My Son Sanctuary
One of the towers of My Son
Traveling on the back of a motorcycle for an hour and half from the Ancient Town of Hoi An, pass the rural countryside, rich with rice paddies and farms, we headed to another of Vietnam’s UNESCO Heritage site – My Son Sanctuary.
Structure reliefs
I’ve read about My Son in many guidebooks and websites and had an idea that it’s not as grand as its many counter part ancient civilizations like the more famous sites of Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Borobudur in Indonesia, Pagan in Myanmar, or Ayutthaya in Thailand. But among all these kingdoms, My Son represents the longest continuous occupation for religious purposes within Southeast Asia as a whole. The site was inhabited by the Cham Kingdom from the 4th until the 15th century AD, far longer than any of the other Indian-influenced sites in the region. The Cham Kingdom derived their cultural and spiritual influences almost exclusively from India.
More towers in section A1
Though the architecture has some resemblance to the Khmer structures of Cambodia and eastern Thailand, the builders of My Son, developed their indigenous style of building their structures which still baffles archeologist till this day. It would seem that the Champa Builders were able to “glue” bricks together by using a type of resin native to central Vietnam. The exact method of how they did it is now lost but it would seem that they were able to place the resin by baking the entire monument in fire for days. Then after it has cooled they spend weeks to add details to the monuments.
Relief details
Entrance to this Heritage Park is around 55000 Dong ($3.35 USD). The ruins itself are located a few kilometers still inside a forest, but there are jeeps and shuttles that will take you there which is inclusive of what you paid for. It will drop you to the Tourist Center where you’ll be able to find a small museum and large map of the area. From there you’ll be going by foot.
Area A1, one the best preserved areas and structures of the complex
Clumps of structures are spread out so you’ll be doing some minor hikes to get from one place to another. They named each clumps in alphabet letters plus a number to identify them. Originally, the complex has 75 towers but now they are reduced to 25 structures and I blame the Americans for this. They went paranoid and berserk and decided to bomb the structures believing that the Vietnams were storing most of their supplies and ammunitions here during the war. At this time though, as if to expiate for what they have done, it was the Americans who are now in charge of restoration and rebuilding these structures.
One of the towers being restored.
Honestly if you’ve been to other ancient civilizations, this sight is a far cry and may disappoint you, for most of the areas are reduced in rubbles. Though there are regions like the A1 area which has somehow thankfully survived the bombings and was preserved, the whole kingdom has lost its grandeur. Gone are the magnificent towers which raise up to 3 stories high and left only ruins which represents the sorry state aftermath brought by the war.
Tags: Champa, Heritage, My Son Sanctuary, Structures, UNESCO, Vietnam
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Sunday, October 15th, 2006 at 10:19 am 
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October 15th, 2006 at 10:24 am
iba tlaga ang beauty ng ruins, kapag ma senti ka maganda yan, syiempre kung mahilig ka sa modern architecture could be disappointing to some. pero ang galing paraan ng pag-gagawa nila, talagang pinaghihirapan, imagine kailangan pa ng baking? hmm. sa unang picture naalala ko kaagad yung sunken church sa cagsawa na matagal ko ng pinapangarap na marating
vietnam malapit ko na ring pangarapin dahil sa kakapost mo ng vietnam, haha…. more more!
October 15th, 2006 at 11:32 am
amazing structure….the kind that indiana jones or lara croft would visit…:P
October 15th, 2006 at 9:21 pm
I looks impressive in your pictures. Very interesting info about glueing the stones together with resin.
I agree with faery, the ideal setting for a indiana jones movie!
October 16th, 2006 at 2:45 am
Parang mini Angkor Wat. Ang sarap mag-travel… If only I have all the time and funds…
October 16th, 2006 at 7:43 am
as usual nice pics! and nice blog. just love it
hey i linked u up ha, wala ka na magagawa hahaha na linked na kita lol. godbless!
October 16th, 2006 at 1:32 pm
uy, ruins! again, great pics ferdz! para na rin akong nagvirtual travel to angkor wat
October 16th, 2006 at 3:51 pm
ah yun pala ang my son…
akala yun pinag-shootingan ni fpj sa isang pelikula nya hehe
October 16th, 2006 at 7:07 pm
i still have yet to see this kind of ruins… parang interesting din sya…love the first shot…
October 16th, 2006 at 8:45 pm
tnx for sharing those wonderful structures
i just loved it!
very nice !
October 16th, 2006 at 9:34 pm
whoa! i’d love to visit that place one time!!
October 17th, 2006 at 1:57 am
Hi Ferdz,
Wow, pretty neat picture! Amazing photos and I feel like going out there and see it myself…thanks for sharing it by the way…
Take care!
October 17th, 2006 at 11:53 pm
wow man! you are some traveller. Very nice “rustic” photos!
October 18th, 2006 at 12:48 pm
wow this country really values theirs heritage site. good for them!
October 19th, 2006 at 6:39 am
ganda! tsk tsk…
October 20th, 2006 at 11:30 am
nice shots! how i wish mapuntahan ko lahat yan.. hehe
October 20th, 2006 at 5:38 pm
the ruins are amazing, para pa siyang ni-landscape dahil strategic ang pagkakatubo ng mga damong ligaw
ganda ng details ng elephants dun sa isang bato, to think that these were built ages ago. feels like i’m watching (or playing!?) TR2.
October 20th, 2006 at 9:16 pm
The first pic reminds me of the church in Mayon Volcano.
I think it was thought the khmer rouge and the ankor wat (plus the pyramids) was constructed by visiting aliens…hmmm!
Have a great weekend, Ferdz. God bless
October 20th, 2006 at 10:06 pm
[...] Ironwulf.net Ver 5: Around the Bend « My Son Sanctuary [...]
October 21st, 2006 at 7:54 pm
They may be in rubbles but in places like these, history is palpable. I wonder why it was named “My Son”… is it in Vietnamese or does it literally mean “Ang anak kong lalaki”?
October 23rd, 2006 at 7:44 pm
I looooove your photos! You really take great shots! Makes me wanna visit Vietnam someday soon.
April 8th, 2007 at 2:14 pm
no way:) http://www.lotbot.com
June 25th, 2008 at 8:27 pm
[...] raiding at Hue, warping back in time at the French Colonial streets of Hoi An and exploring the Ancient Kingdom of the Champas at My Son. But the natural wonder of a karst-filled bay has quite an appeal that I went fidgety with delight [...]