Cham Sculpture Museum - The Champa kingdom's golden age in Danang

Cham Sculpture Museum, a highlight on Danang City’s tourism map, is one of Vietnam’s most fascinating museums. It has established itself as a centre for preserving and promoting the city’s and Vietnam’s distinctive cultural heritage. It houses the world’s greatest collection of Cham sculptures and artwork. This is one of the top places to visit in the city because of its rich historical and cultural values, as well as its distinct architectural styles. Don’t miss out on this one-of-a-kind museum for an in-depth look at one of the world’s most fascinating historical cultures’ art and architecture.

Table of Contents

1. Overall information

Cham Sculpture Museum, known as the first museum created by the French, houses various valuable collections from the Champa Kingdom found throughout the South Central Coastal Provinces. Danang’s Cham Sculpture Museum is currently the country’s largest Cham museum.

The museum’s overall area is around 6,673 square metres. An section of 2,000 square meters (one-third of the total space) is dedicated to showcasing ancient relics, while remaining space is dedicated to exhibiting rare images and materials from Cham culture. Cham Sculpture Museum opened to tourists in 1919, after four years of building. Following various expansions and renovations, it has become the ideal site for history buffs looking to learn about the once-thriving Cham Kingdom.

2. Location

– Address:02, 2/9 Street, Binh Hien Ward, Hai Chau District, Danang City.

Cham Sculpture Museum is located on the Han River’s bank, at the intersection of 2/9 Street and Trung Nu Vuong Street. It is directly opposite the Vietnam Television Center, in the center of Da Nang City.

3. Cham Sculpture Museum’s opening hours and entrance fee

– Opening hours: every day from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

– Entrance fee: 60.000VND per person (approximately $2.5)

Danang’s Cham Sculpture Museum, like other cultural venues, has set hours of operation that run from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day. Tourists will also need to purchase an admission fee for 60,000 VND per person. Please read the discount section for additional information.

In addition, Cham Sculpture Museum also provides complete audio guide and human tour guide services for tourists to make their journey memorable and informative.

Audio Guide: To visit the museum at your own leisure with the Audio Guide, take these three steps.

– Step 1: Connect to the museum’s wifi or your internet (4G/5G)

– Step 2: Enter https://chamaudio.com into your web browser.

– Step 3: Choose one of three languages: Vietnamese, English, or French.

You can now listen to the the guide on the go by clicking on the picture of the thing that piques your interest or scanning the barcode associated (QR) to that object. It is also recommended that you follow the recommended tour sequence and have the guide play automatically when you enter a specific spot.

Human Tour Guide: For groups of five or more, you can hire a tour guide to listen to their presentation on highlighted objects or ask them questions about Cham history in English, Vietnamese, or French. This service is offered between 7.30 a.m. and 11 a.m., and from 2 p.m to 5 p.m. If your group needs a guide who speaks French or English, you must reserve this service at least three days in advance.

4. The development history of Cham Sculpture Museum

Henri Parmentier, a prominent expert from Ha Noi’s L’École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO), proposed the building of a Cham Sculpture Museum in Da Nang in 1902. Despite being formally under construction in 1915, the foundation of the museum was first established by EFEO around the end of the nineteenth century with a collection of artifacts collected in central Vietnam, from Quang Binh to Binh Dinh. They were later displayed at Le Jardin de Tourane, a little hill beside the Han River. This is where the museum is currently located.

Deleval and M. Auclair, two French architects, designed the original building. The building was designed to imitate the most common features of Champa towers and temples. The museum has been expanded twice over the years, but its distinct blend of Cham and French colonial architecture has been kept. The old buildings have a variety of architectural styles, but they are all set in peaceful surroundings with pavements, trees, and beautiful landscapes.

– 1915: Cham Sculpture Museum was officially under construction to preserve and display Champa civilization vestiges.

– 1919: Cham Sculpture Museum opened to the general public.

– 1930: Because of the large amount of excavated antiques, the museum had its first expansion. Simultaneously, the tour route was reorganized to display sculptures in galleries named after sites while maintaining a reasonable chronology.

