Champa Folk Dance

The Cham people are the descendants of the old Champa Kingdom of Vietnam. It is believed that the Champa are of Malay or Polynesian origin and were Hindus.  Here is an example of the Champa folk dance.

This video by jujujulog shares a performance captured at My Son.

My Son - Hindu Kingdom of Vietnam

My Son is a World Heritage site filled with temple ruins of the Champa civilization of Vietnam.  It sits south of Hoi An. My Son, Hoi An, Tra Kieu (Simhapura) and the Cham Islands played important roles in the old Champa Kingdom. 

At My Son, you can find the remains of over 70 Hindu temples and tombs. These red brick towers and sanctuaries are important heritage remains for Vietnam, but the extant of the site is not on the scale of Angkor Wat or Borobudur.   Scriptures in Sanskrit and Cham have been recovered or identified at the site.

This video from UNESCO gives a glimpse of My Son and its surviving people. 

This video from TripAdvisorTRIPWOW4 shows some good pictures of the site.

Hue - Vietnam's Soul

Hue was the seat and Imperial capital of the Nguyen Emperors of Vietnam.  Hue today has a complex of imperial remains such as the citadel and the Purple Forbidden City within, making Hue attain the UNESCO World Heritage List.

As the centre of Vietnamese culture, Hue gives an insight into Vietnamese culture, a peek into the soul of the Vietnamese people.  You will be able to soak in the traditional Vietnamese music and song, and admire the traditional craftsmanship such as mosaic making.  And don't forget to drop by a tailor shop and get an Ao Dai, the enchanting national dress of Vietnam and worn by most Vietnamese women.

Besides the Imperial Complex, Imperial Tombs and the Eiffel Bridge (Trang Tien Bridge), you should check out the dinner cruise on the Perfume River, making sure that live Hue cultural performances are shown abroad the dragon boat.  If possible, schedule your trip to be in Hue in the first week of June on an even year (2012 for eg), to soak in the Hue festival.

And if you have the time, you should exit Hue and travel to Hoi An, a city virtually unscathed by war and showcases buildings from the 15^th to 19^th century, On the way do drop by Danang to view the sculptures in the Cham Museum. Try the Beer La Rue in Danang, a nice Danang brewed beer of French heritage.

This video by UNESCO gives a glimpse of the Imperial Complex, traditional music and mosaics making.