My Son Ruins

There's nothing much that you can do in Hoi An except admiring the beautiful old houses in the town center. It's like Siem Reap without the Angkor Wat, the chillest of the chill. So I read up on some possible side trips I could do from Hoi An and the most interesting thing that I stumbled upon was a few kilometers on the western side of the town, the My Son ruins.



It was chilly when I arrived in Hoi An and much more when we left for the My Son at 4 in the morning. I was picked up from my hostel along with other tourists and stopped by the tour operator's house for a quick breakfast. After that we drove for about an hour and a half to the religious complex.



Built in honor of the Hindu god Shiva, My Son (mee sun) was once the center of Hinduism in Vietnam inhabited by the Cham people. History books often compare it to other religious complexes in Southeast Asia; Indonesia's Borobudur, Cambodia's Angkor Wat, Myanmar's Bagan, and Thailand's Ayutthaya. Civilization lived and thrived there since the 4th century, with majority of its structures were still intact until the Vietnam War. US troops bombed the place in a week.



Surrounded by the mountains, the My Son sanctuary stands on what is believed to be sacred ground in Hinduism. It kind of reminded me of Ayutthaya; old, quiet, rich in history, and a victim of war.



Bomb crater



On the left are bombshells found on site, on the right is our tour guide explaining the origins of the linggam and the yoni and why is it important in worshipping the third Hindu triumvirate- Shiva.



I wish I could read this :(



The sanctuary is actually a depiction of Mount Meru, home of Hinduism's gods similar to the Greek's Mount Olympus. Only a few towers & buildings remain in My Son and with its restoration efforts heavily rely on ticket fees, please visit the ruins when you have the time. It's not everyday that you get to visit a 4th century old Hindu sanctuary.