My Son is a famous vestige of Cham Pa Kingdom, located in small valley in Duy Phu Commune, Duy Xuyen District, Quang Nam Province, 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 AD by the kings of Champa.

My Son Sanctuary is a complex of more than 70 architecture works including temples, tombs, towers, and sculptures of Cham Pa civilization, standing imposingly in poetic mountainous sceneries. Over thousands years, despite the ruins of war and time, resplendent vestiges of the sanctuary still take your breath when you visit here.

According to the history, architecture works in My Son were built by Kings of Champa, showing the most sophisticating and highlighting features of the architecture in this period of time. It is a very important place for worshiping and sacrificing of Cham Pa reigns. My Son was also a political centre and a royal burial ground and the complex consists of more than 70 structures devoted to Hindu gods and goddesses and the most noticeable one, Shiva, was considered the protector of the Champa’s kings.

The temples in My Son were built into groups that basically followed the same model. Each group was comprised of a main sanctuary (kalan), surrounded by towers and auxiliary monuments. The kalan, which is a symbol of Meru Mountain (centre of the universe, where the gods live) is dedicated to Shiva. The small temples are devoted to the spirits of the eight compass points. In the towers, topped with tiled, curved roofs, were stocked the offerings and sacred objects of the pilgrims. Cham temples do not have windows, so they are very dark inside. Windows are only found on the towers.

Although My Son was destroyed by time and wars and a lot of architectures were damaged, you can see amazing things about materials, techniques and art factors of these temples, tombs or towers which was only made by very skillful and talented people as well as remarkable exist of a great and powerful reign.

Especially, visiting My Son, you can have chance to admire attractive Apsara dance – a Khmer classical dance. It is very interesting experience when watching amazing Apsara dancers performing in fanciful and mysterious beauty of My Son ruins, under the stunning glow of sunset.