Huyen Khong Cave (Marble Mountains)

Among the many caves in the Marble Mountains, the most important and beautiful is Huyen Khong Cave. After a steep climb, you go down a semi-hidden flight of stairs to enter the cave and suddenly you’re flanked by two pairs of administrative and military Mandarin statues there to protect the entry. Once you enter, the high gallery is illuminated by natural light coming through vents in the ceiling. The cave was a refuge for Vietnamese revolutionaries during wartime. It was bombed repeatedly which lead to the openings in the ceiling.

The Huyen Khong cave on Thuy Son Mountain is probably the most important attraction in the Marble Mountains. I went into this cave without knowing anything about it and what I discovered was so exciting!

Before you arrive at the actual cave, there is a smaller cave with a figure of a standing Buddha. To the left, there's a small passage way which leads to stairs which descend to a very special place: the Huyen Khong cave.

If you're lucky enough to visit the cave when it's empty, you'll feel like you're in a movie. The cave seems like a cathedral and in the enormous main gallery there are statues of administrators and Mandarin soldiers guarding the cave as well as various Chinese and Confucian altars scattered around the interior.