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December 20, 2019December 22, 2019

My Son ruins

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This post is part of a series called Vietnam 2016
Show More Posts
  • Hanoi
  • Temple of Literature in Hanoi
  • Perfume Pagoda
  • Halong Bay
  • Imperial City of Hue
  • Imperial Tombs of Hue
  • Hue to Hoi An by car via scenic Hai Van pass
  • Historic Hoi An
  • My Son ruins
  • Whale Island Resort

The distinction between North and South in Vietnam isn’t a 20th century development. Before the country settled within its present boundaries, there were two large ethnic groups occupying its territory: the Viets in the north and the Chams in the south, each having its own kingdom or what accounted for a kingdom back then. Eventually the Chams were defeated and absorbed by the Viets, their civilization gone and what remains of the Cham ethnos now exists as minorities in Vietnam and the surrounding countries.

The golden age of the Champa kingdom coincided with the golden age of its then neighbor and rival Angkor, but unlike Angkor it didn’t get the luck of having an entire city preserved somewhere in the jungle. The most important Champa heritage now is the cluster of ruins known as My Son in the central Quang Nam province – nowhere as large as Angkor to begin with, it has also greatly suffered during the Vietnam war, so little remains for us to see. But if you adjust your expectations accordingly, it’s still very much worth a visit.

I went to My Son on a day trip from Hoi An – it’s about 1 hour from there by car.

My Son is located in a quiet valley surrounded by mountains. Also unlike Angkor, it was not a city, but a collection of temples commissioned by various consecutive rulers, so the place was reserved solely for religious purposes. The temples were Hundu – Hinduism was the official religion at the time, although modern Chams, by some twists and turns of history are, interestingly, Muslim.

My Son ruins in Vietnam
Craters from bombing during the war are still very visible here. It’s sad that the bombing happened just a few decades after the temples were reconstructed by the French.
My Son ruins in Vietnam
Anyways, for what remains the reconstruction is underway again.

My Son ruins in Vietnam

My Son ruins in Vietnam

My Son ruins in Vietnam

My Son ruins in Vietnam

My Son ruins in Vietnam
I love Khmer architecture – Chams had their own style, but it was quite similar, so I enjoyed it too.
My Son ruins in Vietnam
Cute puppy posing amidst the ruins.

My Son ruins in Vietnam

My Son ruins in Vietnam

My Son ruins in Vietnam

My Son ruins in Vietnam

I spent maybe an hour or so enjoying My Son, and then the driver dropped me off at Danang’s train station, from where I was to take the night train further south.

Posted in Vietnam, Places to visit
Tagged architecture
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