Marble Mountains in Da Nang: “heaven” and “hell” at a glance. What are the Marble Mountains in Vietnam? Highest mountain in Vietnam

The rocks are made of marble with intricate colors, and inside there are huge, sometimes just gigantic caves with altars and temples. This place is a must see when traveling around Vietnam! Today I will tell you about how we found ourselves in heaven and hell one morning in Vietnam, and almost bought a giant marble statue.

We arrived in Danang by train (you probably already know that we). We spent the night quite comfortably in a four-seater coupe and practically didn’t feel those 11 hours on the road. Danang is a big city, I would even call it a mediocre metropolis. Wide avenues, new high-rise buildings, a lot of brand new hotels licked to a shine and, of course, a long strip of beaches. A fashionable resort city, in a word. One of the attractions is the suspension bridge, which is very beautiful in the evening.

There is an opinion that hotels in Da Nang are terribly expensive, so travelers prefer to stay in the neighboring historical town of Hoi An. I can say that this is all nonsense. Da Nang is full of budget accommodation. Look what little hotel I found in just 10 minutes of searching on Agoda. Enough big room costs only $12 per night.

I built in a special hotel widget so that you don’t have to search for it for a long time. You can see prices right here and book for the dates you need.

The next morning we rented a bike and drove to the Marble Mountains. You can go there by two roads - along the main highway to Hoi An or along the highway that is closer to the sea. We preferred the second option and were not disappointed. The drive is only 8 kilometers. On the approaches to the rocks there are expensive storefronts under open air.

There are several shops, each the size of a small park. Admission is free, you can just gaze at the statues or even ride some of them.

Marble comes in different colors. I really liked these Vietnamese ladies.

I asked a business-looking woman passing by how much a white statue of a girl about 160 cm high costs. She answered me: "7 thousand dollars, and it's very cheap!" I asked just out of curiosity, and my auntie’s eyes sparkled - she saw me as a potential client and let’s praise my product. Of course, if I had this money, maybe I couldn’t resist and would buy some beauty. And I just appreciated that walking through a multi-million dollar park. It’s not for nothing that every sculpture here is carefully washed and polished. The money is simply huge!

Well, here are the marble mountains, they are immediately to the right around the turn from the shopping parks. There are five tall rocks nearby, but only two have caves equipped for tourists. We went to the most popular one.

Entrance to the caves costs 15 thousand dong ($0.75), a very reasonable price, however, this is a feature of almost all cities in Vietnam. You cannot park your bike in front of the entrance; there is no official parking lot either. Shop owners suggest leaving the piece of iron near their trays. Sanya asked for a long time what they would demand in return. The answer was: “If you decide to buy something, buy only from me.” Having warned our aunt that we were not going to buy anything, we left the bike with her. I think she agreed, but we’ll see. We walked up a very steep staircase for a long, long time.

I’ll immediately show you a map of the marble caves in Da Nang so that you understand that an hour-long excursion here will not do. Minimum 3-4 hours to quickly run around the main places.

First of all, we went up to the observation deck. The views here are fabulous.

You can look through binoculars. There is an aunty standing nearby who is trying to ask for money for using optics. But the usherette could not give us a receipt in exchange for the money, so she did not receive payment from us. At all I have already written about such sellers of “tickets to failure” and other scammers in Vietnam. Study carefully. It will be very useful when traveling around this amazing country.

And so, in anticipation of something grandiose, we went to the first cave, which is listed on the map as number 10. Here is such a mysterious entrance, just like in a fairy tale about a scarlet flower - a cave in which a monster lives.

And this is what the entrance to the cave looks like from the other end of the hall. The floor is tiled and there is lighting on the walls. Everything suggests that this place has been improved especially for tourists. What comparison can there be with wild and practically untouched ones.

Inside is a small temple in honor of Buddha.

In general, there are small prayer houses and, conversely, large temples on this rock at every turn. Marble caves in Da Nang are not just secular entertainment, but a place of pilgrimage for Buddhists and people professing Hinduism and ancestor cults.

