Vietnam’s history is fascinatingly complex and takes some reading to comprehend. It is littered with invasions. One of the invaders were the Cham peoples. They came from Java in Indonesia and muscled their way into central coastal Vietnam. They are Hindus and established the Kingdom of Champa here in the late second century. Eventually they were forced out by the Vietnamese in the north after several centuries so their influence is still apparent. Descendants of the Cham now reside in the delta region of the far south and can be easily identified. They have a darker skin and curly hair when compared with the Vietnamese. Cham people’s were great builders of temples and monuments to their kings. The greatest example of this is not far from here at a site called My (pronounced ‘ me’) Son. This is where I go today.
The remains of their efforts can be found at My Son and are now protected by World Heritage. Sad this protection came too late. During The War the Americans bombed this area deliberately targeting the ruins because the Viet Cong were hiding there. Much damage was done to the precious constructions and there are huge bomb holes everywhere. Rather than cover these holes up, they keepers of this site leave them as they are to make the point. Our guide repeatedly talked of the American people’s being responsible for the destruction and desecration of the site. Richard Nuxon gets a mention as he should but I think it’s unfair to blame the American peoples. Many of the ‘peoples’ were against the war.
None-the-less much damage has been done and UNESCO is busily coordinating and funding the reconstruction of the temples. This isn’t easy because the construction techniques used by the Cham are still a mystery. Bricks are perfectly fitted together to not require any mortar to hold them. It reminded me of the skills of the Incas at Matchupitchu in Peru. They same peoples who built these temples at My Son also built Ankor Watt in Cambodia, but much earlier. Ornation decorating the temples expresses Hindu and Buddhism beliefs. Prior to the War the French removed many of the artifacts for spaces in The Louvre as well as museums in Danang. Ironically this save important elements from the destruction of The War.
It’s about 38 degrees and muggy – even uncomfortable for me. The trip back to Hoi An included a boat ride up the rive for a short stop at the old port. Hoi An was a major trading port until the river silted up rendering it inaccessible to serious boats. There is a tradition of wood carvers here and they are still at work today, plying their trade through the close scrutiny of many tourists.
Back to the city and I have a final fitting for my clothes. All is good and they are delivered to my hotel.
angusmccoll 