Waiting for new vitality for Cham relic network

The merger of the two localities of Quang Nam and Da Nang is expected to help the Cham relic system in Quang region gain new vitality from tourism activities.

A corner of the architectural relic complex of My Son Temple Complex (Thu Bon commune). Photo: QUOC TUAN

Dense network of Cham relics

As the land where the small state of Amaravati once existed - considered the center of the Champa kingdom for many centuries, the heritage of Champa culture in Quang Nam - Da Nang is still strong today.

The most famous Champa architectural relic complex in Quang Nam (old) is My Son Temple Complex.

Other relics in the province that still preserve tower groups include: Bang An Tower (An Thang ward), Chien Dan Tower (Tay Ho commune), and Khuong My Tower (Tam Xuan commune).

Next to that, in Dong Duong commune there is also a special national relic Dong Duong Buddhist Institute with the highlight of Sang tower.

The relics and ruins of Champa culture are also scattered in many places in the old Quang Nam province, of which the most concentrated is the My Son - Tra Kieu - Hoi An - Cua Dai - Cu Lao Cham axis, along the Thu Bon river to Hon Lao (Tan Hiep island commune), creating a continuous cultural chain in the prosperous period of Champa civilization.

Meanwhile, in the old city of Da Nang , the Cham Sculpture Museum (Hai Chau ward) is the largest and most unique museum of Cham culture in Vietnam.

Here are kept 12 national treasures of Cham culture, most of which originate from Quang Nam - Da Nang.

Bang An Cham Tower relic (An Thang ward). Photo: QUOC TUAN

Recently, the People's Committee of Da Nang city approved the investment policy to build the second facility of the Cham Sculpture Museum (Phong Le) with a total investment of more than 140 billion VND from the city budget, with implementation time until 2027.

Before the merger, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province (old) approved the project to preserve, restore and promote the value of Bang An tower relic and the project to preserve, restore and promote the value of the North tower and the Middle tower (Chien Dan Cham tower).

Meanwhile, the tower groups in My Son have been and are being preserved quite well thanks to the strong support of a number of countries.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Hong - Director of the Department of Science and Technology of Da Nang city said that the restoration process of Cham relics in the old Quang Nam province will not be interrupted during the merger of the two localities.

Waiting for new vitality from tourism

Tourism activities related to Champa culture in recent times in Quang Nam have mainly focused on two destinations: the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture and My Son Temple Complex, the remaining destinations have very few visitors.

According to Mr. Cao Tri Dung - interim Chairman of Da Nang Tourism Association, the merger of the two localities will create a regional tourism route specializing in Cham culture.

International visitors visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture. Photo: QUOC TUAN

The most obvious of these is the connection of the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture with prominent Cham relics in the old Quang Nam area, especially the My Son Temple Complex, to create a specialized tourist route on ancient Champa culture.

"The merger of the two localities will create convenience in connecting tour routes, forming products, implementing promotions as well as synchronizing resource support instead of being scattered like before," Mr. Dung commented.

According to Mr. Le Quoc Viet - Chairman of Quang Nam Destination Club for Preserving Indigenous Values, Tra Kieu is also an important destination related to Cham culture that needs to be promoted in the coming time so that visitors to Da Nang and Hoi An can learn more about this civilization.

From Tra Kieu, visitors can also explore the Sa Huynh - Champa Cultural Museum nearby (Duy Xuyen commune), further away is trekking through the Tra Ly lotus fields through the forest through My Son to Tay Vien hot mineral spring... This tour is very potential and is currently being approached and exploited by some local young people.

In the system of Champa relics in Quang Nam, Dong Duong Buddhist Institute is a particularly important relic site in the history of Champa art, culture and religion.

According to Mr. Le Quoc Viet, if we really want to promote tourism activities in Dong Duong, we need to promote the preservation and restoration of this relic.

"Dong Duong will be a destination with great potential in attracting tourists for religious and spiritual pilgrimage tourism," Mr. Viet commented.

Before the merger, the People's Committee of Quang Nam province (old) proposed a project to renovate, reinforce, restore and promote the value of Sang tower in the special national relic of Dong Duong Buddhist Institute. In particular, the plan to promote the effectiveness of the project mentioned that it would closely connect with the system of other Cham relic sites such as Khuong My, Dong Duong, Tra Kieu, My Son... to create an attractive sightseeing route for domestic and foreign tourists.

Source: https://baodanang.vn/cho-sinh-khi-moi-cho-mang-luoi-di-tich-cham-3298162.html