Van Thong Cave, Marble mountains, Da Nang

From Xa Loi tower, we turn left, by passing Linh Ung pagoda and start our ascent to Van Thong cave. Till now, I have no idea what challenges I shall be going through.

Linh  Ung pagoda below

sign on the other side

the climb

We pass under this natural Heaven gate , west wind gate or the Van Can which had tree roots hanging from top. There are benches to relax and gather some breath.

going through the notes

I always make bullet points of the places we want to visit and the points of interest. In spite of that, I miss out of many places😀

refreshment stall

mouth of the cave

The cave did not seem very demanding and looked like a simple cave.

some hesitate to go farther ahead and come back

climbing towards the cave

In the center of the hall, stands a 2 meter high image of Buddha. It is dark and lamps have been put to light the area. 

 

 Behind the image a rugged track goes up

passage going up

looking at the uneven climb, I am weighing whether I move ahead or retrace my steps. I thought of taking the plunge not realizing what I was going in for. The passage looked simple with just uneven steps.

the passage is very narrow so only one person can climb up at a time

looking at some light from hole above in the open space, I am pleased that I made it but no....

The cave gets dark after this. From here a path leads to the Heaven Gate. Focusing on my steps, I didn't remember to take pictures. As you keep moving forward, the climb becomes difficult.

I would say the climb is quite hard. You need both hands to find a proper hold and crawl up the narrow "tunnel". Finding a good foothold with slippery marble rocks is challenging. Every time, I had the feeling of slipping. But, once you enter the "tunnel", there is no going back, since only one person can go up the narrow passage. There are more people coming behind you so the only way is go up!

The way up is not very long but can be trying. Avoid carrying a thick back pack.

What a relief it was on exiting and seeing some foliage around.

happy to come out in the open. Cactus too was welcome 😃

From the mouth of the cave to this point is a climb of 40 meters.

finding a proper foot hold

Since, the rocks are just piled, there is always the danger of twisting your ankle or falling off.

relieved to reach Trung Thai peak

Thuy Son mountain has two 2 peaks: Thuong Thai peak which is the highest and Trung Thai peak which is second-highest.

shrubs all around

view of Da Nang from above, Non Nuoc beach on one side and Co Co river on the other side

view of Non Nuoc sea

coming down is not less challenging, testing your skills

rocks have become slippery owing to continuous rubbing on them by visitors

We met a young couple from Bangalore and chatted with them for some time.

Finally, paved stones though not perfectly aligned.

holy leaves by the side of walk

Passing through Heaven Gate to relaxation area

returning from heaven gate

We reach the relaxation area. There is a large variety of soft drinks, fresh coconut water. It is a good idea to relax here for some time. There is also a rest room but, the sign pointed towards climbing up and we opted against it.

There are three ways you can decide to take. One goes to Tam Thai pagoda , other goes to Huyen Khong cave, one track goes to the highest peak, Thuong Thai which has Vong Giang Dai (viewing pavilion) and one to Linh Nham.

 

We walk towards Tam Thai Pagoda from here. The signs are very clear and there is no scope of getting lost. If you time, one can decide visiting the caves on their own.

Marble mountains, Da Nang

Marble Mountain is a group of five hills which is made of marble and limestone. It is situated 8 kilometers from the city center. If you happen to go to Hoi An, or Hue, you would see these mountains on your right side.

The caves in the mountains during Champa Kingdom had places of worship. These were later converted to spiritual places for Vietnamese and Buddhists.

Historical background:

According to Cham legend, a dragon flew to Non Nuoc beach one day and laid an egg there. When the egg hatched, a beautiful girl stepped out of the egg. The egg shell broke into 5 pieces which became the five marble mountains.

In 1825, King Minh Mang named these mountains "Ngu Hanh Son", meaning "complex marble mountains" in Vietnamese. Each mountain was named after the five elements of Eastern philosophy--- metal(Kim), water(Thuy), wood(Moc), fire(Hoa) and earth(Tho).

 

The five marble mountains:
These mountains are home to caves, temples, pagodas. Every mountain has some thing special, but the most popular and accessible is the Thuy mountain.
 

•  Kim Son (metal mountain):  view of mountains of Kim Son (higher one) and Hoa Son (lower one)

 The mountain which looks like an upside down bell is Kim Son. It is to the north of Hoa Son.

• Thuy Son(water mountain): home to most of the caves tourists visits

160 meters high Thuy Son has an area of 15 hectares. It is the most beautiful and highest of all mountains. It has 3 peaks at different levels. Most of the caves we visit are located here. The peaks have been given different names for identification.

three peaks of Thuy Son

 

Thuong Thai: This is the highest peak with a height of 160 meters. Most pagodas like the Tam Thai pagoda, Tam Ton pagoda, Tu Tam pagoda, Hoa Nghiem cave, Huyen Khong cave are situated here.

