Marble Mountains (Vietnamese: Ngũ Hành Sơn; "Five elements mountains") is a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Ngu Hanh Son ward, south of Da Nang. The five 'mountains' are named after the five elements; Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth).
According to folklore, the Turtle God hatched a divine egg on the shore and the shell cracked into five pieces, represented by the five small mountains. Cham people came here to worship their Hindu gods and then erected Buddhist altars in the caves, which became places of pilgrimage. The mountains were very near the American Marble Mountain Air Facility during the Vietnam War. According to William Broyles, Jr.'s "Brothers in Arms", the Marble Mountains contained a hospital for the Vietcong, probably within earshot of the American air field and China 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".
The area is famous for stone sculpture making and stone-cutting crafts. When Ho Chi Minh died marble from these mountains was used for his mausoleum in Hanoi. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in Vietnam's Quảng Nam Province, China and even Afghanistan.
Before we visited the pagoda and caves we stopped off at one of the large shops at the base of the mountain. It was full of massive pieces, some of which would remain in Vietnam but most of which were for export not least targetted at China's new rich.
We didn't think we were actually going to see any of the pieces being carved as the first thing we saw was this lady gently stroking the carving.
But round the corner, and here were these men were cutting the marble.
There was evidence of wares being sold further afield too.
Our group wandered around but we were never left without the close attention of our 'minders'. How on earth they feared petty theft with pieces this size is hard to understand!
Madonna and Mao!
Mammoth chess set??
We thought this one below would do an excellent job at our entrance back home in repelling 'witch-like' neighbours (some of you will know who we mean!!)
Non Nuoc:
At the foot of the mountain is the dusty unkempt village of Non Nuoc which since the fifteenth century has been inhabited by stone-carvers ....
.... most of whom today churn out mass-produced souvenirs, some of them surprisingly large!
Thuy Son:
A stairway of 156 steps, built for the visit of Emperor Minh Mang, leads to the summit of Thuy Son (107 m high), the only marble mountain accessible to visitors. It allows a wide panoramic view of the surrounding area and the other marble mountains.
For Sue going up the steps was no problem BUT, with her fear of coming down stairs, the descent was another matter! She is eternally grateful to Liz, Val, Barbara, Mr. Thuygen and, as ever, Steve for their helping hands (literally) and encouragement on the way down.
The steps were all a bit much for some people.
Before we went to the pagoda there was a watchtower to climb ....
.... and some great views.
Then ..
through the arch:
Then some steps down
... down to the cave pagoda.
On reflection, we felt this was the high-spot of the morning.
Tam Thai Pagoda:
Although the original Tam Thai dates back to 1630, the pagoda was rebuilt by Emperor Minh Mang in 1825.
Not so many steps down as we took the elevator from which the views were wonderful.
Apparently all these houses are due for demolition so that a large forecourt can be constructed to accommodate more tourists. We were assured that the home-owners would be compensated and rehoused.
Then it was back on the road along Da Nang Bay and its myriad of vessels.
Linh Ung Pagoda:
the distance. We knew we were coming today to see it close-up but had no idea what a large complex it was in.
Guanyin Statue:
The remarkable 67 m statue is the tallest in Southeast Asia (as high as a 30-storey building) with a base of 35 m in
diameter, and has 17 floors, each housing 21 tiny Buddha statues with different shapes and facial expressions.
The Statue looks to the sea, with her back leaning against the mountain side. One of her hands is set in a
mudra gesture and the other hand holds a small water jar (Buddhist sa.amrta). From the top of the tower,
which we didn't climb, you can see the whole city of Da Nang, forests, islands and the sea of Son Tra
peninsula.
The statue is in the grounds of the Linh Ung Pagoda in an area locally called Bai But (Buddha’s Sanctuary) .diameter, and has 17 floors, each housing 21 tiny Buddha statues with different shapes and facial expressions.
The Statue looks to the sea, with her back leaning against the mountain side. One of her hands is set in a
mudra gesture and the other hand holds a small water jar (Buddhist sa.amrta). From the top of the tower,
which we didn't climb, you can see the whole city of Da Nang, forests, islands and the sea of Son Tra
peninsula.
According to legend, in the reign of King Minh Mang in the Nguyen Dynasty (the 19th century), a Buddhist statue
drifted downstream and got anchored at a sandy embankment. The local villagers thought it was a good sign,
so they built up a small pagoda to worship the statue. From that day on, they said, the whole coastal region
enjoyed good weather, with no big storms and rough sea waves, while local fishermen harvested good fishing.
The embankment where the statue drifted was named Bai But, meaning “Buddha’s sanctuary in the
real life”, where the present-day Linh Ung Pagoda is located.
During the Vietnam War, the Buddha statue and pagoda were almost totally destroyed. It was not until 2004 that
donations were collected from Buddhist followers to rebuild the pagoda and 6 years later, the construction of the pagoda
was completed.
As soon as we parked it was obvious that something special was happening:
It was a wedding! Hundreds of couples each year come to the pagoda to get married and then go on to a Wedding Palace for the reception. We had already learned that Vietnamese couples have their wedding pictures taken weeks before the ceremony, the belief being that the pictures will show them far less stressed than on the day. It also gives them the opportunity to have the pictures taken at a completely different venue to either the ceremony or reception, and we had seen many such couples at the Furama Resort.
They made their way to the ceremony in the pagoda
and the happy couple eventually emerged.
The pagoda is a beautiful building.
The pagoda is set in a beautiful courtyard
with bonsais
ornamental arches
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