caves are a bit dark. It can also be a bit warm walking up and down lots of pathways and stone staircases, so take water.
Nui Thuy Son has an added attraction that some people miss altogether. After you have completed the full circuit and descended the last stone staircase you will be back in the car park.
Look to the base of the mountain and you will see another cave. Another $1 entrance fee required here. This is Dong Am Phu Cave or “Hell Cave”. Used as a field hospital during the American Vietnam War it has undergone a modern day transformation of coloured lights and artistic sculptures depicting the afterlife fates that await people who have been either naughty or nice during their life. A real underworld – well worth the visit.
Most of the other nearby mountains have a small number of caves and pagodas each that are also worth spending a little time to view.
A long time ago local villages discovered the marble stone in the mountains and they have been extracting it and making beautiful marble statues from it.
Many villagers living around the base of the mountains still practice the craft of carving the marble today, though now it is all imported from other provinces in Vietnam to aid the preservation the iconic Marble Mountains.
Hoian Bike Tours has daily trips to take you morning or afternoon to see and explore the Marble Mountain.