Kingdom of Champa
Considered as the cultural and linguistic heir of the Sa-Huỳnh civilization, this Indianized kingdom occupied the central part of present-day Vietnam. Its existence was mentioned for the first time in the Chinese Annals, in 192 AD.
Unlike the centralized Khmer kingdom, the Cham kingdom was made up of more or less independent principalities, which were, in turn, dominant. These populations of Malaysian origin frequently practiced looting and coastal maritime piracy. Its turbulent history were marked by ceaseless struggles against its neighbors, first with China, then with the Việt, the Khmer and the Siamese.
But the end of the 10th century marked a turning point in its history. With the independence of Vietnam which finally freed itself from Chinese supervision, the Champa therefore had to endure the "March to the South" (Nam Tiến) of its neighbor, the Ðại-Việt, in constant demographic expansion.
Defeats in annexations, negotiations in cession of territories (arranged marriages), the Champa repeatedly moved its capital towards the south, to end up shrinking to almost irrelevant, until the emperor Minh Mạng completed the final disappearance of the Indianized kingdom in 1832.
Cham principalities
Historically the old kingdom was divided into 5 principalities, from the North to the Sout :
■ Indrapura, in the vicinity of Huế (presently province of Thừa Thiên – Huế)
■ Amaravati, in the vicinity of Đà-Nẳng (presently province of Quảng Nam)
■ Vijaya, in the vicinity of Qui-Nhơn (presently province of Bình-Định)
■ Kauthara, in the vicinity of Nha-Trang (presently province of Khánh-Hoà)
■ Panduranga, in the vicinity of Phan-Rang (presently provinces Ninh-Thuận et Bình-Thuận)
Retour journey
RETURN HUÊ – PHAN THIÊT
- Day 1 : Huế – Hội An – Tam Kỳ – Quảng Ngãi (248 km)
♦ Visit Tháp Chiên Ðàng (last Xiè – beg XIIè)
♦ Visit An Mỹ Remains
♦ Visit Tháp Khương Mỹ (Xè siècle)
♦ Visit Phú Hưng Remains
- Day 2 : Quảng Ngãi – Qui Nhơn – Nha Trang (405 km)
- Day 3 : Nha Trang – Phan Rang – Phan Thiết (250 km)
♦ Bầu Trúc Village (célèbre sculpteur Ðàn Văn Thọ)
♦ Mỹ Nghiệp Village (célèbre tisseuse Phú Thị Mơ)
♦ Visit Tháp Po Ro Me (XVIè)
♦ Visit Tháp Po Sanu (or tháp Phú Hài) VIIIè siècle
Some sites can not be visited, mostly in Bình Định province. They are Bình Lâm, Thũ Thiện and Thốc Lốc temples (kalan). We hope we can complete ours visits in a next trip...
Outward journey
Outward DALAT - HUÊ
- Day 1 : Dalat – Phan Rang – Nha Trang (315 km)
♦ Visit Po Klong Garai (fin XIIIè – début XIVè)
♦ Visit Hoà Lai (VIIIè – IXè)
- Day 2 : Nha Trang
♦ Visit Po Nagar (VIIè - XIIIè)
- Jour 3 : Nha Trang – Qui Nhơn (240 km)
♦ Visit Tháp Nhàn (Tour des Hirondelles) XIIè s.
♦ VisiteTháp Ðôi (Tour jumelles ou Tháp Hưng Thạnh) XIIè s.
- Jour 4 : Qui Nhơn – Binh Ðinh – Hội An (270 km)
♦ Visit Tháp Bánh It (Tour d’Argent) XIè s.
♦ Visit Tháp Cánh Tiên (Tour de Cuivre) XIIè s.
♦ Visit Tháp Dương Long (Tours d’Ivoire) XIIè s.
- Jour 5 : Hôi An – Mỹ Sơn – Hôi An (25 km x 2)
♦ Visit Mỹ Sơn Site (VIIè - XIIIè)
♦ Visit Tháp Bằng An (XIIè)
- Jour 6 : Hội An – Ða Nẳng – Huế ( 30 km + 110 km)
♦ Visit Ðà Nẳng Museum
A glance at visited sites on outward journey
At Huế, 3 rest days for visiting Forbidden City and 7 tombs of the Nguyễn dynasty before our return journey.
Maps
General map
Quảng Nam Province (former Amaravati cham principality)
Bình Định province (former Vijaya cham principality)