My Son sanctuary and Basket boat tour

My Son sanctuary and Basket boat tour: Discover the UNESCO World Heritage site of My Son Sanctuary, an ancient Champa kingdom temple complex. Then, experience the unique culture of Hoi An with a thrilling ride in a traditional Vietnamese basket boat. This combined tour offers a perfect blend of history, culture, and adventure. Book your unforgettable Hoi An excursion today! Book more tours here.

History of My Son Sanctuary

In the 4th century, Cham People lived in the south of Vietnam today. They built a country named Champa Kingdom. Where Cham people came from is still unknown, but according to some research, they might come from Indonesia, or India,… Like those countries, Cham people were Hinduist.

In the 4th century, The Cham King (Bhadravarman I) built the first temple from wood, and it was burnt accidentally. In the 6th century (200 years later), A Cham King ( Sambhuvarman) built the first brick temple and later other kings built their own temples. Rumor has it each prince when they took over the throne had to built a temple ( There are about 70 discovered temples, there could be 70 kings ruling the Kingdom from the 4th to the 13th century).

All the temples in My Son sanctuary were built mainly to dedicate to Shiva ( the destruction in Hindu). Other than Shiva, they also worshiped other gods such as Vishnu (the protection), Brahma( The creation).

In the 14th century, Champa Kingdom was invaded by the Vietnamese from the North. Gradually the Vietnamese took over the Kingdom in the 19th century.

My Son was abandoned for almost a hundred years in the primary forest of My Son valley. In 1885, the French discovered it. 10 years later, they started studying inscriptions and architecture.

In 1969, My Son sanctuary was bombed by the US Airforce. 90% of the old sanctuary was destructed. In 1997, the Vietnamese government with the support of Poland, India, Italy started restoring the temples. During the restorations, the archeologists met a lot of difficulties due to lacks of documents which were destroyed in the wars.