I am a big fan of history, the more ancient the better, so imagine my joy when I found out that Vietnam boasts ancient Hindu temples and ruins dating back to the 4th century, that's older than the ruins at Angkor Wat in Cambodia.
The Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary is located in central Vietnam, just one hour drive from both Hoi An to the East and Da Nang to the North East. For my visit, I signed up to a small group guided tour so that I could absorb as much historical information as possible. The guided tour I took was offered through AirBnB Experiences, costing just $AUD38 for a 6 hour tour. This included door to door pick up and drop off, a light traditional Vietnamese lunch and a wealth of knowledge from our guide, he even taught me a cool photography trick I will add at the end of this article. The ticket into the sanctuary was not included, and was an additional $AUD9.
The one big bit of advice I can give you is make sure you go early in the morning to avoid the heat and larger tour groups.
Mỹ Sơn is surrounded by encroaching jungle and towering mountains. Image Source: Author
Mỹ Sơn was a religious and political hub for what was the Champa Kingdom. The Champa people predate the Viet people in Vietnam by several centuries, with the Champa Kingdom forming in 192 AD from a dispersed population into one nation. The Champa Kingdom went into decline as the Viet people migrated south and began displacing, and eventually absorbed the kingdom in 1832.
During their presence in what we now know as Vietnam, the Champa people developed a number of peaceful trading relationships, one of which was with India. Through this relationship, Hinduism was imported into the Champa Kingdom.
Temples and outbuildings at Mỹ Sơn. Image source: Author
There are eight groups of buildings at the sanctuary, each surrounding a Hindu temple, built over 10 centuries starting from the 4th century. Each temple has approximately 7 satellite buildings accommodating administrative, worship and storage functions.
Sadly the buildings, particularly the older ones, have suffered from the ravages of time and war. Many of the buildings are no longer visible, and others are in a state of ruin, although there are a number of active restoration ventures, some funded by international governments like India, Germany and the United States.
Over time, as more buildings were discovered, either hidden by the surrounding jungle or buried by time and bombardment, important relics and artifacts were removed. Many of these relics were sold to international collectors, or to museums overseas. Some relics have been returned in recent years and are housed in museums in Hanoi. Others may never be recovered as they languish in private collections.
Items recovered while the site was cleared of explosive ordinance. Image Source: Author
Unlike Hoi An, Mỹ Sơn was not spared from the bombardments during the Vietnam war. The destruction caused by the war is evident everywhere you look, with damage to buildings, evidence of shrapnel on the walls, and large craters beside buildings caused by bombs.
Unexploded / disarmed shells found at Mỹ Sơn. Image Source: Author
In addition to the damage the buildings have suffered over time, there is one specific type of damage that took me by surprise. None of the statues and icons have heads. This was explained by our guide, who told us that when looters came to the site over the years (or when people discovered something and decided to loot it), they often took only the head, due to the shear weight of a stone statue.
Headless statue. Image Source: Author
Despite the damage, much of which is to be expected in a site this old, this was an incredibly rewarding tour. My travels have multiple functions, initially it was to see the world and escape the cost of living in Australia. However an equally important element for me is the desire to learn about other cultures past and present, after-all learning is something I strive to achieve in some small way every day. The Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary well and truly ticks the learning box, and I can not recommend it enough to anyone reading this.
As mentioned, the additional benefit I got from our guide was a tip on how to take great pictures (I am no photographer) making use of water reflections.
This image is taken using the water trapped in a statue pillar, and is achieved by making sure the camera lens is as low as possible to the water level. I used my Samsung Fold 5 phone to take this picture (well all of them actually).
Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary. Image source: Author
So to wrap things up, if you are in Vietnam or planning a trip, and staying at either Da Nang or Hoi An, I strongly recommend a visit to Mỹ Sơn. You don’t have to use the services of a guide, it is easy enough to get there on your own using Grab or hiring a scooter, but I would say the value added by a local guide when going somewhere with such ancient history is immense.
If you want to know more about Mỹ Sơn check out the following video: