Taking a tour to My Son

The ancient My Son Sanctuary ruins near Hoi An tell us a lot about the ancient Champa people who use to live here.

Written by Michael Turtle

Michael Turtle is the founder of Time Travel Turtle. A journalist for more than 20 years, he's been travelling the world since 2011.

Michael Turtle is the founder of Time Travel Turtle and has been travelling full time for a decade.

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Taking a tour to My Son

The temples of My Son have faced many challenges over the years, but there is still lots to see at this World Heritage Site.

One of the best ways to visit the ruins from nearby tourist towns is to take a tour to My Son.

The My Son temples in Vietnam survived centuries of time, they survived territorial wars, and they survived years of neglect. What finally destroyed the grandest of them all was American bombs.

Thankfully not everything was lost.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

The temples that were built here from as early as the 4th century by the Champa culture, dedicated to Indian Hindu gods like Shiva, are still in good condition (or, at least, have been restored to that state). Visiting My Son, surrounded by lush scenery, makes for an excellent day trip from Hoi An.

I’ll talk more about this soon, but it’s best to visit My Son on a tour. I would recommend this one from Hoi An, or this one from Da Nang.

The name ‘My Son’ means ‘beautiful mountain’ and it’s easy to see how it got its name, with the complex set in moist green jungle beneath a cluster of impressive peaks.

But it’s the temples, full of history, carved with the faces of its creators, that are the highlights.

What is the My Son Sanctuary?

The My Son Sanctuary, also just called My Son, is a collection of Hindu temples near Hoi An in Vietnam. They were built by the Champa people between the 4th and 14th centuries.

Why is My Son a World Heritage Site?

My Son has been protected as a UNESCO World Heritage Site because it is the best remaining monuments from the Champa people. This unique culture brought Indian religious values and worshipped Krishna, Vishnu, and particularly Shiva.

Is it worth visiting My Son?

Visiting My Son is an excellent way to explore the fascinating culture that developed in this part of Vietnam until the 14th century. The temples are in good condition and it’s a site that you won’t find anywhere else in the country.

The plants dominate everything these days. Not just with the views of the surrounding landscapes, but even with the green shoots growing out of cracks of every original

Not that there would have been many cracks back when the temples were first built. The Champa people devised an ingenious construction method that is hard to replicate today.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

Learning more about this, and about the people who lived here, is one of the reasons a tour to My Son is so fascinating.

A brief history of My Son

The My Son temple complex was built between the 4th century and the 14th century. It was the central worshipping centre for the Champa people who had five kingdoms in the surrounding areas.

The Champa had come from Java in Indonesia and brought with them their Hindu religion. My Son was dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

They built the walls with soft bricks that had been baked at a low temperature. When they were placed on top of each other, they moulded together.

When the final shape was complete, the whole building was set on fire to harden the bricks and lock them into place. No need for mortar, yet no gaps.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

The god Shiva was the bringer of the wishes of the Champa people and the thing they wished for most was fertility. The Champa wanted to grow their population because of the basic idea that there was strength in numbers.

Remember, these were people who were essentially immigrants with no historical connection to the land. If they were going to defend their kingdoms and also expand them, they needed the people to do that.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

And protection was a real issue for the Champa. They faced threats from the Khmer Empire in Cambodia, other ethnic groups in Vietnam, and even from the Chinese.

In the end, though, it was the Viet people who gained control of this region in the 11th century and forced the Champa to move south, closer to Nha Trang, although their leaders managed to maintain the temple complex for a couple more centuries.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

After that, though, the temples were lost. My Son was overtaken by the jungle, and the natural world swallowed the remains of the culture that had thrived for almost a millennium.

How My Son was rediscovered

After being lost, My Son was finally rediscovered by the French in 1898. They embarked on a restoration project, realising the significance of the site, comparing it to places like Angkor in Cambodia, Borobudur in Indonesia and Ayutthaya in Thailand.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

And this brings us to August 1969 when much of this restoration work was undone.

In just one week, American B52s carpet bombed the site during an intense period of fighting during the Vietnam War. The section of My Son with the largest temples – the most impressive and most holy – was turned into a pile of rubble.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

It’s tragic – but war is tragic, isn’t it?

And, luckily for future tourists (like myself) and for the cultural legacy of mankind, some sections survived and can still be visited today.

Tips for visiting My Son

Most people use the nearby city of Hoi An as the base for visiting the temple complex of My Son, and it’s just about an hour’s drive away. It’s also possible to go to My Son from Da Nang as a day trip.

In Hoi An, you will find that a lot of the hotels will offer My Son tours – with the budget ones as low as $10 per person.

However, the entrance ticket is not included and is currently 150,000 dong (US$6.40). Plus, the cheaper the tour, the larger the group will be. If you really want to learn about the site, you’re better going for a smaller group tour.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

There are three basic areas to My Son that you can see. The first is a relatively complete temple complex with about a dozen buildings. These are formed different stages in the ceremonies to worship Shiva and are aligned with the movements of the sun.

