Hidden beauty of My Son Sanctuary attracts international visitors

Nestled in a narrow valley surrounded by mountains, the architectural complex of My Son Sanctuary exudes an ancient, wild and mysterious beauty. Despite being severely damaged by natural disasters and wars, My Son Sanctuary still stands one of the most unique attractions in Quang Nam province, attracting thousands of domestic and foreign tourists each year.

My Son Sanctuary is located in Duy Phu commune (Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam province), about 70 km from Da Nang city and about 30 km from National Highway 1A to the west.

This place is the pinnacle of Cham Pa sculpture with a continuous development process of nearly 9 centuries. Despite being severely damaged by natural disasters and wars, My Son Sanctuary still has traces of the foundations of 70 holy buildings, castles and temples.

The architecture of My Son Sanctuary is mostly influenced by Hinduism, using brick and stone and face the East - the direction of the rising sun and is considered the place where the gods reside. The temple structure here is divided into 3 main parts: the base of the tower, the body of the tower and the top of the tower and is the place to organize the sacrifices of the Champa dynasty as well as the tombs of the Champa kings or princes, the royal family. .

In general, the architecture of My Son Sanctuary is influenced by Hinduism. The temples are made of brick and stone, facing the east where the gods live. The structure of temples and towers here are separated into three sections: the base of the tower, the body of the tower, and the top of the tower. In the past, they organized ceremonial activities of the Cham Pa dynasty in this place. 

Mrs Borbala Banya from Hungary shared: "My teacher is an anthropologist who lived for a year and a half in Vietnam. His sharing about the country, people and culture of Vietnam inspires me a lot and that's the reason why I'm here, at the My Son Sanctuary. Its ancient and distinctive features make me feel like I'm lost in a certain country. I really admire the architecture here."

Meanwhile, Daniel, a French visitor, described My Son Sanctuary as an unique cultural heritage of the world. "I will come back to Quang Nam to learn more about its culture", shared Daniel. 

It is known that in 2022, My Son Sanctuary welcomed 110,000 visitors, of which more than 60% were foreigners. In 2023, the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board set a target of welcoming 180,000 visitors with about 70% international visitors. 

"The Management Board of My Son Cultural Heritage is focusing on strengthening the source of traditional tourists from Europe, Australia, the US and North Asia. Due to their high demand of entertaining, we exert all-out efforts to create unique art performance", said Phan Ho, Director if the Management Board of My Son Cultural Heritage.