But some come here for a completely different reason - because of the opportunity to master rock climbing. There are no courses offered locally, so you need to look for a climbing instructor in advance in Da Nang.

I won’t show you tiny caves with hard-to-reach passages. It was quite dark there and I couldn't do it good photos. Here's one as an example.

I’d rather show you a cave that we might not have seen if I hadn’t read a couple of blog reports before the trip. I liked the photo with the sacrificial altar. Then you will understand what I am talking about, this is truly a very colorful sight. I searched for this altar for the entire 2.5 hours while we wandered from cave to cave. He was absent. And having already descended from the cliff, I realized that we had never found a cave called Am Phu. It turned out that the entrance to it is at the bottom of the mountain directly under the elevator. Admission ticket you need to buy it separately, it also costs 15 thousand dong ($0.75).

Below in the photo is the entrance to the Am Phu cave. Behind him awaits you a trial and a journey to heaven and hell.

And next to you is a musician who will either cry for your soul or rejoice.

Here, from the entrance, you are greeted by monks walled up in the wall.

Somehow, miraculously, the religious is replaced by the socialist. True, not for long, just on one fresco.

He's closer.

By the way, about hell. If you don’t have a very clear idea of what is happening there, then in the Am Phu cave they will clearly show you everything. The following photos are not for the faint of heart.

Cave "hell" is a rather unpleasant place with narrow passages and many stairs - up and down. We hurried to get out of there without fully exploring all its nooks and crannies. I couldn't wait to visit paradise. After all, he should be here for those who behaved well and did not offend anyone. Found. It starts on these stairs leading to a tiny observation deck.

So, what is the price independent trip V marble caves:

Bike rental - 100 thousand dong ($5),

Refueling a bike - 20 thousand dong ($1)

Entrance tickets to both cave complexes - 30 thousand dong per person ($1.5),

Total nine dollars for two. Inexpensive entertainment, right?

How best to dress, what to take with you:

Leave your flip-flops at the hotel and wear stronger shoes - sports sandals or sneakers. You will need to walk a lot, often climb mountains, shoes should be comfortable. You need to take a lot of water with you.

Be careful when purchasing marble figurines! When they offer something very cheap, then most likely it is not marble, but an imitation - cheap plastic. Read on the Internet and remember how to recognize marble if you are going to make a serious purchase.

To avoid the difficult climb uphill, you can use the elevator. Costs 15 thousand dong ($0.75). Where the elevator is located is clearly visible on the map at the beginning of the post.

It is better to arrive to the marble caves early in the morning to avoid the crush of package tourists.

If you want to know more about our Vietnamese journey, then you are in the right place. There are many posts from Ho Chi Minh City, Vung Tau, Dalat and the provinces of Dak Lak, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue, Sapa and Hanoi. If you are waiting for new posts, you can subscribe to the announcement mailing list at in social networks or receive notifications by email. All the necessary buttons are at the bottom of the page.

Marble Mountains, without a doubt, are considered the main attraction of Da Nang. They harmoniously intertwine the great creations of human hands and the vagaries of nature. In fact, the Marble Mountains site includes: beautiful gardens, mysterious underground temples and beautiful buildings in chinese style, which are located on these mountains. The mountains are located approximately 30 kilometers from Hoi An and literally a few kilometers from Da Nang, in south direction, almost on the seashore.

You don't have to buy a tour to visit this interesting place. It is quite possible to get there on your own. There is a regular bus from both Hoi An and Da Nang that connects these two cities. It runs on the route Hoi An - Da Nang, and vice versa. During his route in both directions, he makes a stop near the Marble Mountains. You can also get there by taxi.

For a daytime ticket you will have to pay $1 per person. Daytime ends at 17.00. You can go further for free, but keep in mind that it gets dark here early, and you are unlikely to have time to carefully examine everything. You can go upstairs by elevator or stairs. Climbing stairs is, of course, more tiring, but much more interesting. But along the entire route there are places to rest, where you can sit quietly and enjoy the surrounding landscape.

