Vibrant Vietnam (Part 10): Chasing Danang's Spiritual Treasures for New Year!

- December 31, 2024 to January 1, 2025, New Year's Eve and New Year.

- Da Nang might be Vietnam's third largest city full of urban development, but it is also a good place to explore the diverse religious and spiritual beliefs of the Vietnamese from past to present. I guess this was the perfect way to end the year, when I get a bit reflective about life.

-  For the last day of the year, I booked another Klook tour that combined the Marble Mountain and My Son. I expected our tour to start at My Son and end with the Marble Mountain. However our tour guide Justin said that if we did it that way, we would be where the majority of the crowd was, so we did it the other way around. True enough he seemed correct.

- The Marble Mountains are five mountains where people mine marble and limestone. Each mountain is named after the five elements based on Northeast-Asian culture (fire, water, wood, metal, earth). Tourists are only allowed to go to the Water Mountain (Thuy Son). 

We visited the marble store before going to the actual temple. We didn't really get anything, but the stuff they sell are really nice (and big!)

Making marble statues.

On the way to the Water Mountain. If you look to the left, you'll see the very convenient elevator that takes people to the middle of the mountain.

View from outside the elevator. These are the other four mountains.

If you see below, there is a red-and-yellow temple, which belongs to the Cao Dai faith. I am still banging my head on the way (metaphorically) for forgetting to visit a Cao Dai temple during my whole trip to Vietnam. The Cao Dai temple is a religion developed in Vietnam in 1926, which aims to consolidate the teachings of some local folk beliefs and world religions. 

- The Marble Mountains, at least the Water Mountain, is full of temples, with some of them inside the numerous caves in the mountain. One of the oldest temples is the Linh Ung Temple (and the oldest among the three Linh Ung Temples in Da Nang). There are so many religious sites to see that it will really need time to see everything especially since one would need to go up and down as well as in and out of the mountain to see these sites. However, the highlight of the Marble Mountains is the combined Hoa Nghiem and Huyen Khong Cave. Here, there are several small temples within the caves.

Linh Ung Temple, Marble Mountains.

The temple's big white Buddha statue.

Tang Chon Cave.

These caves have their own temples and shrines.

Gate leading to the Huyen Khong Cave.

Hoa Nghiem Cave with Lady Buddha protecting everyone.

Huyen Khong Cave.

This is the biggest cave in the mountain.

A small grotto for those seeking love.

Our tour guide led us to the peak of the mountain. It was literally mountain climbing. I wasn't prepared for that!

- We did not get to see all the sites at the Marble Mountain because of weather conditions, my dad not being able to walk too much, and because some of the temples or shrines are harder to access. However, I didn't mind because I was able to see the parts of the Marble Mountain that I really wanted to see. Besides, we had much time to rest in the car during the hour-and-a-half-long trip out of the city, to the ruins of My Son. The ruins are located in the province of Quang Nam, the same province as Hoi An. (In hindsight, I should've arranged a tour from Hoi An instead of Danang, as it would have been a bit closer.)

- The ruins were built from the 4th to 13th centuries, when the Champa Kingdom ruled the area. The Chams were Hindu; the temples were Shaivite, meaning they were dedicated to the Lord Shiva. Many of these temples were destroyed by US bombs during the Vietnam War. However, there are many efforts to restore these temples. 

One of the places I had only read in books. Now I'm here!!

All of these temples are dedicated to Shiva.

Took as many photos as I could!! Never really thought I'd get to come here in my life!!

Cham writing.

One of the many linga-yoni statues across the place.

With temple guardians at the back.

Think of how the temples would've looked like in their heyday!

- Because we arrived in the afternoon, there were less people than there would have been if we went in the morning. But in order to go around the ruins with less people, we had to skip the cultural show. Thankfully, some of the dance numbers (based on videos at least) were quite similar to the ones I saw performed in the cultural show I saw in Hoi An. But hey, I did go to My Son for the ruins, so I wanted to spend more time in the ruins. 

This used to be a royal hall of sorts. The chamber at the back has been converted to a mini-museum.

Dancing Shiva.

