My Son Sanctuary: Champa Temples in Vietnam
Contents
My Son is a valley of Champa tower temples, hidden in a ring of mountains in central Vietnam. Red-brick towers rise from the forest floor, some intact, some broken by war. It is 45 km from Hoi An and 68 km from Da Nang, so plan a half day for it.[1] UNESCO inscribed it in 1999 as the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence, with monuments built between the 4th and 13th centuries.[2]
Look closely at the architecture
My Son is not one temple but eight groups with 71 standing monuments.[2] Many were built for Hindu gods, above all Shiva.[2] The towers are fired brick with stone pillars and sandstone reliefs of Hindu myth, and their varied designs evoke Mount Meru, the sacred mountain at the centre of the Hindu universe.[2] Look at how the brick is laid and carved: the Cham builders were doing this with remarkable skill.[2]
War left its mark. Many towers were damaged during the wars of the 20th century, and the remaining ones have been conserved.[2] Use the visitor map on the sanctuary website to choose which groups to walk between.[3]
Things to Do
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Add the museum and a performance
The museum stands by the Khe The stream, about 2 km northwest of the monuments. It was built with a Japanese grant and finished in 2005, and its gallery gives you the background before you enter the ruins.[1] Stone altars, a Kala head and a sacred bull are among its displays.[1]
Dance shows run at the performance house at 09:45, 10:30, 11:15, 14:00 and 16:00, and at Group G at 09:00 and 14:45. Group G sessions pause in unfavourable weather.[4] Cham folk songs are sung on the slope at Tower H on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 09:00 and 14:45.[4]
Plan the practical details
The site opens for visits from 06:00 to 18:00, and tickets are sold from 06:00 to 17:30. Come early: you get cooler air and fewer people.[4] Dress modestly, and avoid short or revealing clothes. Do not climb on or touch the towers, do not use flash, and do not eat or drink inside the monument area.[4]
The official ticket portal lists foreign visitors at 150,000 VND, Vietnamese visitors at 100,000 VND and a 30,000 VND service ticket.[4] The order page itself showed 148,000 VND and 99,000 VND on 23 October 2026.[5] Children under 5 enter free, and children aged 5 to 15 buy the service ticket for the transfer.[4] Paid tickets cannot be refunded or changed, so check the date before you pay.[4] For broader regional planning, see our Vietnam travel guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] My Son Sanctuary Management Board: My Son World Cultural Heritage (home page). Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [2] UNESCO World Heritage Centre: My Son Sanctuary. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [3] My Son Sanctuary Management Board: My Son visitor map. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [4] My Son Sanctuary Management Board (online ticket portal): My Son online ticket portal: ticket prices, hours and rules. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
- [5] My Son Sanctuary Management Board (online ticket portal): My Son online ticket portal: buy tickets. Retrieved October 23, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is a Champa temple complex in a mountain valley in central Vietnam. UNESCO lists it as the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence, with architecture from the 4th to the 13th centuries.
Look for the fired-brick towers, stone pillars and sandstone reliefs of Hindu myth. Many temples honour Shiva, and the designs evoke Mount Meru, the sacred mountain of Hindu belief.
UNESCO records eight groups with 71 standing monuments, plus extensive buried archaeology.
Yes. The museum stands by the Khe The stream about 2 km northwest of the monuments and gives background information before you enter the ruins.
The sanctuary's website gives 45 km from Hoi An and 68 km from Da Nang.
Children under 5 enter free. Children aged 5 to 15 buy the 30,000 VND service ticket for the transfer.
Yes. The performance house has shows at 09:45, 10:30, 11:15, 14:00 and 16:00, and Group G has shows at 09:00 and 14:45. Group G performances pause in unfavourable weather.
Visits run from 06:00 to 18:00 and tickets are sold from 06:00 to 17:30. The ticket portal lists 150,000 VND for foreign visitors and 100,000 VND for Vietnamese visitors, and its order page showed 148,000 VND and 99,000 VND on 23 October 2026. Paid tickets cannot be refunded or changed.