The Marble Mountains are of natural origin. It is actually a conglomerate consisting of five marble and limestone hills. All of them are connected to each other into a single mountain range. Each hill included in the Marble Mountains has its own name, which it received in honor of one of the natural elements: water - Tui, wood - Moc, earth - Tho, metal - Kim and fire - Hoa. In former times, the inhabitants of all the surrounding villages practically lived only at the expense of the Marble Mountains. They mined valuable rocks from them, from which they subsequently made lamps, all kinds of figurines, vases and various household utensils. Today it is prohibited to take valuable rocks from the Marble Mountains, so materials for such crafts local residents They take it in another province. This fishery is very old, since one of the nearby villages, Non Nuoc, was founded back in the 13th century.

In order to explore in detail the Marble Mountains and everything cave temples, you will need at least 3 hours, and maybe more. Since the caves are very dark, be sure to take a flashlight with you. Near all the caves there are usually some grandmothers or local boys who will offer you flashlights for rent for a fee. By the way, they are usually not satisfied with the fee you offer. And the one they offer is unlikely to suit you. In principle, they sell soft drinks, cookies, and fruits, but at a very inflated price. So it’s better to stock up on everything you need before your trip.

The Marble Mountains keep a lot of surprises; sometimes huge temples are located in the most unexpected places. There are always temples, pagodas and monks here and there on the mountain. The inside of the caves is also extremely interesting.

Near the Marble Mountains, of course, there is a market where local souvenirs are sold. Be sure to bargain because the prices are very high. Please note that marble figurines are very heavy. Although, if you suddenly decide to purchase some grandiose large object made of marble, you may even be able to arrange delivery by sea transport to your home. You can buy a small set of postcards and a map of the caves, which you can later travel through. Don't forget to also wear comfortable, preferably fastening, shoes. Still, you will be walking through the mountains and visiting caves, and it’s not entirely convenient to do this in beach slippers.

The Marble Mountains are without a doubt considered the main attraction of Da Nang. They harmoniously intertwine the great creations of human hands and the vagaries of nature. In fact, the Marble Mountains site includes: beautiful gardens, mysterious underground temples and beautiful Chinese-style buildings that are located on these mountains. The mountains are located approximately 30 kilometers from Hoi An and literally a few kilometers from Da Nang, in a southerly direction, almost on the seashore.

It is not necessary to buy a tour to visit this interesting place. It is quite possible to get there on your own. There is a regular bus from both Hoi An and Da Nang that connects these two cities. It runs on the route Hoi An - Da Nang, and vice versa. During his route in both directions, he makes a stop near the Marble Mountains. You can also get there by taxi.

The Marble Mountains are of natural origin. It is actually a conglomerate consisting of five marble and limestone hills. All of them are connected to each other into a single mountain range. Each hill included in the Marble Mountains has its own name, which it received in honor of one of the natural elements: water - Tui, wood - Moc, earth - Tho, metal - Kim and fire - Hoa. In former times, the inhabitants of all the surrounding villages practically lived only at the expense of the Marble Mountains. They mined valuable rocks from them, from which they subsequently made lamps, all kinds of figurines, vases and various household utensils. Today, it is prohibited to take valuable rocks from the Marble Mountains, so local residents take materials for such crafts in another province. This fishery is very old, since one of the nearby villages, Non Nuoc, was founded back in the 13th century.

In order to explore the Marble Mountains and all the cave temples in detail, you will need at least 3 hours, and maybe more. Since the caves are very dark, be sure to take a flashlight with you. Near all the caves there are usually some grandmothers or local boys who will offer you flashlights for rent for a fee. By the way, they are usually not satisfied with the fee you offer. And the one they offer is unlikely to suit you. In principle, they sell soft drinks, cookies, and fruits, but at a very inflated price. So it’s better to stock up on everything you need before your trip.

