Foreign tourists return to My Son Sanctuary after pandemic hiatus
More than 40 international tourists visited My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO-recognised world heritage site in Quang Nam province's Duy Xuyen district on November 22 after a long hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 40 international tourists visited My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO-recognised world heritage site in Quang Nam province's Duy Xuyen district on November 22. (Photo: VNA)
Quang Nam (VNA) – More than 40international tourists visited My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO-recognised worldheritage site in Quang Nam province's Duy Xuyen district on November 22 after along hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During their trip, the holidaymakers enjoyed specialart performances and festivals featuring the culture of Cham people, andparticipated in folk games. They were also treated to traditional dishes.
Phan Ho, director of the management board of theheritage site, said during the suspension, Vietnamese and Indian experts, andhundreds of skilled workers had restored Tower A in the sanctuary, which is nowready to welcome visitors.
Aleksei Fanberow, a tourist from Israel, said after atwo-year pandemic hiatus, he has returned to Vietnam that is now safe withbeautiful landscapes, and friendly and hospitable people.
Apart from foreign tourists, domestic vacationers havealso registered for tours to My Son in the coming days.
Once the religious and political capital of the ChampaKingdom, the My Son Sanctuary is located within a hilly landscape in Duy Phucommune, Duy Xuyen district, about 70 km southwest of central Da Nang city and40 km from Hoi An ancient town.
It is comprised of eight groups of 71 monuments builtfrom the 7th to 13th centuries.
The sanctuary was recognised as a world culturalheritage site by UNESCO in 1999./.
Quang Nam is exerting efforts to improve its investment environment and speed up administrative reform to attract more investors, especially in supporting industry, said Le Tri Thanh, Chairman of the People’s Committee of the central province.
Two world heritage sites in the central province of Quang Nam – Hoi An ancient town and My Son Sanctuary – began to welcome foreign tourists starting November 15.
A group of 30 international visitors from the US, the Republic of Korea (RoK), and Canada arrived in Quang Nam on November 17, becoming first tourists to visit the central province after it has been selected as one of localities piloting to welcome foreign visitors in the new normal.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
The event served as a vibrant display of solidarity, promoting peace, cooperation, and development through cultural dialogue, and reaffirmed HCM City's role as a dynamic hub for cultural diplomacy and international friendship.
The Indian Film Festival not only honours the artistic value of cinema but also contributes to strengthening the friendship and enhancing cultural exchange between the people of Son La in particular and Vietnam in general and India.
An art exchange programme between Vietnam and Cambodia was held on the evening of June 13 in the Mekong Delta province of Vinh Long as part of the 2025 Cambodia Culture Week in Vietnam.
Digitalisation does not mean commercialisation or oversimplification of culture. It is a way of selecting, adapting, and spreading traditional values through a modern language.
The 11th edition is expected to serve as a vital channel for conveying Vietnam’s development message to the international community, and represent a milestone in the implementation of the Politburo’s Conclusion No. 57 on continuing to improve the quality and efficiency of external information service in the new situation.
More than 40 international tourists visited My Son Sanctuary, a UNESCO-recognised world heritage site in Quang Nam province's Duy Xuyen district on November 22. (Photo: VNA) 
