Experience the best of Mỹ Sơn

Mỹ Sơn lies in a green basin ringed by hills in Quảng Nam province, about 40 kilometres from Hội An. From the fourth to the thirteenth century the kings of Champa built brick temple towers here, dedicated mainly to Shiva, and the complex became a religious centre of the Cham people. It has been a World Heritage site since 1999.

The towers, built in warm red brick without visible mortar, stand in groups among trees, some still carved with figures and dancers. American bombing in 1969 destroyed many of them, and some ruined piles remain with craters nearby. Hội An, an old trading port with lantern-lit streets by a river, lies to the east, and the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang holds many sculptures taken from Mỹ Sơn and other sites.

Mì Quảng, turmeric-yellow noodles with pork, shrimp, peanuts and herbs, is the dish of Quảng Nam, with cao lầu and chicken rice in Hội An. It is dry from February to August, while heavy rain falls from September to December.