My Son Sanctuary tour from Hoi An – Halfday

One of the most stunning sights to see neat Hoi An old town is My Son ruins, a religious center of the ancient Champa Kingdom. It is about 45 km southwest of Hoi An old town, in the middle of a green valley surrounded by mountain jungle. The best time of day to explore the My Son complex is certainly early morning due to the hot featured climate of the central region of Vietnam. Pick up at your hotel, approximately an hour drive outside of the busy tourist city of Hoi An is My Son Sanctuary. It will take you about half a day to explore this land.

It’s a unique site in Vietnam, not only for the fact that once it was the religious center of ancient Champa Kingdom, but also for the reason that its masterpieces of brick construction of the period, both in terms of the technology of their construction and because of their intricate carved-brick decorations. The construction of My Son began in the fourth century, the temples of the complex were used to worship and make offerings to the Hindu gods, it also served as a cultural center and burial place for Cham royalty and national heroes. Originally built from wood, the temples were completely destroyed by fire in the 6th century and then rebuilt in the 7th century with locally made bricks. By the end 13th century, more than 70 temples had been built, establishing My Son as a sanctuary of Hinduism in the Champa Kingdom. For outstanding Universal Value, in 1999, UNESCO designated My Son a World Heritage Site.

Firstly impression when coming to My Son, there are no dry sand desert-like surroundings. Instead, small rivers were flowing and the lush greenery is covered in the morning mist. My Son Sanctuary located within the village of Duy Phu, the complex stretches out two kilometers within a valley and is surrounded by mountain ranges. The deeper it goes inside, the more clearly the red towers appear, which are also the marks of a long history of civilization has disappeared. In the past, this was land to worship gods, and shelter if the capital of Tra Kieu was invaded. The most prominent feature inside My Son is the many clusters of towers. Each towers cluster has a main tower and many small towers around. Small streams become the natural boundary dividing these towers clusters into four areas, each area is built in its own unique architecture.

After discovering all the unique cultural values ​​of My Son through the architectural construction, the sculptural drawings on stone bricks. The ancient Cham people have been honored as “Master of the art of brick building”. Up to now, the techniques of building temples and towers still have many unexplained mysteries. Without using ordinary adhesives, the bricks look like that they are only stacked but solidly. With more than 70 architectural works of stone bricks, My Son became the most important architectural center of Cham-pa Kingdom. My Son Sanctuary not only has a distinctive architecture, but it also has bold Cham culture expressed through the impressive sculpture of the construction masters. In particular, the Cham-pa culture is also famous for its gentle and graceful Cham dances. This is a sacred dance directed to the gods in the temples. The journey will conclude with extremely special Cham performances or Apsara dances imbued with Cham culture.

Itinerary

08H00 : Pick up at hotel (around in Hoi An) depart for an excursion to My Son, a cluster of abandoned and partially ruined Hindu temples constructed between the 4th and the 14th century AD by the kings of Champa. Spend the morning touring the most significant archaeological ruins of Vietnam, listed as a World Heritage site by UNESCO. My Son Sanctuary is a remarkable architectural ensemble that developed over a period of ten centuries. It presents a vivid picture of spiritual and political life in an important phase of the history of South-East Asia.

10H30 : Enjoy special Cham performances or Apsara dances imbued with Cham culture.

11H30 : Say goodbye to the ancient kingdom and return to the hotel.