Travelling with a camera today to Marble Mountains (Ngu Hanh Son / Five Elements Mountains) and Hoi An out of my base at Danang.  Marble Mountains are 9kms south of the city and another 20kms down to Hoi An.  Asked at the hotel if they were able to arrange a private car for the trip.  600000 dong (£21) for an 8:30am start and the driver (Son) would stay with us until a return time of our choice.

A lovely drive down the coast road to the mountains which are made of marble and limestone.  It is also a famous area for sculpture making – you cant miss them!  The mountains are each named after the five elements Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth).  All five have cave entrances and tunnels and Buddhist sanctuaries are also on the mountains.  However, Thuy Son is the only one accessible to visitors.

Entrance fee is 15000 dong – 50p.  It is another 15000 dong if you wish to take the lift to the top or use the steps (150).  In the heat and humidity it was the best 50p I spent all day!  The panoramic view from the top is amazing and you can see the other mountains from here.  You will also find pagodas, grottoes, Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries on Thuy Son. Am Phu cave is very interesting, Vietnamese for ‘hell’.  It has 2 sets of stairs – one up to heaven, and the other down to hell. This is the largest and most famous cave.

You can easily spend a few hours wandering around.  There are stalls inside where you can get snacks and water.  I would definitely recommend a visit to Marble Mountain.

Tips for Marble Mountain:

1. Go early or late.  It gets extremely hot and humid there plus you will miss the tour bus crowds.
2. Wear sturdy shoes.  The ground and steps are uneven in places and it is very slippy when wet.

Then it was onward to Hoi An which was made a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999 and sits on the Thu Bon River.  It is famous for its Chinese and Japanese influence on architecture.  The Japanese Bridge and Chinese Assembly Halls are prime examples.  The Old Town is very well preserved and dates back to the 15th century.  You will also find several temples and pagodas in the town.

Hoi An also used to be an important South Eastern trading port.  There are still many local boats on the river and you can take a trip on a tourist boat.  Wander through the town and you can see ladies making beautiful colourful lanterns.  There is also a local market by the river.  The food stalls here looked very good.

Although a beautiful town, for me it has been made very touristy, I would rather see the real Vietnam. When you enter the town, you have to walk down a large amount of more upmarket stalls and it is like running the gauntlet!

Entrance fee was 120000 dong (£4.50) which also allows you access to the town’s historic buildings and museums.  A nice place to spend a few hours if you are that way.

I must say a big thank you to Son who gave me loads of knowledge on the area and shared his stories.  Thank you Son.