Đại sứ Ấn Độ tại Việt Nam đến thăm Khu đền tháp Mỹ Sơn

On the morning of January 3^rd, 2025, Mr. Sandeep Arya, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India in Vietnam, visited and worked at the Mỹ Sơn Heritage site. Mr. Nguyễn Công Khiết - Director, and Ms. Văn Thị Cẩm Tú - Deputy Director of the Mỹ Sơn Cultural Heritage Management Board, warmly welcomed and worked with the delegation. On the occasion of the New Year, the Management Board Director extended best wishes to the Ambassador and his spouse, highly appreciating the Ambassador’s attention to the Mỹ Sơn heritage site, which exemplified by active promotion of the project to conserve the F group at the Mỹ Sơn site.

The Ambassador expressed gratitude for the warm and respectful reception from the leaders of Mỹ Sơn Cultural Heritage Management Board, commending the cooperation from Quang Nam province, especially the direct and effective work of the Management Board in successfully restoring the A, H, and K groups. He also concerned with issues related to the upcoming collaborative restoration project for the F group. Mr. Nguyễn Công Khiết expected a support from the Indian Ambassador in Vietnam for the restoration of other groups still affected by war remnants, such as groups E, F, and A’. The Management Board also proposed a meeting between the relevant agencies of Vietnam and India regarding the project, along with official documents before its implementation.

The group F is in urgent need of preservation and restoration in Mỹ Sơn site. The F group is one of the early architectural complexes, which worshiped the god Shiva, dating from the 7^th - 8^th century to the 10^th - 11^th century. It is a significant testament to the architectural and artistic development of the Mỹ Sơn site and the Champa culture. However, it remains in a state of ruin with bomb craters and bullet holes still visible nearly 50 years after the war.

According to Mr. Henri Parmentier’s survey (a French researcher) in 1904, the F group originally included three structures: the F1 main temple, the F2 gate tower, and the auxiliary tower F3, along with enclosing walls. Currently, only F1 temple and tower F2 remain, as F3 was completely destroyed by bombs. The group F is in the state of an archaeological architectural ruin, severely damaged by time and war, which was excavated during the period of 1903-1904 by The French School of the Far East  and re-excavated in 2003 by the Vietnam Institute of Archaeology. The main temple F1 located at the center of the F group, dated back to the 8^th–9^th century and is a typical Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva god, represented by the Linga-Yoni symbol. The roof has completely collapsed, the walls stand only 2–4 meters high and are cracked, deformed, and disconnected, and the base is severely damaged. Decorative elements have mostly lost, though remnants suggest motifs typical of the Hoa Lai style with influences from other sites. The brick foundation has eroded, with the altar inside collapsed, the sacred pit disturbed, and many altar components buried deep underground.

The F group was built in the 7^th century, represented some of the earliest architectures in the Mỹ Sơn site. The structures have succumbed to natural deterioration, abandonment, and war damage, leaving most buildings collapsed. Moreover, archaeological excavations in 2003, unaccompanied by restoration, have exacerbated the site’s degradation. To prevent further collapse, the Mỹ Sơn Cultural Heritage Management Board implemented emergency supports and constructed a protective shelter for F1 temple in 2004, but this is only a temporary solution.

F1 temple’s construction techniques different from most Mỹ Sơn temples, with bricks forming the outer shell and the core filled with compacted soil, sand, and gravel, making it highly susceptible to natural impacts. Immediate measures are needed to preserve, restore, and reposition the remaining architectural components of the F group including the enclosing wall, excavation of external areas, drainage systems, and the northern stream embankment. After finishing, the protective shelter over F1 temple should be removed, the landscape was preserved, and periodic maintenance conducted. Restoration efforts need to reposition the Mỹ Sơn F1 altar and preserve bomb craters.

Translated by Vo Nhut