Da Nang City, Vietnam

After a good night’s rest, we, the babes 😊 were ready for the grind of the second day. And as in any of our trips, we are up and ready, as early as 6.30 am.

This day's excitement was a different kind, as we were all going to dress in similar costume.  The pictures will tell you that.  We had planned it well in advance and we picked it all up in November last year and that gives you a little clue about the way we plan our trips.

One of the marble structures at Marble mountain - Buddha teaching his disciples

Dragon at Marble Mountain, Da Nang

The first stop on day 2 was Marble mountains. The Marble Mountains are a cluster of five marble and limestone hills located in Da Nang. The five mountains are named after the five basic elements of life – Metal, Air, Water, Plant and Soil. We had to cross villages that are involved in marble crafts from Da Nang and we stopped at a huge locally owned crafts store before we landed at Marble mountains. Its interesting to watch the varying colour tones of the marbles that are used for the craft depending on the mountain they came from.

The Marble Mountains were not named by the Vietnamese, but by the French after studying the chemical element of the mountain’s soil. In Vietnamese, it is known as Ngu Hanh Son (The Five Element Mountain). Named by King Minh Mang, the five mountains were once a favorite destination for either the noble classes to visit or the anchorites, a Japanese school of Mahayana Buddhism emphasizing the value of meditation and institution, to set up sanctuaries. However, the history of this mountain cluster can be traced to hundreds of years before that, when the whole region still belonged to the Cham Kingdom ( The Chams are a Malay people and the remnants of the ancient kingdom of Champa, which ruled southern Vietnam and Cambodia for more than 1000 years).

Girl squad in front of the Pagoda at MM

Upon arrival at the base of Marble mountains, we saw lots of souvenir shops around.   Nyugen warned us that most of them are fake stuff so we didn’t try to even check them out.   Nyugen took us to the ticket booth for the elevator which took us to the top of the marble mountain – saved us both time and energy. As the elevator climbed higher and higher, we couldn’t help but admire the beautiful trees and lush greenery growing out of the mountain. The first thing that we saw on our landing was the Pagoda. And as we walked the path at Marble mountains, we were presented with options, and none that disappointed us. Pathways split off left and right, each twist and turn leads to yet another cave, temple, or viewpoint. None of the paths were too challenging, and each one had a nice surprise at the end.

White Buddha Statue at Marble mountain

Over millions of years, the rain has eroded these limestone karsts decorating them with incredible fractal patterns along the stone walls and carving out giant caves that just beg to be explored. In some caves, our pulse quickened as the cave we wandered into suddenly becomes narrow. The daylight becomes useless as we moved into the shadowy passage and out of its light. The people in front of us disappeared as they round the corner and descend the staircase into the next room. The air is subtly scented with incense and a dim light beckons from ahead.  We four unconsciously slip into silence and communicate just with our eyes and gestures.  I was greatly worried if any of us would have a fall as the steps in certain parts were quite slippery.

In most significant points at Marble mountains, we were welcomed by the warm glow of candles, smoky scents of incense sticks and sounds of hushed voices you find inside of a temple. A giant stone carved Buddha watches over as you take in the scene.

A giant Buddha at Marble Mountain within one of the caves

Stepping on each rustic stone stair, listening to our own heart beat among the swinging rhythm of the forest, we could still feel the hundred-year-old statues whispering stories of the old days. Crowded and taciturn, high-tech and ancient, crafted and pristine, the Marble Mountains stand as a bridge leading us from the present to the past.  Visiting the Marble Mountains, walking  the steps and touching  the stone walls of the ancient caves  we understood more about this country , their people, and our own inner peace, more than any words can attempt to describe.

Some crazy shots we are capable of taking.

Getting all the four into a single frame is always a challenge and we  either have to take help of our guide or ask strangers unashamedly for pictures to be taken, which we are quite used to, by now.  In one of the caves, we approached a solo traveler, and he graciously obliged and we asked where he was from and he courteously answered "England".  When he wanted to know where we were from, I answered - one of your ex-colonies. Pat came the reply from him, " which one?"  and yeah we had a good laugh at that. When your country has habitually colonized most of the parts of the world, you are so right in asking such a question !!

yet another one in Marble Mountain

We had to make the most of the time that we had in Da Nang city as we were flying to Ha Noi city the same day, and so our next stop was the Dragon bridge and Love Lane.  Da Nang is one of Vietnam’s principal port cities. Located in the south-central region of the country, at the mouth of the Han River, Da Nang is an important commercial and educational center as well as a critical transportation hub. 

The fire breathing, water spitting Dragon Bridge across Han river

Close up of the Dragons face

Dragon Bridge in Da Nang is the longest bridge in Vietnam, offering a dazzling display of lights, fire, and water. Measuring at 666 meters in length, it is located in Da Nang City and constructed in the shape of a golden dragon. The six-lane bridge crosses the Han River and was officially opened in 2013. According to local beliefs, which date back to the Ly Dynasty, the dragon is a significant symbol of power, nobility and good fortune. While it’s a magnificent sight at any time of the day, Dragon Bridge Da Nang is particularly cool (and packed with sightseers) in the evening as it is illuminated with colorful LED lights. On weekends and annual festivities, the state-of-the-art bridge is also scheduled to spit water or breathe fire from its mouth.

There are also plenty of riverfront bars, restaurants, and cafes offering terrace seats that overlook Vietnam’s longest bridge. Our itinerary was so packed we could not see the fire breathing Dragon bridge in the night.  Yep.  We missed that one too.

My favourite pic of the day - at a cafe overlooking the dragon bridge

Adjacent to the Dragon bridge on the sides of Han river is a lane that is lined with posts on which a number of red heartines are hung.   This is the love lane and the bright red hues of the hearts did make us feel teenagers again.

Inside the Cham museum

The last pit stop for us at Da Nang was the Museum of Cham sculpture.  The museum houses the world's largest collection of Cham sculpture and is a popular tourist attraction in Da Nang as well. For us four, who are from Chennai, ( Jay really is not, but yeah she’s been living here for a considerable amount of time), after seeing all the sculptures at Mahabalipuram, this really did not awe us.  But yes, it did give us a cultural perspective with the Hindu deities including Murugan and other popular Hindu goddesses Lakshmi and Saraswathi, on display.  And most importantly we could see pictures of My Son Temple, that was destroyed in the Vietnam war, along with the early day history, their music, crafts and festivities of the Vietnamese people. Looking at the galleries of the My Son temple ruins, we got a peek into how violent conflict and warfare could ruin a country’s infrastructure and economy, and also create physical and psychological damage to its citizens.

Outside the Cham Museum