Marble Mountains (Water Mountain) Itinerary from Gate 1

Brief itinerary: Gate 1 – Tam Thai Pagoda – Vong Giang Dai (River Watching Pavilion) – Huyen Khong Cave – Thuong Thai Peak – Heaven Gate – Van Thong Cave – Vong Hai Dai (Sea Watching Pavilion) – Xa Loi Tower – Linh Ung Pagoda – Tang Chon Cave – Am Phu Cave

Gate 1 of the Marble Mountains is the gate to Tam Thai Pagoda. On Google Maps, its location is https://maps.app.goo.gl/tkBSZPQ2cySGnxD68.

Firstly, visitors need to buy an entry ticket. The price is 40,000 VND for adults and children above 10 years old, and it’s free for children smaller than 10. The staff will check the tickets right at the counter. Usually, there are no crowds here.

From the ticket counter, visitors need to climb 156 (unsimilar) steps to Tam Thai Pagoda (Number 11). Its main entrance has three doors, and the middle door is exclusive for the monks traditionally. This Buddhist temple was built in 1825 by request of Minh Mang king who wanted to fulfill his father’s promise. Back to history, his father Nguyen Anh (later Gia Long king) was exhausted but luckily survived thanks to food and drink given from the Lord Buddha. To be grateful, his father promised to construct a temple here. See more information & details

Near Tam Thai pagoda, Vong Giang Dai (Number 14) (‘River Watching Pavillion’) is one of the best spots to view, photograph all mountains of the complex and the city. It’s needed to climb stairs to get to it also. Here, Minh Mang king placed a stone stele carved with its name by three Chinese letters. Visitors can be here to catch cool winds. Tam Ton pagoda and Tu Tam pagoda aren’t too far away.

To go to the next places – Hoa Nghiem Cave and Huyen Khong Cave (Number 9, Number 10), visitors follow the path to the left of Tam Thai pagoda, turn left and go straight. Hoa Nghiem cave is the first, with a Lady Buddha statue for worship, and further inside, Huyen Khong cave – Da Nang’s largest cave. Here, visitors will see 5 shrines to worship Lord Buddha, local gods and goddesses. At the cave’s top, there’re big holes that show amazing shafts of light in the noon time (when the sun rises highest). This is a highlight of the Marble mountains. See more information & details

Toilet access is near the entrance of Hoa Nguyen cave-Huyen Khong cave system. Visitors don’t pay any fee here, but someone suggests buying something for him/her or drop a small money into the box to fund her/his work in cleaning up the toilets. It’s needed to take shoes off here also, and then wear a slipper.  

Leave the caves and return to local vendors, visitors will see a brick gate behind the temple. Before it, to the left hand side, there is the staircase leading to the highest point of the Marble Mountains – Thuong Thai Peak (Number 8) at an elevation of 108 meters. Here, visitors will see the best views or bird’s eye views and sure, have the best photo opportunities. It’s even possible to observe a 67-meters-tall Lady Buddha statue or bridges across Han River in the city downtown or Cham Islands. See more information & details

Go downstairs and back to the brick gate, before it, to the right hand side, there is another staircase going up to another peak. Local people call it ‘Cong Troi’ or Heaven’s Gate. Here, visitors can see a 360^o view including blue ocean, the city, rivers, beaches, islands and sunrise/sunset. Due to this lovely scenery, the fairy men from heaven often visit this spot in the local folk story. See more information & details

Go downstairs and back to the brick gate, walk through it and then a stone gate, visitors will see Van Thong Cave (Number 5). This cave has two rooms, the first one housing a small Buddha shrine and the second one (in a higher location) having an open ceiling and some inscriptions. See more information & details

Go downstairs and turn right, walk through another natural gate and then downstairs to see Hai Vong Hai (Sea Watching Pavilion) and Linh Ung Pagoda (Number 2) (aka Non Nuoc Pagoda). It’s constructed in 1825 by request of Minh Mang king, with beautiful ceramic mosaics. Its name means ‘wishes answered miraculously’, so plenty of locals come here to pray daily. Within its ground, visitors can see the statue of Lady Buddha or Guanyin, statues of Gautama Buddha, Hindu sculptures, fruit trees, etc. Today, this Buddhdist temple has two sisters in the same city of Da Nang (two others are in Ba Na Hills and Son Tra Peninsula). See more information & details

Behind Linh Ung pagoda, there is Tang Chon Cave (Number 3). It’s needed to walk through a small passage to see its main chamber and a temple where Lord Buddha, local gods and goddesses are worshipped. Other caves are around this temple. During the Vietnam war, this was the hiding place of Vietcong communists. See more information & details

To go somewhere else, visitors need to escape from Tang Chon Cave, back to Linh Ung Pagoda. Here, there are two ways to go down the mountain: 108 steps down from its main entrance (no extra fee), or use the elevator (with an extra fee). If choose the 2nd option, climb the stairs by the entrance gate, then walk straight and past Xa Loi Tower (Number 1) (or the Buddha Relic Tower). At the counter, only adults and children older than 10 need to buy a ticket for the elevator. The price is 15,000 VND. Near the elevator, once again, it’s possible to catch the view to other hills of the complex and the stone carving village.

After getting off the elevator, visitors can see the entrance of Am Phu Cave (Number 15) after a short walk. It’s needed to buy another entry ticket that costs 20,000 VND for adults and children older than 10. To visit, walk upstairs and keep going straight. This cave was used to be a secret field hospital of Vietcong communists in the 1960s. Its name means ‘the hell’ in Vietnamese language, so tourists are really curious to know about it. See more information & details

If want to see other attractions in the area, such as Hoi An Ancient Town or Golden Hands Bridge or Lady Buddha, contact us by +84968009827 to book a private car/minivan/bus.