Awakening the My Son heritage site with the vibrant colors of Cham culture.

VHO - From the sacred space of the heritage valley, My Son is gradually "awakening" in the night with new cultural products deeply rooted in Cham identity. The My Son Legendary Night art program, along with a series of festivals, folk song and dance performances, traditional singing and dancing, culinary experiences, and handicraft village experiences, is being implemented by the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board as an innovative approach to heritage preservation combined with tourism development.

Báo Văn Hóa•13/11/2025

Awakening the My Son heritage site with the vibrant colors of Cham culture - photo 1

Actors from the Department of Culture and Arts are rehearsing for the program "Legendary My Son Night".

This is an effort to enrich the cultural life of the heritage site, and at the same time, a way for My Son to spread intangible cultural values to tourists on their journey to explore the distinctive central region of Vietnam.

Awakening the My Son Heritage Site

The My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board (Thu Bon commune, Da Nang city) announced that the Department of Culture and Arts, in coordination with other specialized departments, is currently urgently rehearsing to prepare for the launch of the "Legendary My Son Night" art program.

The preparation of costumes and props has been meticulously planned to create an impressive artistic product with a unique imprint, offering locals and tourists a unique cultural experience. The program is expected to become a new highlight promoting the image of Cham culture at the My Son temple complex, contributing to stimulating sustainable tourism .

The program is scheduled to launch on the evening of November 21st, serving delegates from 10 World Heritage sites in Vietnam, in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Vietnam's Cultural Heritage Day (November 23, 2005 - November 23, 2025). The My Son Legendary Night consists of three parts: The Valley of Time Stories, The My Son Legendary Night , and Radiant Light, recreating the beauty of the temple complex through different periods, becoming a bridge between the past and the present, honoring the unique cultural values of this heritage land.

The program has been upgraded and streamlined compared to the original version, allowing viewers to gain a clearer understanding of the formation and development of My Son and the ancient Champa Kingdom. This honors the Cham cultural heritage while offering a fresh and engaging experience for audiences and tourists. This is also a key plan in the future development direction of the My Son World Heritage Management Board – aiming to diversify products, improve the quality of tourism services, increase the length of stay and spending of tourists, and link heritage preservation with community livelihood development.

Awakening the My Son heritage site at night with the colors of Cham culture - photo 2

Intangible cultural products such as Cham dance and Cham folk song performances contribute to the attractiveness of the My Son heritage site.

Diversifying intangible cultural products

Besides the conservation and restoration of relics, significant results have been achieved in promoting the value of heritage and developing tourism products at the My Son World Cultural Heritage Site. Many products have been perfected and put into service for tourists, such as: cultural products of the My Son temple complex, experiences of the heritage landscape and space, Cham dance, Cham folk song performances, and other supporting products. These intangible cultural products are always popular with tourists, contributing to diversifying the experience when visiting My Son.

Cham dance performances have been offered to tourists for over 10 years, becoming a "brand" of My Son tourism with 7 performances per day. Recently, the Management Board has developed two new highly-regarded products: Cham folk singing performances at the slope of Tower H and Bài Chòi singing by the local community in the heritage area. The unit also strives to collect and restore Cham court dances through documents and images, build performance spaces, and support artisans in teaching and training the next generation.

However, according to the My Son Management Board, due to obstacles related to mechanisms, policies, and overall planning, the unit has not yet fully exploited the existing tourism potential, and the development of new products has faced many limitations. Despite being financially independent, the investment and construction procedures for product categories still require multiple approval stages, preventing the comprehensive development of various service types. Experiential and entertainment products are not diverse enough; nighttime tourism products and accompanying services have not been effectively exploited. The "My Son Legendary Night" program, once proposed for pilot testing, remains incomplete; community-based tourism products are lacking, resulting in homestay accommodations in the buffer zone not achieving the desired effectiveness.

With the desire to affirm the value and preserve the traditional cultural identity, and promote the values of the Cham people, in the coming time, the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board will continue to maintain and improve the quality of tourism services, consolidate existing products and expand new products to serve tourists. In particular, the unit will focus on enhancing intangible cultural products during the year-end festival season.

Specifically, in addition to the "Legendary My Son Night" art program, the unit will invest in accompanying services such as food, a local market, Cham-Vietnamese craft village tourism experiences, and a space for folk games. At the same time, they will develop programs associated with the annual Katê festival; organize regular performances of Bài Chòi (6 shows/day), daily Cham folk singing, and the "Echoes of My Son" live art program on holidays, Tet (Lunar New Year), and fixed days of the month.

Mr. Nguyen Cong Khiet, Deputy Director in charge of the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board, said that with the potential of natural resources and the landscape of the core and buffer zones, the unit is orienting the development of ecotourism as the focus, combining experiential services to diversify products and attract tourists. Simultaneously, My Son continues to preserve and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage through performances and art programs, contributing to enhancing the value of the tourism experience. Integrating Cham folk art into major cultural and tourism events is also a way to promote the image of Cham culture to a wider audience, creating a unique mark for the My Son temple complex.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/van-hoa/danh-thuc-dem-di-san-my-son-bang-sac-mau-van-hoa-cham-180814.html