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| The sacred and mysterious path to the My Son Sanctuary has been revealed following excavation and archaeological work in 2025. |
The mystical sacred path to My Son Sanctuary
According to Master Nguyen Cong Khiet, Deputy Director in charge of the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board, from the beginning of June 2025 to the present, the Management Board has coordinated with the Institute of Archaeology (Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences ) to conduct archaeological exploration and excavation covering a total area of 770m² in the area between Tower K and the central group of towers in the My Son temple complex; revealing more valuable traces and contributing to a clearer understanding of the sacred path in the My Son Sanctuary in history.
According to the description by the French archaeologist H. Parmentier in the early 20th century, Tower K is a single tower located quite independently from other tower groups in the northwest of the My Son valley. The tower was built on a wide, relatively high, flat area next to the Khe The stream. The K group consists of only one tower with its entrance oriented lengthwise from east to west.
According to Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy from the Institute of Archaeology, the excavation area is located within a long-standing forest to the east of Tower K, a relatively flat and open space extending from Tower K to the Towers E and F in the center of the My Son valley.
After six months of diligent work by scientists and their collaborators, many traces along the 170-meter-long road were unearthed in 2025, gradually unraveling its mysteries. Scientists excavated and archaeologically surveyed over 132/170 meters of the road and were surprised to discover that it had a cross-sectional structure with an overall width of 9 meters and a roadbed width of 7.9 meters. The road surface was flat, composed of compacted sand, gravel, and broken bricks, with a thickness of 0.15-0.2 meters. The retaining walls on both sides of the road were constructed from rows of bricks, approximately 1 meter high, reinforced with a layer of compacted gravel and brick powder. The walls were constructed using a technique where the bricks were wider at the bottom and gradually narrowed towards the top until they met. In previous archaeological excavations along this road, scientists had discovered traces of two retaining walls. Now, with newly unearthed documents, archaeologists have determined that these two surrounding walls are over 1 meter high and have as many as five gates arranged on them. This detail needs further clarification, shared Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy.
Through fieldwork using technical methods, scientists determined that, technically, on a predetermined surface, construction workers reinforced the foundation of the roadbed and walls with gravel. Then, the roadbed and two brick walls were laid directly on top of the reinforced foundation layer. The layers of bricks forming the walls were stacked on top of each other in a slightly tapering pattern from the base upwards, without the use of any binding material.
Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy emphasized that the results of the 2025 survey and excavation have added valuable documents to determine the religious function of the ruins as a sacred path—a path leading deities, kings, and Brahmin priests into the sacred space of My Son Sanctuary around the 11th-12th centuries to perform religious rituals.
Awakening the sacred path of a thousand years
According to Master's degree holder Nguyen Van Tho, Head of the Conservation Department at the My Son World Cultural Heritage Museum, archaeological excavations covering 1,010 square meters have been carried out over three field seasons (2023-2025) in the area east of Tower K, aiming to clarify the architectural traces of the road leading from Tower K to the center of the My Son Sanctuary. Initially, scientists have clearly identified the location and function of this road.
Preliminary comparative studies have also noted that the sacred road, or ceremonial road, associated with newly discovered rituals at the My Son Sanctuary, is the only such road in the entire Champa cultural heritage system. Research has identified the road as approximately 170 meters long, extending from the eastern foot of Tower K to the western bank of a dry stream within the My Son Sanctuary. To date, archaeological work has clearly unearthed a 132-meter section of the road extending eastward from the foot of Tower K.
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| Excavation and archaeological work have uncovered more valuable traces, contributing to a clearer understanding of the sacred path at My Son Sanctuary in history. |
At the report on the results of the archaeological excavation and research of the access road to My Son Sanctuary on the afternoon of December 12th, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy shared much new information. According to him, when the ancient road was unearthed, scientists believe that the space of the My Son heritage site may have been twice as large as it is today. Another characteristic of the road that was clarified by this excavation is the discovery of four gate traces on the southern wall section of the road, while no similar gate traces were found on the northern wall section.
Thus, after three rounds of archaeological excavations, the surrounding walls may have a total of five gates/doors facing south, with many connections to religious rituals that require further study. At the gate location, there are still traces of stone door beams with square mortise holes for erecting stone pillars and round mortise holes for placing the rotating pillars of the door.
Another interesting point is that the end of the ancient road at the dry stream bank may raise the question of whether kings, princes, and priests had to cross this stream as a "purification" ritual before entering the ceremonial area. On the other hand, the area of the ancient road at the time of archaeological excavations in 2023-2025 was forested. Meanwhile, studies show that this area was previously a flat plain.
Regarding its age, based on the construction techniques of the road, especially the construction techniques of the wall sections within the overall architecture of Tower K, it can be inferred that the road dates back to the same period as Tower K, around the 12th century. The stratigraphic development of the site indicates that the road structure only existed during a specific cultural period and was soon forgotten after that period.
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| This road has an overall cross-sectional width of 9m and a carriageway width of 7.9m. The road surface is flat, composed of compacted sand, gravel, and broken bricks, with a thickness of 0.15 - 0.2m. |
The archaeological artifacts found date back to the 10th-12th centuries. Among them, glazed ceramics from the 10th-11th centuries of the Northern Song Dynasty and the 12th-13th centuries of the Southern Song Dynasty are quite common. However, their appearance at My Son may have been delayed to some extent. Overall, the sacred road—the path of deities, kings, and Brahmin priests—likely dates back to the 11th-12th centuries, argues Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy.
During a field trip along the ancient road, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Chi Hoang, Vice President of the Vietnam Archaeological Association and member of the National Council for Cultural Heritage, suggested that in the process of developing this ancient road into a tourism product, appropriate measures must be taken to respect the sacred space of the road. This would both preserve and enhance the value of the ancient road, avoiding overcrowding, degradation, and significant pressure on the route.
The discovery of the ancient road, forgotten for centuries underground, through archaeological exploration and excavation at My Son, has raised many interesting scientific issues. On the one hand, it acknowledges the significant historical, cultural, and religious role, position, and value of the My Son Sanctuary. The uncovering of this ancient road within the My Son temple complex—a globally significant heritage site—encourages scientists to continue researching and further clarifying the valuable historical, cultural, religious, and architectural values that remain shrouded in mystery within the ancient tower complex.
According to VNA/News and Ethnic Minorities Newspaper
Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/van-hoa/202512/duong-co-vao-thanh-dia-my-son-bi-an-nghin-nam-da-he-mo-3dc431c/
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