Trung Thai: It is slightly lower. It is the middle peak and has the attractions as the Heaven Gate(Van Can Nguyet Quat Gate), Van Thong Cave or the cave which leads to Heaven Gate.

Ha Thai: This is the lowest peak on the east of Thuy Son. It is home to Linh Ung pagoda, Xa Loi tower, and Tang Chon cave.

• Moc Son (wood mountain)

Parallel to Thuy Son mountain is Moc Son. It may be called a "wood" mountain but hardly any trees grow there. This is also a mountain with no places to worship.

• Hoa Son (fire mountain)--- which can be seen from the view.
  

The lower one beside Kim Son is Hoa Son.

• Tho Son (Earth Mountain): This is the lowest and longest mountain.

Ticket counter to go up to see the caves. The ticket costs 40,000 VND per person.

elevator to take visitors up, a separate ticket is needed for this. Ticket counter is very close to the elevator and it opens very close to Xa Loi tower.

 

We decided to take an escalator white going up and come back by stairs. Elevator ticket costs an extra 15,000 VND per person per trip.

Also, we were unprepared how much a climb would be ahead of us. Moreover, going up by the stairs would have been tiring for us. There was much more to hike on reaching the top. Thinking back, I now think that the climb is not that much and we could have gone up by stairs.

There are guided tours who can help decide and tell in detail about the caves.

map of placement of caves

The map gives an impression that there must be some distance between the caves but, actually, they are very close to each other. The climb at times is steep. There are places where you can rest, take pictures and proceed.

coming out of elevator

We did not follow any path, just looked at the map and covered whichever was nearest.

 

We came out of the elevator and first saw Xa Loi tower ---> Van Thong ---> Heaven Gate ---> relaxation area ---> Linh Nham pagoda ---> Tam Thai, Tong Tham, Tu Tam pagoda---> Hoa Nghiem ---> Huyen Khong ---> Linh Ung pagoda ---> Tang Chon pagoda ---> came down ---> Am Phu caves

Xa Loi tower

In front was the sign to  Linh Ung pagoda, we turned left towards Van Thong cave and came out to Gate of Heaven.

 the climb

Van Thong cave

view from Heaven gate

The path from Heaven Gate led us to relaxation area.

relaxation area right ahead

On the right was a path to Thuong Thai peak or the Sea Watching Tower. This is the highest point on Thuy Son. We decided to skip the climb and went to Linh Nham pagoda.

Linh Nham pagoda

Tam Thai pagoda

After visiting Tam Thai pagoda, Ton Tam pagoda, we traced our way back to relaxation area.

Hoa Nghiem and Huyen Khong are connected to each other.

altar of Guanyin

Huyen Khong cave

We had finished visiting the places of interest in Thuong Thai and Trung Thai, we started our decent to see Linh Ung pagoda and Tang Chon pagoda in Ha Thai.

Linh Ung pagoda

Behind Linh Ung pagoda is Tang Chon pagoda

very interesting scene of two people playing a game of chess

 

We come down the 106 stairs from Linh Ung pagoda which I feel is not very difficult to climb.

 

Incase, one decides to skip going up by elevator then this is the alternate way to climb up. It leads straight to Linh Ung pagoda.

Just beside the ticket counter are the Am Phu caves. Separate ticket needs to be bought for entering.

ticket counter and entrance to Am Phu caves

entrance to cave

Two natural or Heaven gates:

There are two natural gates, also referred as Heaven gates. The gates are natural rock formations. The gates connect Tam Thai Pagoda and Linh Ung Pagoda.

 

East Wind gate or Van Can:

This gate is situated on the east side of Thuy Son, hence the name east wind gate.

Van Can going back from relaxation area towards Ling Ung

 

West wind gate or Nguyet Quat Gate:

It is situated on the west side of Thuy Son.

Nguyet Quat Gate

The caves between the two gates are Tam Thai, Van Thong cave and Linh Ung pagoda. Benches have been put at places for visitors to relax and enjoy the serene surroundings.

Souvenirs:

There are plenty of souvenirs one can take home. Fridge magnets, handbags, hats....

This place is known for its marble carving and one is tempted to at least window shop here.

beautiful marble figures

Some information:

Timings: the caves are open from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm. If, possible try to reach the caves as early as possible. The place becomes over crowded with tourist buses soon.

Ticket prices: 40,000 VND per person to go up. If you decide to take the elevator then, 15,000 VND per person one way.

There is a separate ticket of 20,000 VND for Am Phu caves.