A
30-minute drive from the central city of Danang, Hoi An has earned
a reputation as one of Vietnam’s most picturesque towns. Declared
a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, Hoi An draws visitors to its
lovingly preserved mix of Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and French
architecture – evidence of the town’s fascinating past as a major
trading port. From the 17th to the 19th century, Phai Pho which
is Hoi An’s old name riverside port was frequented by trader from
as far away as Holland, China, Japan and India , who came for
Vietnam’s silk. porcelain, pepper, cinnamon and medicinal plants.
While the trade dried up when the river filled with silt, the
town distinctive architecture remains intact, having miraculously
survived the wars of the 20th century.
Hoi An’s quarter features traditional shop – houses, the facades
of which are made from carved ironwood. The front rooms of these
houses served as shops, while the families lived on the second
floors. Central and back courtyards allowed both sunlight and
fresh air to penetrate. To this day, many houses have a pair of
carved wooden yin yang symbols are thought to protect the house’s
inhabitants from ghosts and bad luck.
The Japanese covered bridge
Japanese trader built the
Japanese covered bridge, or Lai Vien Kieu (bridge for passengers-by
from far away), in 1593 to connect the town’s Japanese and
Chinese districts. On one side, a pair of stone dogs guards
the bridge’s entrance; the pair of stone monkeys protects
the opposite end. One story claims that construction of the
bridge began in the year of the Dog and finished in the year
of the monkey, while another tale holds that the statues were
erected in honor of Japanese emperors born under those animal’s
signs. The northern side of the bridge contains the small
temple, Chua Cau (Bridge Temple).
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THE MY SON HOLY LAND
The My Son holy land is considered the biggest and most symbolic
temple complex of the Champa Kingdom running the length of
the southern central coastal area. The complex is comparable
to order great structures, which bear the hallmarks of Indian
civilization in the Southeast Asian region like Angkor of
Cambodia, bagman of Myanmar, Ayuthaya of Thailand and Borodudur
of Indonesia.
Located in Quang Nam province, 68 km Southwest of Hoi An,
My Son lies in a luxuriant valley about 2 kilometers in diameter,
surrounded by hills and mountains. As recorded in the oldest
existing stele, in the late 4th century, King Bhadravarman
had a temple built in the area and dedicated to Shiva, Champa’s
protector god. From then until the 13th century, new temple
and towers were built by successive Cham monarchs. These temples
and towers, which served as sanctuaries and shrines respectively,
were all dedicated to Shiva and at the same time King Bhadravarman
and his successors. By the 15th century, the Cham people migrated
to the south, leaving MySon in ruins and in total oblivion
in the tropical rain forests. The complex was not discovered
until 1898.
According to 1902 statistic, My Son boasted 71 brick and stone
structures. Unfortunately, the complex has been heavily damaged
by continuous warfare and as a result, there remain only 32
ancient towers, of which only 20 have their original figures
kept relatively intact.
The quadrilateral towers are constructed of red bricks, and
their tiered roofs taper off towards the top. All the four
sides of every tower have relief carvings depicting deities,
human beings or animal creatures on baked brick in an airy
style. It is interesting to note that researchers are still
unable to find our how Cham craftsmen have put all the bricks
together without using any mortar. Inside each main tower,
a symbol of Linga or an icon of Shiva is placed for worship
together with Bhadravarman. In addition, there are also ingenious
relieves carved on brick and stone statues in the decorative
style of the Cham people of thousands of years ago.
Some of the relics from the MySon ruins have been reserved
and are on display in Cham Museum in Da Nang, contributing
to its reputation as the finest collection of Cham sculptures
in the world.
