HỘI NGHỊ BÁO CÁO KẾT QUẢ SƠ BỘ KHAI QUẬT KHẢO CỔ TẠI NHÓM THÁP L - MỸ SƠN NĂM 2025

In the afternoon of August 2(th), 2025, a conference was held at the meeting room of the Management Board of the My Son World Cultural Heritage Site to present the preliminary results of the 2025 archaeological excavation at Tower Group L.

Attending the conference were Mr. Ha Vy - Deputy Director of Da Nang Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; Mr. Vo Van Dung - Head of the Planning and Finance Division of the Department; Ms. Duong Le Phuong - Head of the Cultural Management Division, Da Nang Department of Culture and Sports; Dr. Dang Khanh Ngoc - Director of the Institute for Conservation of Monuments; Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy - from the Institute of Archaeology; Ms. Le Thi Thu Trang - Director of the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang; and Mr. Nguyen Dung - Vice Chairman of the Thu Bon Commune People's Committee.

As part of the event, the delegates and guests enjoyed a performance of Cham folk music and dance, visited the ongoing conservation and restoration works at Tower Groups EF and L, and the archaeological site at Group K. They also joined an online meeting between the My Son World Cultural Heritage Management Board, representatives of the Institute for Conservation of Monuments, the Institute of Archaeology, and the C.M. Lerici Foundation (Italy).

According to Decision No. 1263/QĐ-BVHTTDL dated May 6, 2025, issued by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Vietnam, the Management Board of My Son World Cultural Heritage Site, in cooperation with the Institute for Conservation of Monuments, the Institute of Archaeology, and the C.M. Lerici Foundation (Italy), has been authorized to conduct an archaeological excavation at Group L of the My Son Sanctuary, located in Thu Bon Commune, Da Nang City.

The excavation is scheduled to take place from May 9, 2025, to July 30, 2025, covering a permitted area of 150 m². The excavation is led by Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Quy from the Institute of Archaeology. This is the second excavation at Group L, following the first one conducted in 2019.

The current excavation aims to expand the survey area of Group L to include the eastern hillside, excavate a portion of the site to collect more data about Group L, particularly to clarify the structural components of the brick walls surrounding structures L1 and L2 - continue studying and classifying the roof tile types of L1 and L2 and their associated ceramic artifacts, remove collapsed sections both inside and outside L1, and complete final drawings for a proposed conservation and restoration project for the architectural components within Group L.

Since the early 20th century, Group L has been documented by Henri Parmentier of the École Française d’Extrême-Orient (EFEO) as a long hall-like structure with a tiled roof and two opposing doors. The first excavation, conducted by C.M. Lerici in 2019, revealed an additional architectural foundation to the west of the long hall (L1). Archaeologists designated the earlier-discovered structure as L1 and the later-found foundation as L2. L1 

and L2 are aligned on an east-west axis and are enclosed by surrounding walls.

Over the past two months, new excavation pits have been opened, and systematic removal of collapsed material inside and around L1 has been carried out to expose its architectural features and study the collapse sequence and the site’s transformation over time. The excavation uncovered numerous ceramic fragments and various roof tile types on the floors and walkways surrounding L1. The removal process also revealed evidence of natural degradation and wartime destruction. The timber roof structure with tiles collapsed first, followed by wall collapses, largely caused by wartime bombing.

Based on many researches, archaeologists estimate that the L structures date to the late 13th century and may have been used until the early 14th century. The results of the excavation clearly show that the existing brick structures at Group L need stabilization and reinforcement to mitigate the effects of time and war. The overall Group L area must be preserved in a complete and sustainable manner, ready to contribute to the heritage’s value enhancement. The new findings have helped identify the significance of later-period architecture at My Son, expanded the architectural space of the temple complex, and created a potential research and tourism attraction for the community in the near future.

The conference was also an opportunity for stakeholders to exchange ideas and provide input on suitable directions for the research and preservation of Group L, an integral part of the overall picture of My Son Sanctuary. It reaffirmed the essential role of archaeology in heritage conservation while raising hopes for further discoveries in the ongoing journey to uncover the remnants of the splendid Champa civilization.