Hoa Nghiem Cave, Da Nang

From the relaxation area, we walk towards Hoa Nghiem Cave which is located in Thuong Thai and is the highest peak of Thuy Son. A path goes to the highest peak, Vong Giang Dai.

Very close in the same area is Tam Thai and Huyen Khong Cave which is next to this cave.

entrance to Hoa Nghiem cave

Nghe guarding the entrance

The arched gate to cave is called Huyen Khong Quan. "Huyen" means magnificent, "Khong" is space and "Quan" is a gate. So the name means "gate to magnificent space" inside Hoa Nghiem cave.

A smaller version of Guanyin which is at the main altar inside, stands on top of gate

She holds a pot in her left hand and her right hand is raised to bless everyone

cave entrance

altar of Guanyin

The image of Boddhisattva was added to the cave in 1960. With time, it has become moss laden due to water dropping leading to humidity. She has a gentle expression and stands on clouds. It is supposed to be built by craftsmen of Non Nuoc village. This village is at the base of marble mountains. Most of the marble images have been made in this village.

Ancient stele:

There are many stele and inscriptions around the image.

inscriptions in Chinese and Vietnamese

 

On the right side of Guanyin, is an ancient stone stele, "Pho Da Son Linh Trung Phat". It is oldest stele built in 1640 by Hue Dao Minh Monk and is decorated with lotus flowers with a sun at top. The script is Chinese and mentions the names of people who donated to build Hoa Nghiem Cave.

Behind the image, can be seen more inscription on stone which is partially visible

stalactite on the wall

Moving ahead on the left side is a passage to Huyen Khong Cave.

Dragon Bridge, Da Nang, Vietnam

 Visiting Da Nang? Everyone will advice you to see the dragon bridge at night on Saturday or Sunday. To be honest, it is a fascinating moment when the dragon breathes fire. 

dragon bridge over river Han at day viewed from a distance

The Dragon bridge has a six lanes for traffic. Its construction began on 19th July 2009 and was open to public on 29th March 2013.

It cost a whopping sum of around $88 million.

 

Features of the bridge: It is an excellent example of modern architecture and attracts a lot of tourism in Da Nang.

Material used: steel

Total length: 666 meters

Width: 37.5 meters

The side of bridge is dragon shaped which breathes fire and water every Saturday and Sunday at 9 PM.

There are places from which you can enjoy the view but Tran Hung Dao street is the best place to enjoy the performance.

Before the show commences, dragon changes its color from orange to green to blue.

green hue to dragon

There are plenty of river cruises with viewing of fire breathing dragon show and also dinner. Few minutes before the show starts, all boats line up in the Han river.

The dragon breathes fire nine times with pauses.  It breathes fire thrice, stops, again breathes fire or 3 more times, pauses and again 3 more times. That makes 9 times in total.

breathing fire

smoke coming out after the fire

The sidewalks beside the river has many drink stalls with chairs. You may grab a chair and enjoy the performance enjoying the drinks.

Like fire breathing, it gushes out water 3 times, gives a pause, and then again 3 more times, another pause and again 3 times more which is final. This makes 9 times in all.

The show last for about 15 minutes which is breathtaking.

water spouting

The show is not long but is indeed spectacular and a must-see in Da Nang.

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.