Cluster · Da Nang

Marble Mountains (Ngũ Hành Sơn)

Climb Thủy Sơn at opening, or take the lift up: two hours of caves, pagodas and viewpoints; wear shoes with grip, and leave before 11:00.Climb Thủy Sơn at opening, or take the lift up: two hours of caves, pagodas and viewpoints; wear shoes with grip, and leave before 11:00 AM.

Key facts

28″ bags: forbidden
Time budget: half
Rescue coverage: 94% ≤7′; max p90 6.9′
Places: 1

Marble MountainsPhoto: Graeme Maclean from Glasgow, UK, CC BY 2.0

Rules in force · 8Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore…At Mỹ Khê and the other city beaches, a red flag or an em…

Southeast Asia ↗Drug trafficking can carry the death penalty in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, Brunei and Myanmar; never carry a bag or parcel for anyone.
Southeast Asia ↗Carry a passport valid for at least six months from entry with two blank pages; airlines refuse boarding on less.
Vietnam ↗Apply for the e-visa only on the official government portal; lookalike sites charge extra.
Vietnam ↗Crossing streets: walk slowly and steadily; motorbikes flow around you — do not stop or run.
Vietnam ↗Carry Vietnamese đồng in small notes; many stalls and taxis are cash-only.
Central Coast ↗September–December is typhoon and flood season on this coast: build a spare day into any plan and check the storm forecast before booking boats, passes or beach nights.
Da Nang ↗At Mỹ Khê and the other city beaches, a red flag or an empty lifeguard post means no swimming; rip currents peak from September to January.
Da Nang ↗From September to December keep one spare day in any central-coast plan: storms close beaches, the Hải Vân Pass and some flights at short notice.

Actions

Map to the centre

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Directions

From where I am

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Walking weather, next 5 days

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Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Plan

How the ground walks, and what is here

Bound and physics

Thủy Sơn, the largest of the five hills, with its gates, stairs and caves, plus the Non Nước stone-carving street at its foot.

Slope: steep
Stairs: Hundreds of steps; a lift to the first level
Shade: medium
Surface: stone steps, slippery in rain
Sleep here or visit: visit

A walking route that works

07:00–10:30

Lift or stairs to the first level
Buy the lift ticket at the gate if you want to save the climb.
Tam Thai pagoda
Terrace views.
Huyền Không cave
Light shafts through the roof mid-morning.
Vọng Hải Đài viewpoint
Sea view toward Mỹ Khê.
Âm Phủ cave (separate ticket)
The underworld cave at the foot of the hill.

On the ground

Where to rest, how to leave, where to sleep nearby

Rescue anchors

7 places to rest · checked on a 40 m (130 ft) grid

A rescue anchor is a spot where you can stop and recover if the walk goes wrong: a bench, a café, a toilet. Every letter on the map is one anchor, and each has a card below. We check that any point in the cluster is within about 7 minutes’ walk of one, so you are never far from somewhere to sit down.

Map © OpenStreetMap contributors. Lettered circles: rescue anchors (green works in any conditions, amber only on hot days). Dashed outline: the cluster. Red dots: spots more than 7 min from any anchor (none if you see no red). North is up; not for navigation.

Main gate and lift base (shade, toilets)

Shelter from rain · Toilet · Food & drink · works in any conditions

Huyền Không cave (cool, shaded)

Shelter from rain · Place to sit · works in any conditions

Tam Thai pagoda terrace

Shelter from rain · Place to sit · works in any conditions

Non Nước stone-carving shops (fans, seats)

Shelter from rain · Place to sit · Food & drink · works in any conditions

Âm Phủ cave entrance and café

Shelter from rain · Food & drink · works in any conditions

Café on Huyền Trân Công Chúa

Place to sit · Food & drink · ac · works in any conditions

Linh Ứng (Non Nước) pagoda terrace

Shelter from rain · Place to sit · works in any conditions

94% of the cluster is within 7 min of an anchor in any conditions (slowest walker, worst cell 9.4 min) · 94% on hot days

Nodes in this cluster

Marble Mountains (Thủy Sơn)
Two hours of caves, pagodas and sea views on a limestone hill: go at opening, take the lift up and the stairs down, skip it in heavy rain; it fits on the way to Hội An.

Edges out

directed

To	How	p50	Climb
Mỹ Khê beach and An Thượng	Car north along the beach	~15 min	flat
Hàn River centre	Car to the centre	~22 min	flat

Red lines here

Cave stairs are wet and polished: no flip-flops; skip in heavy rain.

After dark, rain, kids, toiletsAfter dark · Rain plan · With kids · Toilets and water4 parts

After dark

lanes quiet from 17:30

walking at night: ok

still open: Stone shops and cafés on the main road.
closed: The hill after the gate closes.
watch: Shops press hard for sales; you do not need to buy to park or pass.

Rain plan

If	Do this
Light rain	Caves are dry; stairs slippery — go slowly.
Heavy rain	Skip; wet stone steps are dangerous.

With kids

kids: okstroller: poor

Caves and stairs are fun for older children; carry toddlers.

Toilets and water

What	Where	Note
Toilets	Gate area	Small fee possible.
Drinks	Kiosks at the gate and on the terraces	Pricier up the hill.

Deep dive

Around this cluster

Straight-line distance; walk time adds 30% for streets.