The Marble Mountains

Just south of Da Nang on Vietnam’s central coast, the Marble Mountains (Ngu Hành Sơn) rise like ancient sentinels above the surrounding flatlands. These five striking limestone and marble hills are each named after one of the five elements of Eastern philosophy: metal (Kim), wood (Mộc), water (Thủy), fire (Hỏa) and earth (Thổ). Steeped in legend and spirituality, the mountains have long served as places of worship and retreat. The most well known and easily accessible of the five is Thủy Sơn, the Water Mountain. It’s a labyrinth of natural caves and man-made tunnels, where Buddhist sanctuaries are carved into the stone and incense curls through shafts of light filtering from above. Climb the stone steps to the summit and you’re rewarded with panoramic views of the East Sea, the city of Da Nang and the lush countryside stretching beyond.

Once revered as the “Landscape of the Southern Sky,” the Marble Mountains have been a sacred site since the days of the ancient Champa Kingdom. Scattered throughout the hills are Buddhist sanctuaries and hidden Hindu grottoes, nestled within caves and carved into stone. Local legend tells of a time when a great dragon emerged from the sea and laid a magical egg upon the shore. As the egg grew and eventually cracked open, it gave birth to a radiant girl destined to guard the land. From the shattered shell, five pieces fell and formed the Marble Mountains, each one infused with the spirit of a natural element.

This ancient tale was passed down by the Cham people, who once ruled over this region long before the arrival of the Vietnamese. The Cham, known for their deep spiritual traditions and architectural legacy, considered the Marble Mountains a sacred place. Their reverence is not just preserved in oral legends but also etched into the stone itself. Archaeologists have uncovered a wealth of Cham relics hidden within the caves, intricately carved statues, weathered altars and symbolic motifs dedicated to Hindu deities such as Shiva, Vishnu and Brahma. These findings offer compelling evidence that the mountains were a centre of worship and mysticism long before the spread of Vietnamese Buddhism. The presence of these ancient artefacts reveals a layered spiritual history, where Hindu beliefs were once practiced in the same grottoes that would later house Buddhist shrines.

During the Vietnam War in the 1960s, the Marble Mountains took on a new, strategic significance. Their jagged peaks and hidden caves became a key stronghold for the North Vietnamese Army, serving both as a hideout and a vital lookout post. From the heights, soldiers had a clear line of sight to a nearby American military base, making the mountains one of the North’s primary sources of battlefield intelligence.

 Despite being aware of this activity, American forces struggled to gain control of the area due to the complex cave networks and the natural advantages they provided to guerrilla fighters. These tunnels, once sacred sanctuaries, now sheltered soldiers and secret operations, blurring the line between spiritual refuge and wartime stronghold. Today, remnants of that era still linger, bullet holes, graffiti and stories carved into stone, quietly echoing the mountain’s role in one of the 20th century’s most turbulent conflicts.

Today, Buddhist monks still tend to the ancient shrines carved into the mountain walls, lighting incense and offering prayers in the same chambers where legends were once born and soldiers once hid. Tourists wander through these timeworn caves, tracing footsteps that span centuries of myth, worship and war. Locals say that when the wind slips through the caverns just right, it carries whispers. Some dismiss it as a trick of the breeze but others believe it’s the voices of spirits who still guard the mountains, echoing through stone corridors like echoes from another world.

Location : 52 Huyền Trân Công Chúa, Hoà Hải, Ngũ Hành Sơn, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam

How to get there : The Marble Mountains are located 7 km’s southeast of Danang city, in the Ngũ Hành Sơn District near My Khe beach. They’re nearly 19km's north of Hoi An and about a half hour drive away.

Attraction Info : The entrance fee to visit the Mountain of Water (Thuy Son) is 40,000 dong for adults and 10,000 dong for children. The elevator fee is 30,000 vnd return and a visit to Am Phu Cave is 40,000 vnd for adults and 7,000 vnd for kids. The site is open between 7am – 5:30pm daily and 1-2 hours is needed to take a good look.

Tourist Website : www.nguhanhson.info

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