– 2002: The museum went through its second expansion. A storage area, study rooms, restoration workshop, and exhibition rooms for contemporary Cham culture were added, along with a collection of Cham ethnic people’s clothing, musical instruments, and festival photos.

– 2011: Danang’s Cham Sculpture Museum was designated as a “first-class museum” in Vietnam. This confirms the museum’s significant contribution to the preservation of Champa cultural heritage values.

– 2016: Danang City repaired and upgraded the museum’s buildings and galleries while preserving their original architectural character.

5. The highlights of Danang’s Cham Sculpture Museum

Cham Sculpture Museum’s iconic architectural style

The museum’s architectural style combines aspects of Cham temples with European Gothic style. The main structure of the Cham Sculpture Museum is notable for its arches, which set it apart from other buildings in the city. It was constructed in the Cham architectural style, with delicate lines that are simple and pleasant. The interior is constructed with several windows to allow natural light into the exhibition spaces. Outside, yellow walls, green moss, and frangipani flowers create a nostalgic environment for visitors. Despite a few repairs, the original architectural characteristics are still nearly intact after more than a century.

Various galleries inside Cham Sculpture Museum

Danang’s Cham Sculpture Museum is said to be one of the first three to be created in Vietnam. With EFEO assistance, it has become one of the world’s most famous collections of Cham antiques. The museum holds around 2,000 large and small antiques. Only one-quarter of these (approximately 500) are on display, with the rest painstakingly stored in the storehouse. The majority of the sculptures here are originals made of baked clay, metal, and sandstone, with sandstone statues being the most common. They date from the seventh to fifteenth centuries and reflect the Champa people’s cultural, spiritual, and religious lives. They all demonstrate the cultural exchanges and growth of Oriental countries during the Middle Ages, and they reflect the peak of Champa civilization.

The sculptures mostly feature Hindu gods such as Shiva, Naga snake god, Laksmi, Linga – Yoni, etc. There are also numerous works about everyday living. Not only are the materials distinctive, but the museum’s objects demonstrate the artistic talent of sculptural art in shape, content, and ideology.

These artifacts are arranged according to the places where they were unearthed, such as Dong Duong, Tra Kieu, Thap Ma, Binh Dinh – Kon Tum, Quang Ngai, Quang Nam, My Son, Da Nang, and Thua Thien Hue – Quang Tri – Quang Binh. This section is simple for visitors to explore and identify the distinctive aspects of Cham architecture in each locality.

Champa sculpture demonstrates a variety of styles. They were occasionally affected by other cultures, but regardless of the period or style in which the Champa artifacts were created, they always retained their original characteristics. Visitors to the museum will be able to explore how Champa sculpture has evolved over eight centuries, from its golden age to its decline.

Six antiques recognized as national treasures

Danang’s Cham Sculpture Museum currently houses 6 antiquities classified as national treasures, including Tra Kieu altar, Tara Bodhisattva statue, My Son E1 altar, Dong Duong altar, Ghanesa statue, and Gajasimha.

Tra Kieu Alter is a timeless Cham sculptural masterpiece. The intricacies are intricately carved, with attention to every millimeter.

The Bodhisattva Tara statue stands 1.148 meters tall and is the tallest bronze statue among Cham Sculpture Museum to date. The statue conveys majesty and exquisite beauty through its intricate carvings.

My Son E1 and Dong Duong altars features carvings from the 7th to 9th century depicting Hindu monks’ forest life.

Ganesha is one of the most renowned and revered deities in Hindu pantheon. The standing Ganesha statue dates from the seventh to eighth centuries and features an elephant head and a human body.

Gajasimha is a legendary hybrid animal from Hindu mythology. The Gajasimha statue, which dates from the 7th to 8th century, features an elephant head but a lion body, demonstrating the strength of a holy animal.

When visiting Da Nang, you should make sure to visit the Museum of Cham Sculpture. You will time travel to a once-mighty nation and get the opportunity to appreciate the Cham people’s beautiful art treasures.