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Are you looking for a historical, religious, and cultural place to visit while you are in Hoi An? Then don’t miss the 1600-year-old ruins of the Champa Kingdom- My Son Sanctuary. 

Where is My Son Sanctuary?

My Son Sanctuary is about 45 km away from Hoi An ancient town. Although they are world heritage sites and close to each other, they are completely different in terms of architectural features, historical background, and religious purpose. 

Champa – an ancient kingdom in history

Thousands of years ago, Cham people began to settle down along the South Central Coast in Vietnam. It was separated from China by Dai Viet ( later known as Vietnam) in the middle. As a result, the Champa people soon established a kingdom in the 2nd Century CE and avoided being controlled and influenced by China. Instead, Indian culture had a pretty strong influence on Champa culture and Hinduism became the dominant religion of the Champa Kingdom.

In the 19th century, Champa Kingdom disappeared from the map due to historical changes and the Cham people became one of the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam.

Hinduism – the art of living

As we all know, religion was and will always be the most influential factor in shaping human society. Visiting My Son Temple is a lifetime opportunity to get to know more about Hinduism, which is the 3rd biggest religion in the world nowadays. You will be amazed by the fascinating and intriguing Hinduism concepts:

• Trinity: 3 extremely powerful Gods including Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu
• Reincarnation: After people die, the soul will leave the body and then reincarnate in the next life. How one will live the next life will be much dependent on how much the soul evolves in the present life.
• Atman: The concept of the individual soul
• Brahman: The concept of the universal soul
• Moksha: The concept of liberation from the circle of death and rebirth.

In addition, you will discover how the Champa people practice Brahmanism ( later known as Hinduism) in this mysterious and marvelous temple. 

Brick – building technique is untold story

Apart from religious features, the most captivating aspect of My Son Sanctuary is its unique Cham style of architecture. While woods and stones are common materials used in Ancient Vietnamese historical sites, bricks are preferred in Champa culture. Every single brick tells us a story about the glorious Champa Kingdom, the Kingdom has disappeared from the map but its unique building technique has stayed with us forever.

When visiting this temple, you can’t wrap your mind around the amazing bricks used in building this temple. A normal modern brick may last a century at most but Cham towers are thousands of years old and still remain intact. The story of how Cham people made these bricks has still remained unsolved. In 1999, with those universal cultural values,  My Son temple was recognized as a world heritage site by Unesco.