Five marble and limestone hills south of Da Nang, hollowed with cave shrines and topped with pagodas and viewpoints
The five hills are named after the five elements: Kim (metal), Thuy (water), Moc (wood), Hoa (fire) and Tho (earth). Thuy Son is the largest and the only one developed for visitors, with stone stairways and a lift leading to pagodas, caves and lookout points. Inside the rock are grottoes of very different moods, from the lofty Huyen Khong cave, lit by shafts of daylight through openings in its roof and filled with altars and statues, to the dark Am Phu cave with its depictions of the underworld.
Temples on Thuy Son include Tam Thai pagoda, dating from the seventeenth century, and Linh Ung pagoda, built under Emperor Minh Mang. At the foot of the hills, the Non Nuoc stone-carving village fills the streets with workshops and showrooms of marble statues, from small figurines to giant Buddhas. The site was ranked a Special National Monument of Vietnam in 2019.
The mountains have been places of worship for centuries, and the caves hold both Buddhist and Hindu grottoes and altars. Tam Thai pagoda dates from 1630, and in 1826 Emperor Minh Mang commissioned statues and bells for it; Linh Ung pagoda was founded under Minh Mang in 1825. A stele from 1678 records the stone-carving community at the foot of the hills, and the Non Nuoc craft was recognised as national intangible cultural heritage in 2014.
During the Vietnam War the hills stood next to the American Marble Mountain Air Facility, and caves were reportedly used by Viet Cong fighters, including as a hospital. Quarrying of the hills themselves has since been banned to protect them, and carvers now bring stone from elsewhere in Quang Nam. A stone statue of Quan Am found in a cave on Kim Son in 1956 gave rise to the annual Quan The Am festival, recognised as a national folk festival in 1999.
The streets around the mountains are lined with stone-carving workshops whose families have worked marble for generations, and the sound of chisels and grinders fills the air. The pagodas remain active places of worship, with monks and local worshippers, especially on the first and fifteenth days of the lunar month. The Quan The Am festival in the second lunar month draws large crowds of pilgrims.
A visit usually means two to three hours on Thuy Son, climbing the stairs or taking the lift, then exploring pagodas, caves and viewpoints along signed paths. Some caves involve scrambling through narrow passages and up rough steps. Afterwards many visitors walk through the Non Nuoc carving workshops, and the hills are often combined with a trip to Hoi An, which is a short drive further south.
February to August usually brings drier weather for climbing the steps and enjoying the views; the rainy season from September to December can make paths slippery. Early morning is cooler and quieter, before tour groups arrive from Da Nang and Hoi An.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
The beaches of Non Nuoc and My Khe stretch along the coast just east of the hills, and central Da Nang with the Dragon Bridge is about 8 km north. Hoi An's old town is a short drive south, and the Hai Van Pass and Son Tra peninsula lie on the other side of the city.
Vietnam · 11 nights4★ HotelVietnam · 7 nights4★ ResortThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
