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.

Hoi An - Old Vietnam

Hoi An is a quaint old city, making it to the UNESCO World Heritage List due to the fact that it is virtually unscathed from the wars and retains its old buildings and way of life going back 500 years.  Previously called Faifo, Hoi An was a significant port of call by the Japanese and Chinese traders.  They left their mark on this city with structures such as a bridge and shop houses.  It’s a peaceful place, with trishaws, boats, craftsmen, heritage buildings and great food.

There are a lot of things to see and do in Hoi An with lost of great food, accommodation and shopping.  Both Wikitravel and Lonely Planet have a comprehensive guide on Hoi An.

Hoi An is a jump off point for many tours.  So setup base camp in Hoi An and off to the Marble Mountains, the Cham Islands, My Lai Peace Park, My Son and many other tours.  My Son is an archaeological site full of 4^th to 14^th century temples build by the Champa.  The Cham people of Vietnam are descendants of this civilization. The My Lai Peace Park is a Vietnamese-American dedication to peace in memory of the My Lai massacre.

This video by overlander gives us a glimpse of Hoi An.  Do take of note the short Cham dance snippets contained in this video.

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.

Dien Bien Phu

Dien Bien Phu is for history buffs, or a stopover for those on the way to Luang Prabang or other locales in Laos by road or to the touristy Sapa Highlands. This remote locale is the site of the French surrender to Vietnamese forces in 1954. At this place, the Vietnamese achieved clear tactical superiority over the French Foreign Legionnaires and inflicted the decisive victory that led to Vietnamese Independence from France.

There are many relics of the war maintained at Dien Bien Phu to commerate the victory and to remember those slain in battle.  And a History Musuem for further browsing on that battle.

This video by sinclair50 shows the snippet of the Dien Bien Phu Battle from the History Channel’s 10,000 Day War documentary.

And from asiapacifictravel we can see the adventurous taking the overland route between Laos and Dien Bien Phu.  From this clip, we can also get a glimpse into the life of the hill tribes of that mountainous region.