The Cham ethnic group arrived in Southeast Asia about 4,000 years ago and built a civilization that spread to southern Vietnam, then known as Champa. Over the past few hundred years, when Vietnam was formed, the Cham people entered or left the region, leaving behind incredible remnants of their rich culture. Their religion, a mixture of Islam and Hinduism, was greatly influenced by the Chinese and Vietnamese conquerors.

The art of Champa flourished within the culture of the Cham people along the coast but also in the heights. This territory was never fully unified, several small kingdoms of Champa, or principalities, did not stop waging war against each other, or also turned against their neighbors, Khmer or Đại Việt. These violent exchanges are part of broader exchanges with India, Indonesia and Thailand.

Most of the art currently preserved covers a period from the 7th, 8th century (Mỹ Sơn Shrine) to the 13th century (Po Klong Garai) and up to the 15th century (Yang Mum-style sculpture); they are essentially religious buildings and their sculptures.
These are Hindu and Buddhist sanctuaries, made of brick, the brick walls being partially carved into the building, with elements carved in sandstone: linga and their bases, statues, lintels, tympanums, pillars, ornaments placed at the corners of the roofs and many others.

Cham Twin Towers, Qui Nhon, 13th century
The historic capital of the Champa kingdom which is located only 30 km from Quy Nhon.

The Hung Thanh Tower is called the Twin Tower because it consists of two towers located next to each other, one high and the other low. The large tower is 20 meters high and the small one 18 meters. Normally, a group of ancient Cham towers has 3 towers, but somehow there are only two towers. Scientists have not found an explanation for this enigma.

Another difference between the Cham Pa Twin Towers and the other towers is that both towers have no tops. The reason for this is that the tower was severely damaged during the war. Although it has been restored, it is still not possible to restore these two vertices.

Another special feature is that the tower is built entirely of baked red bricks, joined together by a special binder. Unlike building houses with cement today, this is a unique building technique of ancient Cham that today’s researchers have yet to decipher.

Using red brick, ancient architects designed the temples with ornamental elements, such as the sandstone carvings of mythological animals used to depict the stories of their civilization.

Annam - Qui Nhnon Tours d’Argent Cham
Dieulefils Rouge 930
#5409 ©77047

Annam - Qui Nhnon Tours d’Argent Cham
Dieulefils Rouge 980
#5410 ©77048

The creation of a museum dedicated to Cham sculpture and art in Đà Nẵng, Tourane, was proposed in 1902 by the Department of Archaeology of the French School of the Far East (EFEO) to collect Cham antiquities. The archaeologist Henri Parmentier was the main promoter of the Project and actively campaigned for its foundation, he drew up the plans for the museum which was created in 1915 under the name of the Henri Parmentier Museum and the first building inaugurated in 1919. Previously, before the creation of the museum, the site was renowned and known as the "Garden of Sculpture".

The building, featuring traditional Cham style elements and designed by French architects Deleval and Auclair, was expanded twice, first in 1936 and then again, with two new galleries providing exhibition space for objects added in the 1920s and 1930s.

Annam - Tourane - Ruines Jardin de la ville
Dieulefils Rouge 945
Nandin. Trà Kiệu. xe siècle.
Grès. H. 105 cm; L. 122 cm; P. 64 cm.113
#5411 ©77044

Annam - Tourane Ruines Jardin de la ville br> Dieulefils Rouge 946
#5412 ©77045

Back

Annam - Tourane Quihnon
Dieulefils Rouge Dos
#5412 ©77044