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Last year, Angkor Wat. This year, My Son.
Always having been a dream of mine to visit Angkor Wat, the largest religious monument in the world, I was finally afforded the opportunity last year. Having seen the “City of Temples” constructed during the 12th century, I thought that it was one of the oldest in that part of Asia.
While cruising the waters of the Thu Bon river with Mr. Seo, he asked me if I had planned to visit the ruins of My Son. Did I misunderstand him…there were ruins near Hoi An?
Seo, offered a plan. He could take me to My Son the next day on the back of his motorbike…about an hour’s ride outside of Hoi An towards the mountainous region. After quoting a price, he waited for an answer. Although I was really interested in these ruins, I knew nothing about them nor did I know what the going rate was. And…on a motorbike? With a guy I hardly knew? I needed to think on this one. I would text him later.
As I lounged at the beach that afternoon, I surfed the internet for information about My Son. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, the ruins are located about 45 kilometers from Hoi An and were built between the 4th and 14th centuries, making them older than Angkor Wat. I found tours ranging from $16-$40 per person and group sizes ranging from five persons to busloads. Seo had quoted a price of $35 and we would leave extremely early to avoid the crowds and traffic which would allow me the rest of the day to spend exploring the parts of Hoi An that I had not yet seen. Not sure if I was making the right decision, I texted Seo and negotiated a lower price. We agreed on the terms and I planned for my early departure the next day.
Seo arrived right on time at 7:15 a.m. and we were on our way, me sitting behind him. It was a long, sometimes scary and sometimes thrilling ride and I was starting to feeling the effects on my lower back when I saw the first signs for My Son. Seo parked his motorbike and we crossed the tall bridge to the ticket counter. After paying my entrance fee, we boarded the tram for the winding trip around the mountain to My Son’s grounds.
Extremely hot, even for nine in the morning, I made my way, sweating profusely, toward the main buildings in the middle of the site. My first impression was that of peacefulness. There were hardly any tourists on the grounds and I had the crumbling buildings all to myself. The temples had beautifully intricate details that were lost to the eye at first glance, however, came to life the more they were studied. The area was green and fertile and provided a beautiful backdrop for the structures. Needless to say, my camera was put to very good use.
Surrounded by high mountains and situated in the heart of a beautiful valley, these buildings were originally built from wood but were destroyed by fire in the 6th century. During the 7th century, they were rebuilt with bricks and by the 13th century, more than 70 similar buildings had been built. A sanctuary of Hinduism, the buildings of the complex were used to worship and make offerings to the Hindu gods.
Many of the buildings’ entrances were open to enter and some displayed statues and other artwork. There are four separate areas that were open to visitors and all were connected by paved pathways.
After finishing my walk through all areas of the complex and noticing that more tourists were present, I made my way to the Arts Pavilion where Aspara dancers were performing. Beautifully choreographed, it was a nice end to my visit at My Son.
Rejoining Seo, he and I made our way toward the tram, marveling at the number of tourists arriving and traveling down the wooded path. After the long ride on the back of Seo’s motorbike, I wondered if I had made the right decision. Had I paid too much? Maybe I did for a motorbike tour, but watching the busloads of tourists arriving, made me remember how much I dislike tour groups. The fact that we were able to set our own schedule and arrive earlier than everyone else was worth the price. I had been able to capture beautifully, unobstructed pictures of the site and well before the hottest temperatures of the day.
As the wind blew around me on our return trip, I was happy that I had done My Son…my way.
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My Son
- Admission: 150,000 Vietnamese dong (about US $7.00)
- Hours: 0600-1700
- Motorbike parking: 10,000 Vietnamese dong (about US $.45)