The temples are separated into clusters.

A stele, written by a Champa king enumerating his contributions. There were many of these too.

The temples have different architectural styles based on different eras.

I was surprised to see so many preserved bas reliefs.

Elephant.

Another big linga-yoni statue.

A bombed temple.

I think this was one of the more well-preserved structures. This particular one was a storage building.

So many of them!!

- We returned to Da Nang after our visit to My Son. We had lunch at the nearby mall. My family went back to the hotel afterwards while I spent some time at Han Market. That evening, we had a fancy New Year's Eve Dinner at Intercontinental Danang Sun Peninsula. Although I'm not really into fancy food, it was something different for NYE (it's not like we have fancy food all the time.) However, I am a fan of the unusual set up of the hotel. I think this is the first time to ride a funicular just to go from one place to another inside a hotel. Well, I guess it was also necessary as the hotel was built on a cliff.

At the market, having clothes made, again. Hahahaha.

Now at Intercontinental, see those funiculars?

This appetizer was as big as my finger.

Lobster pistachio bisque. Interesting.

I had this shirt made in Han Market during my first day in Danang! Glad I was able to immediately find the perfect occasion for it!

- We didn't really do a countdown for the new year or anything, but I did have more adventures to welcome the new year! Although I am not a Buddhist, I thought it would be nice to embrace the new year with peace. I went to the Linh Ung Pagoda in Son Tra, which is around 10 kilometers away from the city center. The pagoda, with its giant Quan Am or Lady Buddha statue, is one of Da Nang's most recognizable landmarks. It was built in 2004, and was said to have helped calm the seas of Da Nang.

I loved how this aodai matched the seaside vibe of the temple. This blue aodai was delivered to me by mistake by the seller (got refunded for it too), but it's now one of my favorite aodais because of its calming shade of blue.

Quan Am.

Worshippers (photo taken from the base of the Lady Buddha.)

One of the many entrances to the temple.

Temple courtyard. (One of the many yards.)

Main hall.

Reclining Buddha with pagoda at the back. (And boy is the Linh Ung pagoda huge!!)

- My family had to check out of the hotel at noon, and went to have lunch at Lotte Mart, which is a neat department store (or mini-mall?) at the downtown area. It has some restaurants, souvenir stores, stores/stalls for everyday items, and a supermarket. 

Lotte Mart. (Here is one of the souvenir stalls they have.)

- I had one last round at the Han Market that afternoon, while my family decided to just take a rest at the hotel. While waiting for my last batch of clothes to be made, I visited the Da Nang Cathedral. Built in 1924, this church is Da Nang's only church built during the French colonial period. It is sometimes called the "Pink Church" because of its iconic pink color, but it's also called the "Rooster Church" because of its rooster weather vane. Unfortunately, the church is only open whenever it has masses.

Da Nang Cathedral.

- I had my last look of Da Nang as I strolled through the riverbanks of the Han River, watching people relax, talk, as well as the numerous marble statues, which the city is known for (due to its proximity to the Marble Mountains). I also had my final look of the majestic Dragon Bridge  overlooking the whole of Da Nang.

Dragon Bridge.

Yay!

Try to see the marble statues.

- We went to the airport that evening, and flew back to the Philippines. While I was happy that I'd get to rest at home - at long last - and that I was able to pull of this really long Vietnam trip, I also wanted to see more of Vietnam in the near future. I learned more about Vietnam and appreciated the country during this trip. Vietnam is such an interesting country, influenced by so many cultures from the civilizations around it, and in it. Vietnam also serves as a gateway to mainland Southeast Asia. This being said, I now ask myself: which part of Vietnam should I visit next time?

**** Check out my other adventures from this Vietnam trip:

Part 1 - Icons of Saigon: here

Part 2 - Cu Chi Tunnels and Evening Food Tour: here

Part 3 - Mekong Delta: here

Part 4 - French Influences in Saigon: here

Part 5 - Hoi An Must Sees: here

Part 6 - Hoi An Coconut Boat and Hoi An Impression: here

Part 7 - Da Nang: here

Part 8 - Hue: here

Part 9 - Bana Hills: here