Mysterious thousand-year-old Cham tower in the heart of the Holy Land

My Son Sanctuary is located in Duy Phu commune (Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province). This is a Cham temple complex located in a valley about 2 km in diameter, surrounded by hills and mountains.

In 1999, My Son Sanctuary was selected by UNESCO as one of the world cultural heritages. According to scientists, this Sanctuary could have been built in the 4th century and additional temples and towers were built over many centuries to create the complex as it is today.

In 1999, My Son Sanctuary was selected by UNESCO as one of the world cultural heritages. According to scientists , this Sanctuary could have been built in the 4th century and additional temples and towers were built over many centuries to create the complex as it is today.

There was once a wooden temple here, but it was later burned down. In the early 7th century, King Sambhuvarman rebuilt the temple with bricks. Later kings continued to repair and build new brick temples to worship the same gods.

The temples at My Son were made of red bricks. The decorative carvings were cut directly into the bricks. To this day, scientists have not been able to explain the construction techniques of the Cham people's temples as well as the materials used to bond the bricks to ensure their durability over more than ten centuries.

After the Champa kingdom fell, My Son Sanctuary fell into oblivion for centuries and was not discovered until 1885.

My Son Sanctuary is a complex of more than 70 temples and towers with many architectural and sculptural styles typical of each historical period of the Champa kingdom.

French archaeologists divided the architectural works in My Son into 10 main groups: A, A', B, C, D, E, F, G, H, K and named each work by combining letters and numbers.

The architectural styles here are divided into 6 types: ancient style, Hoa Lai, Dong Duong, My Son, PoNagar and Binh Dinh people's style. Most of the architectural works and sculptures at My Son are influenced by Hinduism.

The sanctuary complex consists of two hills, facing each other in the East-West direction and right at the intersection of a stream, the streams have become natural boundaries dividing the place into four areas A, B, C, D. The art and architecture here are greatly influenced by Indian style.

The Sanctuary consists of many tower clusters, each tower cluster has a main tower (Kalan) in the middle and many small auxiliary towers surrounding it. The tower gate usually faces east to receive sunlight.

My Son Sanctuary has become a favorite destination for domestic and foreign tourists. The total number of visitors to My Son Sanctuary in 2019 is estimated at 420,906, with total revenue in 2019 reaching nearly 66 billion VND.