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.