We had an early wake up and departure by bus to the hill country west of Hoi An to visit the ruins of My Son (pronounced Mee Sun). This is a temple complex for the Champa people. Today they are one of 50+ ethnic minority groups in this country. A thousand years ago, the Kingdom of Cham extended over all of the area that is now central Vietnam. It was conquered by Hanoi, and incorporated into Vietnam in the 13th century C.E. After the expansion, the Vietnamese capital was later moved to Hue as a more central location.
The temple site dates from the 4th century C.E., but the ruins here now date from the 10th to 13th centuries. Some portions are well preserved, others have been reconstructed, and the rest are in pretty bad shape. This area came under heavy bombardment from the Americans during the war, and large bomb craters are still visible. Some well-preserved structures were destroyed.
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| Hindu "yoni," a symbol of the goddess of female creative energy. |
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| A headless statue of a Hindu god stands guard. |
The existing ruins are mostly brick. The bricks fit together perfectly, and there is absolutely no mortar. One theory is that the bricks were laid still as clay, and that fires were then stoked in and around the buildings to bake them in place. No one really knows for sure.
There was no local guide for this excursion, and it was clear that some other tour groups were getting a much more thorough explanation of the Champa culture and the meanings of these temples. Our guide is a nice guy, but I don't think he really knows much about this place (or just doesn't care).
The Champa are ethnically more related to the Thai or Burmese than to the Viets. They practiced a form of Hinduism, brought from India, mixed with local animism. Once a thriving kingdom, there are said to be fewer than 100,000 ethnic Champa remaining in Vietnam today.
In addition to viewing the ruins (and enjoying a lovely walk through the natural surroundings in doing so), we had opportunity to view a video about the site and the culture. Also, there was a brief program of live music and dancing.
The first dance involved costumes and music that actually could have been Western. The second act featured a primitive oboe, and could easily have been Middle Eastern. The third act was very reminiscent of ancient Siam.
Returning to Hoi An, we were served lunch near the city center. This meal wasn't terribly interesting and wasn't of as high a quality as some of the rest. The food has been so good on this trip, that an average meal is disappointing.
Some group members elected to remain in the city center. We took the bus back to the hotel. Though we had excellent weather for the excursion, light rain and drizzle sort of dampened plans for the free afternoon. We relaxed for awhile, then as the afternoon before, we took the hotel shuttle to the city center.
After walking around a bit, we settled at one of the many bars with outdoor tables advertising "2 for 1" cocktails. We had expected watered down drinks, but the alcohol was actually quite generously proportioned. Again, we enjoyed the long walk back to the hotel, but this time we had to watch out for mud and puddles. The drizzle started up again just as we reached the hotel, so no more adventures today.
The temple site dates from the 4th century C.E., but the ruins here now date from the 10th to 13th centuries. Some portions are well preserved, others have been reconstructed, and the rest are in pretty bad shape. This area came under heavy bombardment from the Americans during the war, and large bomb craters are still visible. Some well-preserved structures were destroyed.
There was no local guide for this excursion, and it was clear that some other tour groups were getting a much more thorough explanation of the Champa culture and the meanings of these temples. Our guide is a nice guy, but I don't think he really knows much about this place (or just doesn't care).
The Champa are ethnically more related to the Thai or Burmese than to the Viets. They practiced a form of Hinduism, brought from India, mixed with local animism. Once a thriving kingdom, there are said to be fewer than 100,000 ethnic Champa remaining in Vietnam today.
In addition to viewing the ruins (and enjoying a lovely walk through the natural surroundings in doing so), we had opportunity to view a video about the site and the culture. Also, there was a brief program of live music and dancing.
The first dance involved costumes and music that actually could have been Western. The second act featured a primitive oboe, and could easily have been Middle Eastern. The third act was very reminiscent of ancient Siam.
Returning to Hoi An, we were served lunch near the city center. This meal wasn't terribly interesting and wasn't of as high a quality as some of the rest. The food has been so good on this trip, that an average meal is disappointing.
Some group members elected to remain in the city center. We took the bus back to the hotel. Though we had excellent weather for the excursion, light rain and drizzle sort of dampened plans for the free afternoon. We relaxed for awhile, then as the afternoon before, we took the hotel shuttle to the city center. 
After walking around a bit, we settled at one of the many bars with outdoor tables advertising "2 for 1" cocktails. We had expected watered down drinks, but the alcohol was actually quite generously proportioned. Again, we enjoyed the long walk back to the hotel, but this time we had to watch out for mud and puddles. The drizzle started up again just as we reached the hotel, so no more adventures today. 
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