MY SON
SANCTUARY
World Heritage UNESCO
North latitude: 15o505
East longitude: 108o573
Total Area: 1.158ha
Duy Phu Commune, Duy Xuyen District, Quang Nam province
My Son Temple was recognized by World Heritage UNESCO in 1999. It is a complex with 70 constructions of Champa Kingdom monuments. Locating with magnificent natural surroundings, My Son sanctuary welcomes dozen of tourists visit yearly. It contains the values of history, culture, architecture, and art in a long period of 9 centuries
My Son Sanctuary Location
My Son Sanctuary Vietnam is a famous destination of Cham Pa Kingdom in Southern Vietnam. It is about 70km southwest of Da Nang City and 40km from Hoi An City. It is a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and the 14th century.
My Son Sanctuary – A destination that attracts millions of visitors
The architecture and a brief history of My Son Sanctuary
Originally created as a site for religious ceremonies for the Kings of the Dynasty of Champa, My Son Sanctuary was also a burial site for Cham royalty and other national heroes.
The sanctuary is roughly 2 kilometers wide and encompassed by two breathtaking mountains. At one time, the sanctuary contained over 70 temples as well as many wooden slabs named‘ steles’ bearing historically important inscriptions in Cham and Sanskrit.
Unfortunately, a large majority of the architecture was destroyed by a U.S. carpet bombing in the Vietnam War.
Original Architecture
The very first temple was constructed with wood in the 4th century to worship Saint Siva Bhadravarman.
However, in the 6th century. it was completely destroy by a fire which only lead the Champa folk to build more towers and temples to worship their Gods and publicly present their great power.
The structures continued to grow greater but in the 13th century, the Champa Kingdom fell under attack from neighboring countries such as China, Cambodia and even fellow Vietnamese. As a result, they were forced to migrate south to the Binh Thuan province.
Since then, My Son was decommissioned and no more structures were built on this site.
These lands were all but forgotten until 1898 when it was explored by French scholar M.C Paris. It began reconstruction from 1937 onwards. Unfortunately, a large majority of the architecture was destroyed by a U.S. carpet bombing in the Vietnam War.
There still remain many structures that preserve their beautifully unique look today, making My Son Sanctuary a popular destination each year for holiday-makers and locals alike.
French, Polish, and Vietnamese researchers have concluded that My Son was influenced by Arabian, Malaysian, Indonesian, and most particularly Indian traditions. All towers were originally construct meticulously using red bricks and sandstone.
There are many different beliefs among archaeologists about the process of brick making to how the construction of these marvelous temples and towers took place. Upon visiting this hidden beauty, visitors quickly realize the sheer intelligence of the Champa folk even hundreds of years ago.
Aspara dance from Cham people in My Son Temple
Visiting My Son, you will have an opportunity to watch the traditional dance from Khmer people in Southern Vietnam at My Son Complex. The performance starts around 9:00 am in the morning and 3:00 pm in the afternoon daily.
It is very exciting to experience when watching amazing Apsara dancers performing in the fanciful and mysterious beauty of My Son ruins.
How to travel to My Son Sanctuary
By Private Car
This is the most convenient way to travel to My Son Sanctuary. It depends on where and when you would like to depart. Our driver will pick you up from your hotel for the journey. The estimated duration around over an hour to reach the destination. You can hire a private car service with English speaking driver at VM Travel, we are happy to assist your trip.
By Motorbike
If you would like to travel in an adventurous way, the motorbike is the second option for traveling to My Son temple, it is allowing you to see and absorb more of the landscape and local life.
The duration is one hour and 30 minutes to travel by motorbike. You either can book a motorbike tour from VM Travel in Hoi An or rent a scooter to drive on your own.
By Bus
There is a public bus transfer to My Son sanctuary daily. You can take bus number 06 from Da Nang to My Son. The bus runs every 30 minutes beginning at 5:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The bus fare ranges from 8,000VND to 30,000VND. Although it is less expensive and the bus takes longer than other modes of transportation
Things should note when visiting My Son Sanctuary
Time to visit
My Son Sanctuary opens from 6:30 am to 5:30 pm daily. Especially, during the summertime, you can choose to visit this destination during the sunrise or sunset hours to immerse in the tranquil beauty of the Hindu temple complex. You can refer our My Son Sanctuary In Sunrise Tour By Private Car
Entrance tickets
The fee to enter My Son Sanctuary from Hoi An or Danang is 150,000 VND = 6.5 USD for international travelers. For the domestic visitor is 100,000 VND= 4,4 USD/ ticket
