My Son Sanctuary, an UNESCO Site Near Da Nang, Vietnam

After enjoying our breakfast at the My Son Resort, we called a taxi taking us to the My Son Sanctuary and spent almost the whole afternoon there.

My Son was recognized by UNESCO in 1999 as the only surviving evidence of the vanished Champa civilization, which dominated Southeast Asia for centuries. Built by the Champa Kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries, it is a group of temples dedicated to the Hindu gods.

My Son is the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom which became part of Vietnam in the 15th century. It is a unique architectural marvel! The temples are construted from red bricks, stacked without visible mortar, yet they have stood for centuries. The techniques used to bind them and the intricate carvings on the stone remain a mystery to researchers.

We could see that there were employees working on a number of places at the sanctuary. The site has been lovingly restored and shows the intricate Hindu inspired carvings and architecture.

We watched a couple of cultural performances at the sanctuary and were dazzled by the colourful costumes, songs and dances.

The scenery of My Son Sanctury was enchanting, quiet and calming! With mountains in the background, quiet water reflecting the lush vegetation, we enjoyed our walk among the ruins and hiking on country roads along a winding river.

We had a culturally rich and delightful afternoon at the My Son Sanctuary! R.T. My Son Sanctuary, Vietnam

Memorable Moments at My Son, an UNESCO Site Near Da Nang, Vietnam

After the Sunday Service, our Grab driver came to pck us up and drove to another town nearby. We got out of the Da Nang city and passed by rural area of Vientnam. Arriving at the My Son Resort Hotel in late afternoon, we were wowed by this beautiful hotel. Instead of having 2 good size beds, we got a family suite with two bedrooms facing the infinite swimming pool of the hotel.

The weather was pleasant, not hot at all and we took advantage of the swimming pool going for a dip. It was very cool at the beginning but once we were immersed in the water, it felt fine. We met another couple at the swimming pool and J. had a good chat with the gentleman.

After a good swim, we went out of the hotel, exploring the neighbourhood and looking for a place for dinner. The hotel staff told us that there were not many shops nor restaurants close by except for one place. We walked for a few minutes and came across a casual neighborhood small family run eatery. There were a few young people eating and we went in for our dinner too.

Not knowing what to order due to the language barrier since the menu items were all in Vietnamese, J. started talking to the young men eating at the next table. They were very friendly and they invited us to try some of their dishes so that we would know if we wanted to order them. We struck up a good conversation with them and we had a good time talking with the Vietnamese young people. They asked where we were from and we told them Canada. They got very excited and wanted to exchange some currency with us since some wanted to keep a few Canadian bills as souvenior. It was fun conversing with the local people even though our common communication language skills were limited.

It was moments like this, talking and interacting with the local people often made our vacation trips memorable. We had a great first day here at the My Son disrict and looked forward to visiting the My Son heritage site the next day.

RT, My Son Heritage Area, Near Da Nang, Vietnam The architecture of this hotel is quite special, a bit more European than we had expected.