Artisans of Da Nang
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Port
Da Nang (Hue), Vietnam
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Activity Level
Strenuous
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Excursion Type
All
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Wheelchair Accessible
No
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Starting At
$59.95
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Minimum Age
Information Not Currently Available
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Duration
Approximately 4½ Hours
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Meals Included
Meals not included
The Marble Mountain area has long inspired Vietnam's artisans because it combines the natural harmony of the Vietnamese countryside with unique architectural influences.
Your exposure to artistic Vietnam begins as you meander along Da Nang's tree-lined streets on the way to the Cham Museum. This ethnographic facility opened in 1939 under the umbrella of the French Ecole Française d'Extrême Orient. Its collection of original sculpture works is displayed in four sections, according to each piece's origin.
Head seven miles from the center of town to the grand spectacle of the Marble Mountains. Step off the coach for a 45-minute walk around this historic area, whose five peaks correspond to the five basic elements of feng shui. During the Cham period, this marble ridge was a Hindu sanctuary. Later, Vietnamese Buddhists built pagodas on its slopes dedicated to Buddha or Confucius. Nowadays, Buddhist shrines occupy several mountain caves which were bombed during the war.
Enjoy a photo stop at My Khe (China) Beach -- once a wartime recreational hangout for American GIs -- and take photos of the Linh Ung Pagoda before returning to the ship.