Ruins in the Jungle
Vietnam's cultures and history can be traced all the way back to at least 9,000 BC, which is the earliest archaeological evidence that has been found thus far in this area of Vietnam, and has been called the Sa Huynh Culture. Later than that and we get into the era of feudal dynasties and clan warfare, and then finally into the great Lords, including the Trinh, Tran, Le, and Nguyen. Running parallel to this in the central and south-central part of Vietnam from about 600 AD until the late 1400's was an assemblage of empires and kingdoms that together were known as the Cham, or Champa. These Hindu and Khmer blooded people were a race of fine seafarers who eventually settled into a loose network of small kingdoms centered around the mouths of great rivers along the central and south-central coast of Vietnam. This is the story of one such kingdom that was centered around the ruins of what we now call "My Son".
This city, and generally the area around it as well, were known to the Cham as "Amaravati". It was the northern most of the "key" Champa kingdoms, and outside of some minor tower building here and there to the north, represents the farthest reach of the true Cham power. The kingdom of Amaravati contained a number of sites, including the city of Tra Kieu- one of the earliest Cham cities in the area- as well as tower complexes at sites we know today as Chien Dan, Khuong My, Duong Dinh, and Bang An. This kingdom was but a stone's throw away from the great port of Fai Foo (modern day Hoi An), and for a while it was quite the stronghold of Cham power. Although Tra Kieu- or "Simhapura"- was by far the older city, it was more on an open, accessible city of commerce and trade. Later power players decided a more defensible temple city was needed, so My Son was constructed, much deeper in the mountains, accessed only by a winding path and protected by mountains on several sides. To this day you can understand the isolated and protected feeling when you are in the ruins.
The kingdom of Amaravati and it's peoples saw tumultuous times over it's brief existence. Although they lived at times with uneasy truces between them and other Cham kingdoms, as well as with the Dai Viet to the north, there was also plenty of warfare and fighting to go around as well. That is clearly visible in the defensive nature of the cities location. The kingdom existed from roughly the 7th or 8th century through about thee 15th century. And though the Cham were all eventually either slaughtered or absorbed by modern Vietnamese populations, they left their mark on the history of Vietnam by erecting many tall, stone towers, or even small cities which were used as central points of focus in their various kingdoms. Numerous sites exist from Binh Thuan in the south all the way up to Quang Tri, with towers and monuments large and small. However, My Son is one of the larger Cham sites around, and despite being ravaged by war, still has a lot to offer us.
It's thought that the Cham finally fell and succumbed to the forces of attrition and population decline in the 15th century. Those that did not survive in the small enclaves of Cham that exist to this day in Ninh Thuan and Tay Ninh were either wiped out, or more likely, absorbed into the bulk of the Dai Viet empire pushing down from the south. My Son fell in dis-use probably in the 15th and 16th centuries, and by the early part of the 20th century had become hidden deep in the jungle. It wasn't until Henri Parmentier came along and began excavating the great ruins. Unfortunately, his work was stopped much too soon by the outbreak of World War II, and over the next 30 years Vietnam became a battlefield. During the fever pitch of the US-Vietnam War, US air forces dropped hundreds of bombs on the site, under the assumption that the Viet Cong were using the ancient sanctuary as a cache for weapons. The devastation was incredible, and has only been in the last decade that some of the sites are becoming stabilized, repaired, or even outright reconstructed.
Unfortunately, one of the problems that sometimes happens in Southeast Asian archaeology is happening here at My Son. This is the problem of improper reconstruction, which is where the buildings and towers and monuments have been rebuilt, but they've been done in a style unlike it's original construction. This comes as a result of those wishing to rebuild, despite their best intentions, sometimes don't know how to do the proper style, or they just simply didn't know any better. It's a two edged sword, because the people who appreciate these sites enough to give time and money to work on reconstruction are so few and far between that each one is valuable. But that willingness doesn't always align with the skill of rebuilding in the correct styling. So although what you see today looks good, it ultimately may not be 100% historically accurate. However, all of that being said, the wonderful volunteers who have given their time and energy to rebuild this ancient city have done a good job of making them look great, and as we move forward it will wonderful to watch even more sites come back to life.
Located about an hour's drive from Hoi An, Vietnam, and just over an hour from Da Nang, the ruins of the city sit in between two mountain peaks, in a sheltered and protected valley. The greenery is lush and thick, and it has a very powerful feel to it. It's no wonder they built their stronghold here. The site is broken into seven groups; a few of the groups, most notably the A and B groups, have been restored somewhat, while other groups remain unexcavated or unassembled. You can easily visit almost all the groups within a couple hours time, although A, B, and G are arguably the most impressive. There are convenient walking paths between all the sites so it's not hard to move from one to the next. The area is popular with Chinese and Korean tour groups, so be patient if you get into one, as they move quickly and will be gone soon.
All photos copyright Kit Davidson unless otherwise noted.