Located in the center of Da Nang, The Museum of Cham sculpture is a destination that you should not miss out on. This place is probably the spotlight on the journey of exploring the culture and heritage in Tay Nguyen and Central Viet Nam.
The museum stores and exhibits the most diverse and outstanding sculpture collection of ancient Champa – A kingdom that has existed and developed significantly for decades. Champa is known for its heritage which is preserved until today, including magnificent temples, unique tangible and intangible cultural heritage.
The Museum History
The process of collecting Champa sculptures began in the late 19th century. Many artifacts found in Da Nang, Quang Nam, and the neighboring provinces, were brought to the museum called “Tourance Park” at that time.
The collection marks the merits of French who love archeology and experts from L’École Française d’Extrême – Orient (EFEO). Some sculptural artifacts were moved to France, while others were transferred to museums in Hanoi and in Saigon (now Ho Chi Minh City), but most of the typical sculptures were still left in Tourane (now Da Nang city).
The idea to establish a Cham sculpture museum in Da Nang began in 1902. And Henri Parmentier – Head of the EFEO Department of Archaeology made great contributions to the campaign for its construction. After a lot of attempts, the first building was constructed in 1915, completed in 1916, and opened to the public in 1919.
The original design of the building was scratched by two French architects, Delaval and Auclair. The design was based on Henri Parmentier’s suggestion by using the Champa temple’s architecture. Over the last 100 years, the Museum has been extended many times, but the character of the original architecture has been well preserved.
In the 1930s, the Museum area was expanded to 1000m2. The space was arranged into the Tra Kieu, My Son, Dong Duong, Thap Ma galleries and the Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh, Kon Tum corridors.
In 2011, Museum of Cham Sculpture was ranked in the list of first-class museums in Vietnam.
In 2016, the city implemented a project in order to restore all buildings and upgrade galleries. The purpose of the project was to connect all the buildings of the museum to create an overall sightseeing route. In which, the main exhibition space displayed the collection of Champa sculptures, the other spaces displayed sculptures of different themes such as Inscription, Ceramic, Music, Festivals, and Traditional Handicrafts of the Chams living in Ninh Thuan. The room for performances and educational activities was located on the second floor, and the service area was in the garden.
Information
Location: No.02, 2/9 Street, Binh Hien Ward, Hai Chau District, Da Nang City
Website: chammuseum.vn
Open time: From 7a.m to 5p.m everyday
Ticket price: 60.000 VND/person/1 route
For free tickets and further information, please contact the museum.
Contact: Administrative Department (+84-236) 3574 801 or (+84-0) 905321531
