My Son Sanctuary, a half day from Hoi An

My Son is the excursion that fits around a Hoi An stay instead of taking it over. The national tourism authority puts the sanctuary about 40 km from the old town. The management board opens the site at 06:00 every day of the year, public holidays included, and closes at 17:00. Arriving at opening is the whole point: the valley is still cool, the light is low on the brick, and the tour buses from Hoi An and Da Nang have not yet arrived.

UNESCO inscribed My Son in 1999. The towers were built by the Champa kingdom between the 4th and 13th centuries, in a basin ringed by mountains near the source of the Thu Bon river — the same river that reaches the sea at Hoi An. The management board counts more than 70 temple structures across 1,158 hectares. Many are ruins; some were badly damaged in the 20th century. Come for the setting and the brickwork, not for an intact Angkor.

If you cannot face a five o'clock start, the afternoon plan leaves Hoi An at about 13:30, walks the temples from 14:30 and catches the 16:00 show, returning by 18:00. It is hotter and busier for the first hour, and the site closes at 17:00, so there is less slack. We suggest it only on days when the forecast afternoon is mild.

The museum goes first, then the dance show. The temple groups are the reason for the trip and stay whole. If heavy rain is forecast for the early morning, we move the pickup later rather than walk you through mud at dawn.

The tourism authority names March to May as the pleasant months around Hoi An and warns of rainy days and several storms from October to January. My Son sits inland in a valley: paths turn to mud in heavy rain. The months to be careful with are October to January.

The entrance fee is included in the quote: VND 150,000 per foreign visitor, covering entry and on-site services, as published by the My Son management board (notice dated 2019; check before you travel).

See how early starts and party size affect the total on the pricing page.

• Shoulders and knees covered — this is a religious site.
• Closed shoes with grip for gravel.
• Insect repellent; the valley is forested.
• A hat and water; there is little shade between groups.

Send the form with your Hoi An hotel and the date. Combine it with an afternoon in town or a beach afternoon; both fit. If you are on a cruise ship docking at Tien Sa, the shore excursions page explains why My Son is rarely the right shore day. More Hoi An options are on the Hoi An and Da Nang page, and the booking steps are on the how to book page.