The Cham archeological site at Mỹ Sơn is a Hindu religious site that is located near Hoi An and close to Da Nang, Vietnam. The Mỹ Sơn complex dates from the 4^th to the 13^th centuries and was the central worship complex of the Champa people.

There are around 50 remaining Cham sites dotted over Central Vietnam. I have visited the Po Shanu Tower near Mui Ne and Kalan Po Klong Giarai near Nha Trang (I will have posts on these in the future).

The complex features many building in in various conditions located in a tropical jungle surroundings. The complex is not all in a central site. There is a main site with many building near each other and the photos below show this site.

Other buildings are located near the main site but these building are further apart from each other than the buildings in the main site. Some of these buildings are shown in the photos below.

All of the buildings have Hindu symbols carved in the stones on the walls and on the entrances into the buildings. Just like the buildings, some of these carvings are in good condition and others show the deterioration of being hundreds of years old.

Scattered around the complex there are stone sculptures and remains of inscriptions on plaster that covered the bricks.

The Cham archeological site at Mỹ Sơn is an interesting site to see but not much of the artistic sculptures remaining at this location. The best place to see Cham art work is at the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang. This museum houses the world’s largest collection of Cham art with around 300 sandstone and terra-cotta sculptures on display.

A link to my post on the Museum of Cham Sculpture is at the bottom of this post.

The Dust on My Shoes

The Cham archeological site at Mỹ Sơn is located far away from any populated area. It is surrounded by jungle and mountains. This location really makes the site special. There are no car noises, no sounds of the city, the only noises that you will hear are the sounds of the birds in the trees.

The site was lost in the jungle and was discovered in 1898. Sites like this are special to me because they are not perfect. Visiting sites like these give me the feeling that I am actually seeing a historic site.

The Cham architecture is unique from other architecture that I have seen because they used a lot of rounded tops on their buildings. The site at Mỹ Sơn only has a couple of buildings with this style but other sites have more intact building with this style.

Cham archeological site at Mỹ Sơn is in an isolated location but it is easy to get to and there are many visitors to the site, most arriving in tour buses. Arrive before the crowds by hiring a driver and you can experience the site almost by yourself..

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Will be posted on 9/21/21