My Son Sanctuary

We took an afternoon and rode up to My Son Sanctuary, from Da Nang it is about an hour and half scooter ride. Zipping through small villages, up and down the mountains with views out to the Sea, and passing through endless rice fields Honestly this trip an impulsive adventure after we finished lunch, we filled the scooter and took a ride up to the Sanctuary.

We did little to no research prior to going. We had found the sanctuary on TripAdvisor. All we knew was it is a UNESCO site and Hindu temples, in the mountains.

As we rode through the mountains we came across Tuong Dai Chien Thang Bo Bo monument. This monument marks Quang Nam's army and people in the resistance wars against the French, which happened around 60 years ago or this is what the Vietnamese site translates to, we couldn't find much information on it.

We took a few minutes to walk around the monument and then carried on our way to the sanctuary. This is a really peaceful ride to the sanctuary, it's not on a main highway and the quietness of the road mixed with the views, I find puts me at ease.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

When we arrived at My Son, we found two places to park. One outside of the sanctuary that says "Free Parking" or inside the sanctuary for 5,000 dong ($0.29 CAD). Inside the sanctuary the lady handed us a board that said "you can park in "free parking" they will want you to buy food or drink to park there". Once we paid for our tickets into the sanctuary ( 150,000 Dong/person $8.50 CAD/person) we started with walking through the museums that are right by the front gate. Showing different artifacts that have been found in the sanctuary and different UNESCO ruins throughout Vietnam, Loas, Thailand and Cambodia.

We then carried on over the bridge to the electric cars, which takes you up 2 kms to the ruins. The karts constantly run up to the ruins (there and back) and they get fair bit of speed going up and down the road in the mountains. They also do not cost anything additional, as they are included in the ticket price.

Once we reached the starting point of the trek through the jungle to the ruins, it quickly became very understandable why this breathtaking location in the mountains was picked for these temples. The views of the mountains and jungle as you walk are completely astounding.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

As we reached the first structure group, you can see where the preservation and rebuilding of the ruins has taken place; this does not change the beauty of it in any way. The Champa people are known for brick laying and the artistry of the exterior of the buildings as you walk around and see the faces, dancing people or gods still visible in the construction of the temples is staggering.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

These Hindu Temples were built between the 4th and 13th centuries and are still partially standing today and are still in use as well. These are not like the Acropolis in Athens, Greece where there is a barrier between you and the ruins. If you want to walk into the building or touch it you can there is no one to stop you. These are still functioning temples, where locals come and do their daily offerings or worship.

Walk between the sites is very easily done with a nice brick path that is nicely laid out and maintained. It is a very nice, all ages and skill level friendly walk through the jungle to the other sites.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

The more we walked through the sanctuary the more humbling I found it. As we walked through this sanctuary, seeing what the people before us could create with nothing but their hands and a few tools, brought the world into perspective. These temples were built throughout the duration of ten centuries. With the sacred Thu Bon river flowing through the mountain ring surrounding these temples is a magnificent setting.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

There are a total of 71 temple tower structures throughout the 8 sites, some are very well preserved. While others have survived the elements and bombings during the Vietnam - US war. You will see on the map and as you walk through the 8 sites, clearly marked out "bomb craters” around these temples.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

Photo Credit: V.Gray

This entire trek through the sanctuary took us around 2 hours. There are tour guides you can purchase a package to take part in, we did see a lot of people using this option. A lot of what was being spoken about, we found online that night. As we finished walking through the last site, you go down hill towards the karts to head back to the main gate. At no point is there not a mystical view in this sanctuary.

Photo Credit: V.Gray

We have walked through temples before through every country we have visited in SouthEast Asia, however this one really struck me. The over size, beauty and craftsmen ship that went into constructing these Hindu temple towers in Mount Meru is something I will never forget walking through.

Cheers!

Our route from Da Nang to My Son Sanctuary.

**Please note that all opinions and views expressed in this post are my own, from my own experiences. If you would like to see more pictures follow me on Instagram vikki.gray **