Viet Nam News
DA NANG — The Ngu Hanh Son (Marble Mountains) in the central city of Da Nang have been recognised as a National Special Relic, one of 16 approved by the Prime Minister last December, and the second of its kind in the city.
A ceremony was held at the site on Sunday to mark the recognition.
The site – which features five mountains by a pristine beach in Ngu Hanh Son District, 6km southeast of the city centre, was first recognised as a national historical and cultural relic in 1990.
The site was given the name Ngu Hanh Son, or Non Nuoc, by King Minh Mang under the Nguyen Dynasty in 1837.
Thuy Son Mountain stands 160 metres tall on an area of 15 hectares. Its caves and stalactite formations are the most visited feature of the complex.
Kim Son Mountain, the largest of the Marble Mountains, hosts the annual Quan The Am (Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva) Festival – one of the 15 largest events in Viet Nam – at the Da and Quan The Am pagodas on the 19th day of lunar February. The festival draws around 10,000 residents and tourists each year.
The 400-year-old Non Nuoc stone sculpture village at the foot of the Marble Mountains has also been recognised as a National Intangible Heritage.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Trinh Thi Thuy appreciated the efforts made by the city to preserve and promote its historical and cultural relics and landscapes.
She also urged the city to protect the special relic in line with socio-economic development and tourism.
Director of the city’s Culture and Sports Department Huynh Van Hung said the recognition of the relic would help protect it from human activities and booming urbanisation.
Head of The Ngu Hanh Son’s management board, Nguyen Van Hien, said the landscape attracted nearly 2 million tourists last year, of which 1.1 million were foreigners.
Last year, the Dien Hai Citadel in the city was recognised as the first National Special Relic in Da Nang.
Da Nang has listed 50 historical sites and 18 national historical monuments in its restoration project for 2016-20. — VNS