«Echoes of My Son» art programme

   Against the ancient towers, this programme restages the historical arc and spiritual life of the Cham people at My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The stage is outdoors, and the direction mixes contemporary staging with dance, music and ritual.

   UNESCO dates the culture here to the 4th to 13th centuries: a civilisation whose spiritual origins lay in Indian Hinduism developed along this coast, and My Son served as the religious and political capital of the Champa Kingdom for most of its existence. The brick tower-temples and reliefs standing today are what remains of it.

   The performance runs in three linked chapters:

   Chapter 1, «The Flow of Time» — the cultural landscape of the heritage valley
Chapter 2, «Cham Po-Nai Folk Songs» — plain melodies carrying wishes for good weather and a full harvest
Chapter 3, «Ascending the Tower» — a restaging of Kate, the largest Cham festival, with its folk dances

   The water-jar dance, the Ciet basket dance and the incense-offering dance all grew out of the daily labour and old rituals of Cham women. Underneath sit the Ghi-nang drums and the Saranai oboe, the two instruments that define Cham ceremonial sound — heard here against forest and mountains rather than theatre walls.

   On scheduling: the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board states that through 2026 the programme runs on the 15th of each month, at 09:00 and 14:45. So if the next show does not fit your trip, another follows a month later.

   My Son lies about 60 km from central Da Nang, over an hour by road. The morning slot is the cooler one; the afternoon slot gives you low light through the tower doorways.

   If you have seen My Son only as ruins in daylight, this is the version with its ritual sound restored.