The Marble Mountains in Da Nang are the most popular attraction in the area. The mountains are located 7 km from Da Nang. If there are not very many tourists in Da Nang itself, then groups come to the Marble Mountains not only from all over Da Nang, but also from Hoi An. What is so interesting about these mountains and how to get to them on your own.

Photo: view of the Da Nang Marble Mountains from the observation deck on Water Mountain

Marble Mountains in Da Nang

The Marble Mountains in Da Nang are several rocks in the middle of a field, overgrown with trees, shrubs and cacti. From a distance, the landscapes of the provinces of Krabi and Phang Nga in the south of Thailand resemble in miniature. Why are the mountains called so - marble? It's simple. Marble was once mined here. Now they are no longer mined, but marble products are still sold everywhere on the approaches to the mountains.

They have caves, and a temple is built in the largest cave
You can climb the mountains and wander along rocky paths
You can see temples and pagodas in the mountains
Observation platforms from which you can admire the beach and the city from above

Walking in the mountains is not difficult; you don’t need climbing equipment. There are neat paths and stone steps in the mountains. There is even an elevator that, for a fee, takes tourists to the middle of the mountain. But it’s still better to wear suitable shoes. High heels and beach flip-flops are not the best solution for the marble mountains.

Observation deck overlooking the sea

For our trip to the Marble Mountains in Da Nang, we chose a cloudy day so that it would be comfortable to walk up the steps. First of all, we climbed to the observation peak overlooking.

Refreshing wind, sound of the surf, great view. Everything would be great if not Vietnamese tourists who set up a chicken coop everywhere around them. We all dislike Chinese tourists. So the Vietnamese are no different from them. It's good that the Vietnamese don't travel abroad like the Chinese.

Having photographed every centimeter, the Vietnamese left and all this farce finally died down. Only Europeans remained at the top. A long-awaited silence reigned. But after a few minutes the Chinese stood up. We hurried down, grateful to the summit for these few minutes of silence with civilized people.

Lookout overlooking the mountains

The second observation deck is slightly lower and is located in the Chinese gazebo on the opposite side. All tourists who visited the Marble Mountains in Da Nang have photos from this place. Katya also appreciated this view.

Where can I order a transfer from the airport?

We use the service - KiwiTaxi
We ordered a taxi online and paid by card. We were met at the airport with a sign with our name on it. We were taken to the hotel in a comfortable car. You've already talked about your experience In this article.

Caves in the marble mountains

The second thing worth seeing on the marble mountains is the caves. We saw 3 caves and went into 2 of them. First we looked at this hollow. The cave is small and consists of two halls. In the first there is an altar with a golden Buddha. You can enter the second hall by climbing through a narrow passage. In the second compartment there is a hole in the ceiling that provides natural light. You can go somewhere further, but there is a very narrow hole there, we didn’t climb.

They couldn’t enter the second cave they noticed because of the smoke. The monks apparently overdid the fire or their supply of firewood there began to smolder.

The third cave was discovered by accident. This cave impressed us most of all with its large hall. We never expected to see such a large free space in the low mountains. It’s as if marble mountains are hollow inside.

The largest cave in the marble mountains

A small temple was built inside the cave. Looks impressive, just like in the movies

You can rotate the photo of the cave around you with your mouse:

The fourth cave is downstairs behind the elevator. It's called Heaven and Hell. There you can look at sculptures of people in various thematic poses. We didn't go in.

Photo panorama of the cave

Temples and pagodas in the mountains

There are also several small Chinese-style temples and pagodas built on the mountains. The history of the marble mountains has not been studied, but outwardly the temples do not look very ancient.

