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Marble Mountains ( vi, Ngũ Hành Sơn; " five elements mountains") is a cluster of five
marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...
and limestone hills located in Ngũ Hành Sơn District, south of
Da Nang Nang or DanangSee also Danang Dragons ( ; vi, Đà Nẵng, ) is a class-1 municipality and the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the East Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one ...
city in
Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
. The five mountains are named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). All of the mountains have cave entrances and numerous tunnels, and it is possible to climb to the summit of Mount Thuy. Several Buddhist sanctuaries can also be found within the mountains, making this a tourist destination. The area is known for
stone sculpture A stone sculpture is an object made of stone which has been shaped, usually by carving, or assembled to form a visually interesting three-dimensional shape. Stone is more durable than most alternative materials, making it especially important in ...
making and stone-cutting crafts. Direct rock extraction from the mountains was banned recently. Materials are now being transported from quarries in Quảng Nam Province. Marble Mountains was officially given the National Special Relic certificate by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on January 20, 2019.


Vietnam War

The mountains were very near the American
Marble Mountain Air Facility Marble Mountain Air Facility (MMAF), also known as Da Nang East Airfield, Marble Mountain Army Airfield and Nuoc Man Airfield, was an aviation facility used primarily by the United States Marine Corps during the Vietnam War. It was a helicopt ...
during the
Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vietnam and ...
. According to
William Broyles Jr. William Dodson Broyles Jr.
Filmreference.com. Accessed November 28, 2022.
(born October 8, 1944) is an A ...
, the Marble Mountains contained a hospital for the Vietcong, probably within earshot of the American air field and Da Nang Beach (which bordered the air field on the side opposite the mountains). He describes the enemy as having been so "certain of our ignorance ..that he had hidden his hospital in plain sight".William Broyles, Jr., ''Brothers In Arms'', as quoted in Morley Safer's ''Flashbacks'', St. Martin's Press / Random House, 1991, p 175


Buddhist and Hindu grottoes

The Marble Mountains are home to several Buddhist and Hindu
grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...
es. A stairway of 156 steps leads to the summit of Thuy Son, the only Marble Mountain accessible to visitors. It allows a wide panoramic view of the surrounding area and the other marble mountains. There are a number of grottoes, including Huyen Khong and Tang Chon, and many Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries, the temples of Tam Thai, Tu Tam and Linh Ung, and the pagoda of Pho Dong. The sanctuaries feature statues and relief depictions of religious scenes carved out of the marble. File:Le Tour du monde-01-p057.jpg, The cave and its small grotto-temples in 1860. Lithograph by Émile Therond. File:Dragon Marble Mountain Da Nang Vietnam.jpg, Mosaic dragon decorating a pillar at Thuy Son, at the Marble Mountains File:Grotte_Huyen_Khong.jpg, Huyen Khong Buddhist grotto carved into the Marble Mountains File:Vietnam, vishnu garudasana, dalle montagne di marmo presso ngu hanh son, prolungam. dello stile my son E1, VIII-IX sec.JPG, Vishnu on Garuda,
Champa Champa (Cham: ꨌꩌꨛꨩ; km, ចាម្ប៉ា; vi, Chiêm Thành or ) were a collection of independent Cham polities that extended across the coast of what is contemporary central and southern Vietnam from approximately the 2nd cen ...
sculpture found in Ngu Hanh Son


References

{{Coord, 16.00, 108.26, display=title Mountain ranges of Vietnam Landforms of Da Nang Buddhist caves in Vietnam Tourist attractions in Vietnam