Da Nang

Da Nang, with a population of approximately 400 000 people, is Vietnam's fourth largest city. Located

on the Han River, it was the site of conflicts with Spanish and French invaders who landed in the

area. Eventually, the fishing village replaced Hoi An as a centre for foreign trade in the nineteenth

century. The Museum of Cham Culture, established in 1936 by the Ecole Francaise d' Extreme Orient,

contains artifacts of the Cham civilization which was, for centuries, centred in the Da Nang area.

One of the features of the tranquil countryside South of Da Nang is a chain of Marble Mountains,

Ngu Hanh Son: five large hills representing the five elements (metal, water, wood, fire, earth).

Marble from this area was used in the construction Ho Chi Minh's mausoleum in Hanoi.

The locally produced marble is sculpted for domestic and export markets.