Dong Am Phu (Hell Cave) Marble Mountains, Vietnam

The Marble Mountains are five limestone mountains at Da Nang in central Vietnam. They are named after elements, water, wood, fire, metal and earth. The most visited hill is Thuy Son (water). This has several caves and trails lead up and around the mountain, with viewpoints over the surroundings. The caves are used as Buddhist and Hindu sanctuaries Thuy Son is a popular place for pilgrims, especially during full and new moons.

One of the most interesting caves is Dong Am Phu, or Hell Cave. The cave is quite spectacular in terms of geology, but the lower series is devoted to scenes from hell and I found this fascinating.

Cave entrance

giant candlesticks

Bodhisavattas with LED haloes

The first demon

begging for mercy?

tied to the pole

crocodile attack
hungry dog(?)

eel?

using a real saw blade

how you lead your life determines if the end is good or bad

rat attack

Expedition results are published in Karst and Caves of South Vietnam, Part 1: Provinces of Kien Giang, An Giang and Da Nang. Michael Laumanns (editor). Published by Berliner Höhlenkundliche Berichte (BHB), Volume 43 , 2011 . To order, contact me or see BHB 2011.

© Liz Price .
No reproduction without permission.