Da Nang, March 6, 2026

We have arrived at the port of Da Nang as scheduled. This time, it is a huge container port, and due to the large machinery, no one is allowed to walk around there. The temperature is pleasantly around 25°C, but it is heavily overcast, and heavy rainfall is forecasted.

Our guide and driver arrived on time, and we first drove to the Marble Mountains. The journey took us alongside the famous beaches of Da Nang. The beaches and hotels meet Western standards, and there are some 5-star establishments. However, there are also large resorts that were under construction during COVID and were never completed. As always, the traffic was chaotic, with countless motorcycles everywhere.

The Marble Mountains are located in the town of 'Ngũ Hành Sơn,' which is entirely focused on the processing of marble and semi-precious stones. There are five hills made of limestone or marble, which are said to represent the 'five' elements: metal, water, wood, fire, and earth. They were used as quarries for a long time and were heavily excavated. When they began to disappear, further extraction was prohibited. Cult sites for Chinese, Buddhist, and Hindu deities were established in the shafts and caves. It is interesting to see these places of sacrifice and prayer side by side without any apparent conflict. Especially in Indochina, female Buddhas are also highly revered. Depending on the source, there are either five or eight (Dhatvishvari/ White Tara, Buddhalochana, Mamaki, Pandaravasini, Samayatara or Sarasvati, Chunda, White Tara, Khadiravani Tara, Sitatapatra, Marichi, Ushnishavijayam, Parnashabari).

In the shops and workshops, there are many sculptures available for purchase. We nearly bought two lions; for 12,000 USD (including delivery), there is a marble lion weighing around 1,000 kg and about 1 meter tall ;).

After a longer drive through villages with the well-known shop houses, many rice fields, and small banana plantations, we arrived at the Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary. At times, we were treated to tropical downpours during our visit.

As already mentioned, Mỹ Sơn was used from the 4th to the 13th century and is the longest continuously used cult site in the region. The site was built by the Champa, also known as Cham, who established a kingdom here in the 2nd century. Their language was Chamic, a subfamily of the Austronesian languages, which is still spoken by 385 million people today. It belongs to the Austronesian language family. Compared to other religions, they were apparently very inclusive. They adopted Hinduism early on, and the inscriptions on the site are in Sanskrit. From the 10th century onwards, they also integrated Islamic customs. By the 15th century, they were displaced by the Vietnamese and shifted their focus to what is now Cambodia. Angkor Wat then became part of their network, where they also befriended Buddhism.

Unfortunately, Mỹ Sơn was heavily destroyed during the war. The Viet Cong used this area as a base, and the Americans bombed it mercilessly. Many bomb craters and bullet holes still testify to this. The buildings were made of bricks, and columns and decorations were carved from sandstone. In attempts to restore small structures, it became clear that today's bricks are too fragile. Apparently, the builders had a firing technique that allowed the bricks to withstand this climate. Archaeologists are divided on how they accomplished this.

Today, India supports the preservation of the site. It is to be expected that the Hindu elements of the culture will be emphasized.

After visiting the site, we had an excellent local lunch, which was of course far too large. Afterwards, we attended a dance performance that portrayed historical elements.

The visit to Mỹ Sơn took us quite a while and consumed more time than planned. Fortunately, the ship departed later than originally scheduled, allowing us to return without any issues.