It’s the last post about our vacation in Vietnam – and it’s a good one! As I was researching things to do for our Da Nang trip, there was one location that kept coming up again and again and again. And that was the statue of the Lady Buddha. You all know how I feel about Buddhist Temples, so you can bet that I immediately hopped onto Get Your Guide and booked a tour to the Lady Buddha, before we’d even arrived in Vietnam! I’ll share all the details here, along with some tips for visiting yourself.
Visiting the Lady Buddha in the Monkey Mountains
Towering above the ground on the Sơn Trà Peninsula in the Monkey Mountains of Da Nang, Vietnam is the magnificent statue of the Lady Buddha (tượng phật bà quan âm in Vietnamese or “Statue of the Goddess of Mercy”). Standing at a whopping 67 meters tall (about 220 feet), this incredible statue can be seen from miles away. Our first spotting of it was while playing at a beach down the street from our resort. Even from a distance it looks impressive, but up close it’s even more so. It’s overwhelming how tall it is – the tallest of its kind in all of Vietnam.
One of the really incredible things about the Lady Buddha is that the entire thing was constructed using a SINGLE piece of marble. In my mind that makes absolutely NO sense – What if a section breaks? How do you transport it after? Like honestly how the heck? – which makes the fact even more incredible. The statue was made by artists in the Non Nuoc Marble Village – which is a huge tourist attraction and known for the incredible marble statues they make.
Besides being beautiful, the Lady Buddha holds great significance for the people of Da Nang. She was built to overlook the city (and the view from her mountain alone is worth a visit) and protect it from danger. Fishermen come to pray to her before setting sail and she watches over them as they work. Since her construction began in 2004, locals say there have been no more typhoons to hit their city. Furthermore, the Linh Ung Pagoda that she stands beside is one of three pagodas by the same name (the other two Linh Ung Pagodas are at Sun World Ba Na Hills and the Marble Mountains) – which together form a triangle that serves to protect the people of Da Nang even more.
By this point, you might be thinking, but where are all the monkeys? The Lady Buddha sits right by the Monkey Mountains, after all. Well, according to my friend at Loving Life Moore, there are actually monkeys in the Monkey Mountains. Unfortunately it was so hot when we visited that the monkeys were all taking refuge in the cover of the trees, rather than coming out to play with us. It was one of the bummers of the trip, but our whole experience was so overwhelmingly positive that in the end it didn’t matter. My tip if you want to see some monkeys: don’t visit Da Nang in June.
The grounds of the Linh Ung Pagoda is one of the more beautiful places we’ve visited. There is so much to explore, which is one reason I recommend visiting on your own, instead of with a tour. We only had about 30 minutes to experience the grounds – which was definitely not enough time. If we ever make it back to Da Nang, you can bet we’ll be going back to experience it again!
Even though we didn’t feel like we had enough time at the Lady Buddha and Linh Ung Pagoda, it was such an incredible experience to visit it at all. Our tour group was so fun and everyone was so patient with our children – we really couldn’t have asked for a better group or a better tour guide. When you visit Da Nang, do not pass up the Lady Buddha.
’til next time…
Ash
How to visit the Lady Buddha in the Monkey Mountains
Getting there: The address for the Lady Buddha is Linh Ung Pagoda, Hoang Sa Street, Son Tra Peninsula, Da Nang, Vietnam – but using “Lady Buddha” on Google Maps (or on Grab if you’re hiring a driver) should work to get you there.
Cost: There is no fee to visit the Lady Buddha or the Linh Ung Pagoda in the Monkey Mountains.
Hours: The Linh Ung Pagoda and Lady Buddha are open daily from 6:00am – 9:00pm.
Amenities: There are bathrooms near the entrance to the Linh Ung Pagoda grounds. In addition, there are cafés by the Lady Buddha where you can purchase snacks, drinks, and ice cream.
Extra: The Lady Buddha actually consists of 17 floors with each holding a shrine dedicated to a different Buddha. HOWEVER, the stairs leading to the top are only open to visitors twice a year – although I couldn’t remember what days it’s open and I also couldn’t find ANYTHING online about it.
