My Son is the major site in Vietnam from the ancient Champa Kingdom which flourished between the 2nd and 15th centuries. Descendants of the Champa civilisation still live along the coast of Vietnam though they are now fully integrated in Vietnamese society.
The Kingdom at My Son dates back to the 4th century and remained fully occupied through until the 13th century which makes it the longest occupied of all the major monuments of SE Asia. It served as a religious and intellectual centre where Champa kings were crowned and buried. In 1999 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Pam & I caught a bus from our hotel to My Son. We took the option of Bus + Boat which means we went on the bus on the way to My Son and then on the way back we caught a boat about 1/2 way back and idled down the river for 90 minutes.
Cost : 6 USD per person + 60,000 VND for ticket when you get to My Son
For a UNESCO World Heritage site we thought that it was pretty overgrown and not that well looked after. It looks like a lot of the buildings are still visible under the grass all around and a lot are covered in grass.
The complex at My Son was bombed by the American's during the Vietnam war and as a result a lot of the buildings were severally damaged.
Some of the buildings have covers over them where they appear to be working on them although there did not appear to be anyone doing anything when we were there.
