Cham culture, Quang Nam

Cham Culture

The Cham culture including the special architecture and sculpture of Cham towers, colourful folk songs and dances and traditional festivals, is an important part of Vietnam's cultural diversity, according to Vietnamese folklorists.

Cham owers, dating back to the 6th-17th centuries, are located on highlands, hills and valleys, surrounded by ranges of mountains, in the central and southern central regions. Cham towers were built in groups of 2-3 towers or a main tower with secondary towers around the area. Many documents claim that Viet Nam has about 250 Cham towers, of them 40 towers and the ruins of many others have been found, including the My Son Relic Site in central Quang Nam province. My Son historic site with 70 towers and temples has been recognized as a world cultural heritage site by UNESCO. Other well-known Cham towers are Por Na Gar located next to Nha Trang City in Khanh Hoa Province, Po Sha Nu in Binh Thuan Province and Hoa Lai and Po Klaugn Harai in Phu Yen Province.

Cham towers were built with bricks and stones. No construction joints of glue were found between these bricks, but walls of Cham towers have stood firmly for thousands of years. The bricks were worn flat, but did not separate from each other. Cham towers are great and beautiful architectural projects with special decorative sculptures. Cham sculpture reflected the ups and downs in history of the Cham ethnic group as well as the Cham people's religion and culture.