Ruined brick tower-temples of the Champa kingdom in a jungle-ringed valley south-west of Hoi An, built between the 4th and 13th centuries
My Son lies in a narrow green valley enclosed by forested hills, an easily defended basin near the source of the Thu Bon River. Scattered through the forest are clusters of red-brown brick towers, some standing to their full height, others reduced to platforms and heaps of masonry. The towers were built to represent Mount Meru, the home of the Hindu gods, and most were dedicated to Shiva, often in the form of a lingam.
The buildings are remarkable for their brickwork: walls of fired brick decorated with carved pilasters, false doors and figures cut directly into the brick, alongside sandstone altars, pedestals and reliefs. Paths lead between the temple groups through woodland, and the surviving structures show both the skill of Cham builders and the scars of 20th-century war.
Champa was a kingdom of the Cham people that ruled much of central Vietnam for well over a thousand years. My Son served as its main religious centre. King Bhadravarman founded a sanctuary to Shiva here around the late 4th century; after the early wooden temples burned down in the 6th century, King Shambhuvarman rebuilt in more durable materials, and successive kings added temples until the 13th century. UNESCO describes the site as an exceptional example of a South-East Asian society adapting Indian Hindu art and architecture.
The ruins were rediscovered by the French in 1898, and Henri Parmentier surveyed them from 1899, counting about 70 structures and dividing them into lettered groups. In August 1969, during the Vietnam War, American bombing destroyed much of the site's architecture. Restoration began with a Polish team led by Kazimierz Kwiatkowski in the 1980s, and an Indian conservation team worked on groups A, H and K between 2017 and 2022. Unexploded ordnance still limits access to parts of the surrounding area.
The Cham people still live in parts of south-central Vietnam, and My Son remains a key site of their heritage. The surrounding countryside of Thu Bon is farming land with rice fields and villages, and the road from Hoi An passes the former Cham capital of Tra Kieu, about ten kilometres from the site. Most visitors eat in Hoi An before or after the visit.
Most visitors come on a half-day trip from Hoi An or Da Nang and walk between the temple groups along forest paths, looking at the carved brick towers, sandstone altars and reliefs, and the restored groups. A guide helps make sense of the lettered groups and of what was lost in the war. Arriving at opening time gives cooler temperatures and softer light on the brick.
March to May is generally the most comfortable time in this part of central Vietnam; whatever the month, go early in the morning before the heat builds and the tour groups arrive. From around October to January rain and storms are common.
Checked against the sources on 29 October 2026. Opening times and fees can change — confirm before you go.
General guidance from our specialists, not official information.
Hoi An lies about 36 kilometres to the north-east, and Da Nang a little over an hour's drive away. The former Cham capital of Tra Kieu is about ten kilometres from the sanctuary. Many visitors combine My Son with a few days in Hoi An and a trip to the Cham Islands.
Vietnam · 11 nights4★ HotelVietnam · 7 nights4★ ResortThis guide was researched from the sources below and reviewed by our team on 29 October 2026. Facts under “Verified information” link to the page they were checked on; travel tips are general guidance. Photos are credited on each image. The ambient recording’s author and licence are shown in the sound player.
