The next day started out with a trip to My (pronounced like “me”) Son, a complex of ancient ruins that were dedicated to the worship of Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction (remember, destruction is a form of creation). The site was a place of religious ceremony, and a burial site for kings and important figures in the Champa culture. The site was also significant since the monks selected kings there. The temples were constructed between the 4th and 14th centuries AD by the kings of Champa. The temples are near Da Nang in Central Vietnam. Unfortunately, due to bombing from the Vietnam War, much of the complex has been destroyed, and only about 10 structures remain. Sadly, you will see headless statutes, and the heads are sitting in French museums since that was the colonial power for about a century in Vietnam. The government of Vietnam has even asked for the cultural works to be returned, but the French museums have declined, saying it does not belong to the Vietnamese people anymore.
We got to the site pretty early in the morning, but there were still tons of people there since it is a popular tourist destination, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is one of the most important Hindu temple complexes in Southeastern Asia, like Angkor Wat in Cambodia. We got to watch some Apsara dancing at the beginning of the complex. Apsaras, which are female cloud and water spirits in Hindu culture, are depicted in Hindu/Champa art. I got to see Aspara dancing in Cambodia, in which the costumes are modeled after the Angkor Wat bas reliefs.
At the complex itself, you can go into the buildings like the storehouse. You will see statues of Shiva all over with Naga, a snake he wears as an ornament. Some say the snake signifies that Shiva controls fear and death. It was a nice to have our guide Eric show us around, and explain significance of the structures we were looking at. Eric also pointed out that male/female balance was also important in the design of the site. Eric related that are still Cham people living in Vietnam. He was the nicest of the guides we had on the tour.
After My Son, we decided to visit the Marble Mountains in Da Nang, a group of five mountains that are named after the five elements: metal, water, air, fire, and Earth. The mountains contain Buddhist sanctuaries and temples. We went up Thuy (water) mountain which is the only one that visitors are allowed at. There are pagodas (Tam Thai and Tu Tam), the tower of Pho Dong, grottoes (Huyen Khong), and sacred caves (Tang Chon) that you can visit. The statues are carved out of marble, and the area is famous for its stonework.
We took the elevator up, and then the stairs down. It is about 156 steps which isn’t bad. The carved dragon statues are beautiful, and they are all over. The area features a large statue of Lady Buddha nearby, but I found a smaller one of her at the Marble Mountains. It was just so hot that day that we couldn’t stay that long since we were walking and climbing steps. I am glad we visited and spent some time exploring. The panoramic view from the top is worth the hike. A pool break was needed to cool off afterwards…
After a shower and food (had the local beer Larue), we got a driver to take us up the Hai Van Pass that borders Da Nang and Hue. The pass is historically significant barrier between the North and South of the country, and made it hard to move land armies in the country. It was lovely going up, but it was so misty at the top that we could not see anything. Our Grab driver was nice, and stopped at some scenic overlooks for us to get some nice views on camera. Hai Van Pass was voted one of the most beautiful coast roads in the world for a reason. If I had more time I would have visited Hue, which contains an ancient historical site, but could not fit it in.
Later, we walked along the harbor where there was sculptures on display. Along the harbor there was many cafes so we decided to take an iced tea break at Royal Tea; I believe it is a chain in Vietnam. I had a delicious pineapple, mango black tea, and spent some time journaling. The iced tea in Vietnam is so good!
Da Nang is also famous for the Dragon Bridge along the River Han that lights up and changes colors at night. The bridge opened to traffic in 2013, celebrating the liberation of the city, but was ironically designed and built by an American engineering company. The bridge breathes water and fire on Saturday and Sunday night (unfortunately wasn’t there on the weekend, but you can watch it on YouTube). Our hotel was near the bridge, so we got great views. The Dragon Bridge is a must see when in Da Nang. We got to see it at night lit up during the evening as well.
The next day we got up and went to a nearby coffee shop, and tried egg coffee, which is super popular in Asia. The top tastes like meringue, which I found to be too sweet. The bottom is pretty strong. What I loved about Vietnam was that instead of free water, the cafes provided iced Oolong tea, which was so good! Iced tea should be free! Afterwards, we were picked up by our tour and went on to Hoi An, the most magical city in Vietnam!
If you like my Facebook page, there are videos from the trip posted that you can check out as well. I also update the Instagram WayfaringGal page with new posts. Thank you for reading, and comments and feedback are always welcome since that is how we learn and grow. Stay tuned because the next post is about Hoi An, my favorite city in Vietnam!
