Thinking of visiting Vietnam’s Marble Mountains? You’ll find out all you need to know to visit without the crowds!

A short ride along the flat plateau from Da Nang to Hoi An lies five steep rocky peaks, known as Vietnam’s Marble Mountains.

I use the term mountains loosely. These abrupt mounds of limestone and marble are better defined as hills but their lack of altitude doesn’t reflect them being unworthy of a visit; the crowds during the day will attest to this.

Most tourism comes from day trips from Da Nang and Hoi An as it lies almost directly in the middle of the two. This option is fine and still worth the time invested, but by the time most tours arrive the destination is already packed. I wanted to view this place without the hordes of tourists and constant chatter.

In the end, I made my way to the Marble Mountains an unusual way and the journey became a story in itself but completely worth the effort.

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Setting out from the colorful city of Da Nang around 6 am before the sun starts to take hold has its advantages. Apart from not sweating, taxi drivers were all out waiting for fares. For maybe the first time in South East Asian history, a taxi offering a “very good price” for a fixed, flat rate was nowhere to be found. Just to be clear, this so-called “very good price” isn’t ever really recommended, it usually translates into whatever language you are native to as a “rip-off”.

Every company’s taxi driver in Da Nang seemed to be shackled to the digital fare meter attached to the dashboard. This is usually a good thing, except when you want to rent the taxi for a half to full day!

As day trips are the main form of touring the Marble Mountains of Vietnam, and wanting to travel straight to Hoi An afterward, the issue of luggage storage arose. Nothing online I was able to dig up confirmed or denied any type of storage facility at Marble Mountains. As well as my luggage storage, this taxi was supposed to then make the trip to Hoi An. This was confirmed possible by the internet and hostel staff, but without a fixed rate, it would be more than double the price suggested online.

 

Off The Beaten Path to Marble Mountains, Vietnam

After probing the hostel staff for another possibility, I hailed a taxi and shortly arrived at a local bus stop. The morning sun was now beaming with no escape. By this time it was already around 9 am, so much for an early start! This all too familiar feeling of a travel “stitch-up” was forming in my stomach. Finally, bus #1 pulled up and the driver looked as confused as every other passenger. It became obvious this wasn’t a tourist route, but he took the fare of 30,000 VND ($1.30 USD) and kindly signaled when the closest stop to Marble Mountains had arrived.

It was around a 1km walk to the secondary, more secluded, almost secret entrance of the Marble Mountains. The whole side street approaching the entrance was littered with marble statue shops, as this area is renowned for crafting out of the rock. Even though marble extraction directly from these mountains is now illegal. Early morning sunshine gleaned from the smooth, polished surfaces of stone chiseled into figures of Deities and mythical beasts.

After the entrance fee of 40,000VND ($1.70 USD) was handed over, it was time for the all-important question of luggage storage. The attendant just pointed behind her, like there was never a reason to worry. No lockers, no key, my backpack just laid on the corner behind a desk.

Finally, a morning full of roadblocks had finally been navigated!

 

Exploring Vietnam’s Marble Mountains

Of the five chunks of limestone and marble karsts, only one, Thuy Son, is open to tourism. Each of the five mountains is named after one of the five elements, Thuy Son being “water”. This seemed fitting as climbing these stairs did not leave me dry! Wandering through numerous caves and Buddhist sanctuaries, everything was silent. Exploring the still cave of Huyen Khong as a single monk prayed in the dimly lit cave. Overlooked by Buddha atop a hole in the cave wall was a fantastic highlight of Vietnam’s Marble Mountains.

Although short, the summit of 156 steps was exhausting, but I would do it all over again! A wonderful vista of the other four mountains along with the vast stretching My Khe beach was the reward for reaching the peak of Thuy Son. With only mountains in the distance, mounds are seemingly left behind as everything surrounding them is flat. Some paths, especially those ascending, are narrow and plagued with loose jagged rocks. At least with no crowds at this time it’s easy to stroll safely.

As I explored, a couple of hours had passed quickly. Slowly edging towards the main entry and exit point, the crowds began to filter in. By the time Xa Loi Tower was in sight, marking the main gate, trying to take pictures without a random person in it was next to impossible. Quiet had turned to chatter and scuffling of shoes filing through to the sites. Get there early!

 

Information for Marble Mountains

Bus number 1 takes a little over one hour to reach Hoi An from Da Nang, not stopping at the Marble Mountains. As a tourist, I expected to pay a sort of “tourist tax”, and that is exactly what happened. Although I did have a large backpack with me, so it could’ve been either reason. Arguing about the local listed price never seems to work. Even the most fluent English speaker will suddenly forget the language when given a protest. The bus cost me 60,000VND – $2.60 USD (30,000VND for each leg of the trip).

Also, the bus is not air-conditioned, but at least there was some air flow through the bus at highway speeds. The second bus was so full I was forced to stand, it wasn’t ideal but I’d do it all over again. Another option is to arrange a private car instead of the meter taxi, some hostels may do this but unfortunately, mine could not.

Alternatively, you can book a tour to the Marble Mountains online so you can have more time to explore when in Vietnam.

 

Marble Mountains Map

 

Short video on exploring Vietnam’s Marble Mountains

Here’s a short video on visiting Vietnam’s Marble Mountains, what to expect and things you can see on this day trip from Da Nang or Hoi An. If you enjoyed this video, use the button up the top left to subscribe to the Horizon Unknown Youtube channel for more videos!

 

Tips for Marble Mountains Vietnam

• Get there early! The struggle of finding an early morning alternative to a tour is well worth it as you stroll through the caves alone.
• Climbing high gives the best views of the surroundings, just be careful of loose, uneven rocks.
• Give plenty of time if you want to explore the caves thoroughly, just under three hours was enough for me, but more could be spent easily.

 

 

Have you been to the Marble Mountains in Vietnam? What did you think of this central Vietnam attraction? Leave me a comment below! Any questions are more than welcome also! 

 

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Happy and safe travels,
Ben from Horizon Unknown