Even today, they are impressive and you can still see the ornate carvings in the bricks of various Hindu gods and symbols.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

The second area you can see is the site where the bombs destroyed a temple complex. This is not particularly spectacular because nothing has been done to terror the structures. Grass has grown over much of it and it’s hard to get a sense of what stood there for so many centuries.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

The final area is made up of two adjacent places where restoration had either taken place or is still taking place. It’s clear to see the difference in the colour, the texture and the age of the bricks of these temples.

The shapes of the buildings have been honoured but the materials are obviously not authentic. Still, it’s being done with care and respect and the rebuilding of My Son should be applauded, in my opinion.

Tours to My Son

Public transport for any independent travel to My Son is a bit tricky, with the exception of this daily shuttle bus designed for tourists.

But unless you have your own car or motorbike, I think the easiest and most affordable way to see My Son is with one of the tours that local operators will offer.

You will probably find your hotel will have options once you arrive, but you may like to guarantee a spot in advance, and know what kind of company you’re going with.

So, if you would like to arrange a tour to visit the My Son ruins from Hoi An, I would recommend one of the following:

There are also tours to My Son from Da Nang, which may be more convenient for you. There this tour that focuses on the ruins, or there is this full-day tour that also includes time in Hoi An.

My Son ruins from Hoi An, Vietnam

To help plan your visit to My Son, I’ve got a bit more information that may be useful.

If you have your own bike or car, you may find that it’s better to go that way. Although a guide will still give you a much richer understanding of the heritage of My Son.

Where is My Son?

The My Son Sanctuary is about 50 kilometres inland from Hoi An.
You can see it on a map here.

How do you get to My Son?

If you want to head to My Son independently, the easiest option is to rent a motorbike for the day.
Unfortunately there isn’t really any reliable public transport from Hoi An or Da Nang, which is why taking one of the tours is often the best option.
There is, however, this shuttle bus once a day that will take you there (and back) from Hoi An or Da Nang without having to do the guided tour.

When is My Son open?

My Son is open every day from 0600 – 1700.
It’s always much busier with tours in the morning so you might want to consider going in the afternoon if you’re travelling independently.

How much does it cost to visit My Son?

The entrance fee for My Son is 150,000 VND (US$6.40) for foreigners.
For Vietnamese, it costs 100,000 VND ($4.30).

Are there tours to My Son?

Yes, there are tours to My Son, and I would recommend taking one of them. Not only does it make the travel logistics much easier, but you’ll get a lot more information about what you’re seeing from a local guide.
If you’re heading from Hoi An to My Son, then this is one of the best small-group tours. If you’re coming from Da Nang, you might like to consider this tour that also includes Hoi An.

It is really sad to see the damage that has been done to this ancient site by modern warfare – but, I guess, it all tells the tale of history in its own way.

Human history is full of great creation and great destruction. Sadly, they often go hand in hand.

My Son is a perfect example of both and, if you can put aside the disappointment at the latter, is an excellent testament to both. More so the former, though. Thankfully.

THE BEST ACCOMMODATION NEAR MY SON

Hoi An is the best place to base yourself to visit the temple complex of My Son, which is easy to do as a half-day tour.

BACKPACKER

There are lots of cheap hostels in town but The Destination Hostel has great location and atmosphere.

BUDGET

There are also lots of budget hotels but one of the nicest is Hoi An Heritage Homestay.

BOUTIQUE

For lovely relaxed villas, you should try Cozy Hoian Boutique Villas.

LUXURY

And for the best in town, you need to check out Hotel Royal Hoi An MGallery.

UNESCO logo

This site is on the UNESCO World Heritage List!
I'm on a mission to visit as many World Heritage Sites as I can. Only about 800 more to go... eek!

6 thoughts on “Taking a tour to My Son”

  1. Such a shame that there is inadequate security and a lack of professional management of the site. I saw tourists (Chinese) hacking chunks of brick off the ruins for souveniers and lots of graffiti, some in Vietnamese. The guards were either asleep of scamming tourists for entry fees. If this continues the wonderful site will be lost to future generations of Vietnamese.

    Reply
    • Oh, what a shame! I didn’t see any of that myself but it’s so awful to hear that people would do something like that. I hope they’re going to improve the security as well if that’s how tourists are going to behave. I love being able to get up close to archaeological sites and see things properly – but I guess this is why that’s harder and harder to do these days.

      Reply
  2. Visiting My Son you will understand about an old period of Champas, people still said that this place is the similar as ” The Angkor Wat of Vietnam”, because its architecture is very similar with the Angkor Wat’s architecture.

    Reply
    • Yes, it is similar in terms of the architectural styles, but I don’t think visitors should expect anything even close to the scale of Angkor Wat. The temples at My Son are much smaller and the overall site is tiny in comparison to Angkor.

      Reply

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