Our reviews

We liked the Marble Mountains in Da Nang. We didn’t regret going, it was interesting. However, the mountains left a double impression. On the one hand, it was interesting to wander along the paths, see the caves, the temple and climb to the observation decks. But on the other hand, the crowds of tourists got on my nerves. We also specifically went on a weekday. We waited until the Vietnamese and Chinese holidays ended. But still, noisy and ill-mannered Chinese-Vietnamese tourists did not provide the peace and quiet that are necessary in such beautiful places. So, it’s definitely worth going to the Marble Mountains, but you need to be prepared for crowds of tourists and not count on privacy at the lookout or near the temple.

How to get to the Marble Mountains on your own

Getting there on your own is quite easy, both from and from. All you need to do is take bus 01 Danang - Hoian, pay 20 dong for the fare and get to the mountains. We posted the route of this bus on the map in the article. The Marble Mountains will be clearly visible from the window. The conductor can say Marble Mountains or just Mountains if he asks where you are going. The main entrance is marked on the map at the end of the article. From the stop, walk about 5 minutes down towards the sea. A one-way taxi ride from the center of Da Nang will cost 150-200 thousand VND. A taxi from the beach will cost about 100 thousand dong. You can also easily get there on your bike.

Prices: Entrance 40 thousand dong ($2), elevator 15 thousand dong ($0.75)
Opening hours: not known exactly, but from 7 am to 5 pm you can definitely come
Opening days: daily
How much time to allocate: we spent about 3-4 hours here

You should take water and something to snack with you. In the mountains there are sales points and small cafes with tourist prices. For example, we drank a coconut for 40 dong when the normal price is 20-25. Shoes - sneakers are best. You won’t need anything unusual in clothing, it’s not cold there, but you can take something to cover your knees and shoulders, since there are many temples in the mountains.

Marble Mountains on the map

GPS coordinates: 16.002470, 108.262455

The Marble Mountains in Vietnam are one of the country's most outstanding natural attractions. The mountains are located between two interesting cities from the point of view of travelers - Da Nang and Hoi An. The first is known as a large developing city with many kilometers of beaches, while the second is interesting because of the preserved quarter with old buildings, where in the evenings many lanterns are lit, which make the already colorful atmosphere of Hoi An magical.

Marble Mountains in Vietnam: the mystery and grandeur of a natural wonder

Previously, the Marble Mountains in Vietnam were used to extract material from which beautiful figurines and vases were then created. But now it is a natural landmark that is protected by the state and marble mining has stopped here. The Marble Mountains are famous for their caves, in which people created Buddhist temples. Thus, it is not only a natural monument, but also a religious place. Buddha statues carved from stone add mystery and grandeur to the caves.

The Marble Mountains in Vietnam are named after the main five elements - earth, metal, wood, water and fire. The area near the rocks is landscaped for comfortable walks for tourists. There are signs, paths, stairs and even a modern elevator that takes you up to the caves and then back down to the road. The Am Khu cave deserves special attention, in which pictures of heaven and hell are recreated.

Here you can just walk and enjoy beautiful views with observation platforms and looking into caves, or you can go rock climbing under the supervision of an instructor.

The stone products store, which is located at the entrance to the Marble Mountains, deserves special attention. It looks not like a store, but like an open-air museum that offers you to admire skillfully made sculptures of gods, people and animals. All sculptures can be bought, although their weight and price are too high and tourists usually do not make such purchases. But you can enter the indoor pavilion and purchase a small marble figurine or jewelry made of stone.

When going on a trip to the Marble Mountains in Vietnam, do not forget sunscreen and be sure to wear closed clothing. Do not forget that the caves contain Buddhist temples and the appearance of those entering must correspond to the situation. It is more convenient to walk around the territory in sneakers or sneakers; flip-flops are not very comfortable shoes for negotiating stairs and passages. It also doesn't hurt to take a bottle of water with you. The Marble Mountains in Vietnam are a place where you will want to walk longer and definitely get thirsty.

You can explore the Marble Mountains on one of our North to South Vietnam tours. Our programs are designed to cover the most interesting sights of the country and include beach holiday. You can find out more about tour options.