Tuesday morning, I visited Mỹ Sơn about an hour drive outside of Hội An. Central Vietnam’s history is closely tied to the Champa people who used to occupy the area until their governmental weakness forced them to move south as the emperor of Vietnam was expanding Vietnam’s area from the north. After arrival, we watched a traditional dance performance and then began a tour through the excavated and restored temples of the sites. Its hard to imagine that what I saw was only 10% of what was originally there. The Champa people practiced Hinduism so the motifs decorating their temples were depictions their Gods — Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu. Unlike the open and wide spaces of a Catholic church or Buddhist temple, their temples are small, narrower, and do not have windows. All were constructed with red brick with one constructed by stone. Even the script of their language looked similar to Hindu script. Archaeologists believe that there were at least 70 temples built between the 4th and 14th centuries by Champa Kings for their own and the royal family’s usage. I was sadden knowing that much of this interesting site with the backdrop of beautiful mountains has been lost forever, but its encouraging that the Vietnamese has recognized the importance to preserve the remains.
Mỹ Sơn means Beautiful Mountains — I think the name fits
At the door of the “Entrance Room” that separates the mediation room and main temple
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