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Time needed: Half day
The UNESCO Heritage listed Holy site of My Son, is located a 70km drive from Danang/Hoi An. The drive will take you through rolling countryside, passing through small towns with markets in full swing, often journeying alongside the wide reaches of the Han River.
As you draw closer to My Son, which translates literally as "Beautiful Mountain" the condition of the road begins to deteriorate and the last few kilometres of track are often rutted and potholed. On arriving at the My Son area and after crossing a bamboo "Monkey Bridge" you will then drive a further 3km along a river gorge. After a 500m walk through lush hillsides, trees and brush, you will emerge into the main site.
My Son is the major site in Vietnam from the ancient Champa Kingdom. It dates back to the 4th century and is the longest occupied of all major monuments in South East Asia, being occupied continuously from the 4th to the 13th centuries.
There were over 70 classic Cham monuments at My Son, dating from the 7th - 13th Centuries. Set against the backdrop of the appropriately named Cat's Tooth Mountain, they would then have been an awesome sight. Until 1968 they remained, remarkably, in almost perfect condition, having been sheltered from the worst excesses of weather by the surrounding hills. Regrettably however, man achieved what nature could not and B52 bombers destroyed most of the towers when My Son found itself in a free-fire zone during the Vietnam War.
Heritage listed in 1999, now only 20 of the original 70 ruins/sites remain. Bomb craters are still visible next to some of the ruins.
Known as Vietnam’s own version of Angkor Wat, My Son is smaller in scale and quieter, with far less tourists. My Son was a religious and intellectual centre, with six different sites (where Champa Kings were crowned and buried) set along a walking track.
Entry to the sites cost 60,000VND.
How to get there: We recommend hiring a private car from a hotel in Danang or Hoi An for the approximately two hour journey (70kms).