My Son Sanctuary

My Son Sanctuary is one of Southeast Asia's most significant archaeological sites — a collection of ancient Hindu temples built by the Cham people between the 4th and 14th centuries. The Cham were a powerful maritime civilization that dominated central Vietnam for nearly a millennium, and My Son was their most sacred religious site, dedicated primarily to Shiva. Today it's a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and despite serious damage from US bombing raids during the Vietnam War, enough remains to make the scale and sophistication of Cham civilization vividly clear.

The sanctuary is spread across a narrow valley ringed by jungle-covered mountains, and the approach alone sets the mood — you walk or take a golf cart through dense tropical forest before the brick towers emerge from the greenery. The complex is divided into lettered groups (A through H), each containing clusters of towers and ceremonial structures in varying states of preservation. Group B and C tend to be the most impressive. The craftsmanship is remarkable: the Cham built these towers from fired brick without mortar, using a technique that still isn't fully understood, and carved intricate reliefs of gods, dancers, and mythological scenes directly into the brick. A small on-site museum adds useful context, and there are regular Cham dance performances throughout the day.

My Son is about 40 kilometres southwest of Hoi An — most visitors join a half-day tour or hire a driver, and many combine the trip with a boat ride along the Thu Bon River. Arrive early, before the tour buses from Da Nang pile in around 9–10am. The heat in the valley can be brutal by midday, and the site has limited shade once you're out among the towers. Morning also brings softer light, which makes a real difference for photography. Skip the cheapest group tours if you can — a knowledgeable guide transforms this place from a pile of old bricks into something genuinely moving.