The Mountain of Water, Marble Mountains

The Marble Mountains area near Danang is famous for stone sculpture and stone cutting crafts, there is a myriad of workshops and shops along the roads.

Marble Mountains consists of five mountains named to represent the five elements - Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth. There are several Buddhist sanctuaries on and inside these mountains. Until recently stone from the mountains were used in the plentiful stone workshops of the area, realising they would end up without any mountains to attract tourists and pilgrims if they continued, the government put a stop to the use of stone from the area.

The Mountain of Water is the largest and most famous of the mountains, and is very popular with tourists. There is even an elevator to avoid a few of the first steps, though from the top of the elevator the rest of the mountain is hardly wheelchair-… — The Mountain of Water is the largest and most famous of the mountains, and is very popular with tourists. There is even an elevator to avoid a few of the first steps, though from the top of the elevator the rest of the mountain is hardly wheelchair-accessible.

Danang and what the US soldiers called China Beach - the 30 km beach stretching from Danang to Hoi An - can be seen from the mountain. The Vietcong had a base and field hospital in the caves in these mountains, with great views of the Americans… — Danang and what the US soldiers called China Beach - the 30 km beach stretching from Danang to Hoi An - can be seen from the mountain. The Vietcong had a base and field hospital in the caves in these mountains, with great views of the Americans and their R&R activities.

Taking a nap in one of the first temples one reaches.

Some altars have been modernised with glowing lights.

Lighting the shrines in the largest cave, Am Phu. — Lighting the shrines in the largest cave, Am Phu.

Some daylight coming in through the ceiling of the Am Phu cave.

Inscriptions by the entrance to a cave temple.

Detail from a shrine in one of the grottoes.

My Son

The temples of My Son lie an hour and half by car west of Hoi An. They are historically very significant as they were the religious and political capital of the Cham Kingdom. Although dwarfed if compared to Angkor Wat, they are definitely worth a visit, the on-site museum gives some context and explanation of Hindu symbolism. Arrive early to avoid crowds, exploring the lush grounds by yourself as the sun rises is a nice and peaceful experience.

The Hindu temples of the Cham Kingdom were dedicated to the worship of Shiva.

There is a little museum inside one of the buildings of the main temple with salvaged items.

A lot of the temples in the area were badly damaged by a week of carpet bombing by the Americans during the war. Some are being reconstructed.

So many places to see, so little time...

A dam on the river Da beat Sapa and Fansipan.

It's been hard to find time to update the blog, as we've had some very long days in the road - up to 14-15 hours. We're now at the top of Fansipan, the tallest mountain in Vietnam - just next to Sapa, having some tea while waiting for the fog to clear. Very modern and effective tourist machine the Japanese have set up here!

Enjoying some heat from the fireplace on a foggy and cold morning, O Quy Ho pass at 2035 meters altitude.

I will keep posting chronologically until I've covered the whole trip, there's so many more photos I want to share!

Hoi An

Coming from the intensity and grittiness of Saigon to beautiful Hoi An with its well polished Ancient Town filled to the brim with souvenir shops, tailors and tourists took some getting used to. At first I was a little put off by the very crowded streets of the old district and the amount of shops, but there is something very pleasant about the place and it looks stunning. One soon learns where to go outside the main drags as well, which really helps.

Photo shoot on Tran Phu street in Ancient Town, grabbing the attention of a couple of tourists in the background.

Hoi An was founded as a trading port around 1595, and remained important and wealthy well into the 18th century when it was a powerful trading conduct between Europe and all major parts of Asia. At the end of that century, nearby Da Nang took over when the French got exclusive trade rights there. Because it lost much of its business around this time, very little changed in Hoi An for the following 200 years, effectively it was preserved almost untouched.

Just a couple of blocks away from Ancient Town things are a lot more down to earth and typically Vietnamese.

Sidewalk cafe with a view to the tennis court, just outside the old district.

Newlyweds on the river after lighting and placing floating lanterns.

Lamp shops are everywhere in the old district.

The streets of Ancient Town are charmingly lit. Lanterns wherever possible.

The main bridge in the Ancient Town with the large fish-themed lights is a very popular photography spot.

Having a look at the touris while mom checks her phone. The face masks are ubiquitous in Vietnam, and are mostly for protection against the sun, people try to keep their skin as light as possible.

Decoration in gold and red dominate the temples.

A little update

Spent some very nice days in Hoi An, and travelled to Hue with a night in Da Nang on the way - as well as day trips to My Son and Marble Mountains from Hoi An. Have been too busy to get together a proper post from these places, but here are some teasers from Hoi An, the Marble Mountains of Da Nang and Hue. Hopefully a proper update will come soon.

Tomorrow morning it's off to Phong Nha and the caves, via the DMZ and Khe Sanh.

Da Nang: Inside the Mountain of Water, Marble Mountains.