Cham Museum of Sculpture in Da Nang

The Museum of Cham Sculpture (Cham Museum), at the western end of Da Nang’s Dragon Bridge, holds the world’s largest collection of Cham sculpture: more than 300 pieces on show, 12 of them national treasures. Tickets cost 60,000 VND. Worth the stop, more so if you are heading to My Son: four of those treasures came from that temple site.

Situated by the Han River in Da Nang City, Cham Museum was built in 1915 according to the motifs of ancient Cham Architecture and opened in 1919. In 1936 it was named the Henri Parmentier Museum, after the French archaeologist who had championed the project. The museum is officially known as the Museum of Cham Sculpture. The kingdom of Champa (or Lin-yi in Chinese records) controlled much of what is now central and south-central Vietnam from approximately 192. The empire began to decline in the late 15th century, and what was left of it was finally absorbed into Vietnam in 1832. At present, the museum displays more than 300 stone and terracotta sculptural works made between the 7th and the 15th centuries.

Cham Museum ticket price and opening hours

A standard ticket costs 60,000 VND per person, for foreign and Vietnamese visitors alike. Da Nang residents and university or college students pay 20,000 VND. Children under 16 and Vietnamese citizens aged 60 and over get in free with proof, and so does everyone on the first day of Tet, 29 March, the 10th day of the third lunar month and 2 September. The museum opens from 7:00 to 17:00 every day, public holidays and Tet included.

The audio guide, in English, French and Vietnamese, runs in your phone’s browser: join the museum Wi-Fi, go to chamaudio.com and scan the code next to each piece. Guided tours are for groups of 15 or more, and an English or French guide has to be booked at least three days ahead.

How to get to the Cham Museum

The museum is about 200 m on foot from the western end of the Dragon Bridge and about 1 km from Han Market. From Da Nang International Airport it is about 3 km by road, a short Grab or taxi ride. My Son, where four of the museum’s national treasures were found, is 43–49 km away, so seeing both in one day takes a car or a tour such as our Hoi An and My Son classic trip. Closer by, on our list of Da Nang attractions: the Han River Bridge, under 2 km away, and the Marble Mountains on the road to Hoi An.

What to see at the Cham Museum if you only have an hour

Go for the national treasures. Eight of the 12 came from Tra Kieu, My Son and Dong Duong, and the rooms are named after the sites where the pieces were found, so start in those three.

• Tra Kieu: the Tra Kieu altar (7th–8th century) and an apsara relief (10th century).
• My Son: the E1 altar, a Ganesha, a Shiva from tower C1 and the Birth of Brahma, all from the 7th or 8th century.
• Dong Duong: the Dong Duong altar and a bronze Tara (late 9th–early 10th century).
• Thap Mam (former Binh Dinh province): a Gajasimha, half elephant and half lion (12th century), and a dragon (12th–13th century).
• Added in December 2024, along with the dragon: a dancing Shiva from Phong Le in Da Nang and an Uma relief from Chanh Lo in Quang Ngai.

A Brief History of the Champa

According to Chinese chronicles, the Champa kingdom was founded in 192 A.D and had different names such as Lin-Yi, Huang-Wang and Chang-Chen. Its territories stretched from south of the Ngang Pass in Quang Binh Province to the delta area of the Dong Nai River in Binh Thuan Province. It included the coastal plains, highland and mountain ranges.

Influenced by the early Hindu civilization, the Champa kingdom was a federation of several smaller states called Mandala and comprised several ethnic groups.

The most important legacy of the Champa kingdom is located in Central Vietnam in the form of brick temples and towers which are scattered over the coastal lowlands and highlands. The structures date from between the 7th and 8th centuries to the 16th and 17th centuries and are concentrated in Da Nang, Khanh Hoa and the former provinces of Quang Nam, Binh Dinh, Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan.

Highlights of Cham Museum

The Most Extensive Collection of Cham Art Worldwide…

The Cham Museum was built in Cham architectural style, using thin lines that are simple and gentle. The museum displays an intensive and diverse collection of Champa sculpture dating from the 7th to the 15th centuries.

The museum’s collection was started at the end of the 19th century by French scholars, many of them from the Ecole Francaise d’Extreme Orient, with artifacts gathered in Da Nang, Quang Nam and nearby provinces. They were then displayed at Le Jardin de Tourane on a small hill by the Han River. This is the site of the present museum.

The building was designed by two French architects, Delaval and Auclair, in imitation of the most commonly used aspects of Champa towers and temples.

At present, the museum displays more than 300 sandstone and terracotta sculptures, 12 of which are national treasures. The sculptures were collected from Cham temples and towers throughout Central Vietnam, more specifically the area stretching from the former provinces of Quang Binh to Binh Dinh, plus the former Kon Tum province in the Central Highlands.

The sculptures are displayed in 12 rooms named after the localities where the pieces have been discovered, plus four themed rooms.

After visiting the pieces in the showrooms, you can visit exterior exhibitions. The arts of the Champa were chiefly sculpture, but the sculptures are only part of the religious architecture. The temples and towers themselves are considered to be sculptural artifacts. They are decorated on the exterior of their brick walls with bas-relief columns, flowers and leaves and worshipping figures between brick pillars. The tympana, lintels and the ornamental corner pieces are of sandstones carved with the figures of gods, the holy animals of the Hindus and flowers and leaves.

The artifacts displayed at the museum are altars, statues and decorative works collected from Hindu and Buddhist temples and towers. Champa sculpture displays various styles. Sometimes they were influenced by other cultures but no matter at what period or in what style the Champa artifacts were made they always displayed original characteristics.

Visitors to the museum will have the opportunity to appreciate the eight centuries of evolution of Champa sculpture from its golden age to its decline. In their own way, the artifacts exemplify the rise and fall of the Champa civilization.

The art of Champa, although influenced by the Hindu themes of India and Southeast Asia, has many elements that make it distinctive.

Temples in Champa were made of bricks. As a result, artists did not have long expanses of wall to decorate with bas-reliefs depicting Hindu epics or phases of Buddhist life as seen, for example, at Angkor Wat. The Chams incorporated their sculptures into their temple architecture by carving them separately and making them part of the construction. These carvings are classified into four main groups: Icons; Pedestals; Pediments; Fragments of architectural decorations at the base or on various ties of the temple.

Good to Know about Cham Museum

• The first building of Cham Museum was opened in 1919 and took the name Henri Parmentier Museum in 1936.
• The collection was started by French archaeologists and experts from L’École Francaise d’Extrême Orient (EFEO).
• Flash and tripods are not allowed, and bags over 3 kg have to go to the storage area.
• The museum asks visitors to dress modestly and not to touch the sculptures or climb on the display platforms.

Sources: Museum of Cham Sculpture, visitor information; Da Nang tourism portal (danangfantasticity.com)