Located in the heart of Da Nang city, the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture is an indispensable stop for visitors on the journey to discover the heritage and cultural treasures in the Central and Central Highlands of Vietnam.
The museum currently houses and displays the richest and most representative collection of religious sculptures of the ancient kingdom of Champa which has existed and flourished for decades with many heritages still remaining preserved, including the system of magnificent temples and other tangible and intangible cultural heritages.
THE MUSEUM HISTORY
The procedure of collecting Champa sculptures has begun in the late 19th century. Numerous exhibits were found in the region of Da Nang, Quang Nam and neighboring provinces then gathered at the museum with the name at that time “The Garden of Tourane”.
The collection marks the merits of passionate French archaeologists, especially those who worked for the French School of the Far East (L’École Française d’Extrême – Orient, abbreviated as EFEO). Some sculptures have been moved to France, others have been preserved at museums in Hanoi and Saigon (now known as Ho Chi Minh City) but most of the characteristic artefacts are still stored at The Garden of Tourane ( Tourane is the name of Da Nang at that time).
The idea of building the Museum to preserve Champa sculptures had been sparkled since 1902. In particular, it must highlight the EFEO project with the great contribution of Henri Parmentier, Dean of the Department of Archeology. After significant effort and determinations, the first building was started constructing in 1915, completed in 1916 and opened to the public in 1919.
The original design of the building was initiated by two French architects, Delaval and Auclair, based on Henri Parmentier’s proposal of using the features of the Champa temples. Despite later expansions, the original architectural features have remained intact to this day after over 100 years.
In the 1930s, the Museum was first expanded. The nearly-1000-meter-square building was arranged into the basic galleries shaping the itinerary within the museum till today, namely: Tra Kieu, My Son, Dong Duong, Thap Mam Hall and the corridors of Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Binh Dinh and Kon Tum.
In 2016, the city restored all buildings, adjusted and upgraded the galleries. The refurbishment project aims to connect all buildings of the museum into a sightseeing tour. Especially, the main exhibition showcases Champa sculpture collections, the rest are specialized rooms on Inscription, Pottery, Music, Festivals and Traditional vocations of Cham people in Ninh Thuan nowadays. Performance space and educational activities are positioned on the second floor and the renovated service area is in the garden.
In 2011, Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture was listed as the first-class museum in Vietnam. Thereby, that approves the role and contributions of the Museum in the conservation and promotion of the values of Champa cultural heritage in particular and Vietnam in general.
ADDRESS, TICKET PRICES, OPENING TIME AND NECESSARY INFORMATION
- Address: No. 02, 2 thang 9 Street, Hai Chau District, Da Nang city
- Website: chammuseum.vn
- Opening time: Morning: 07h30 – 11h00 | Afternoon: 13:00 – 17:00 (Closed on Mondays)
- Ticket price: 60,000 VND / person / 01 visit
- In case of fee exemption and reduction, please contact the Museum for further details.
- Contact: Dept. of Education and Communication (Phone number: (84-236) 3572935 / Email: gdtt-baotangcham@danang.gov.vn or info.museumofchamsculpture@gmail.com)
Audio guide
- Step 1: Access the Museum wifi.
- Step 2: Open the web browser and access: https://chamaudio.com
- Step 3: Select the language (Vietnamese, English or French) and the artifacts you want to seek information. Visitors can also scan QR codes of each artifact or follow the tour sequences introduced in the app.
Guide Tour
- Serving groups of 05 or more, in Vietnamese, English and French.
- Service time: From 7:30 to 11:00 and 14:00 to 17:00 daily.
- For groups with private tour guide or request English-or French tour guide, please contact at least 03 days in advance.
- Contact: Office of Education and Presentation (Phone number: (84-236) 3572935 / Email: gdtt-baotangcham@danang.gov.vn or ecdchammuseum@gmail.com)
Café and souvenirs (temporarily closed)
Rules and regulations
- Visitors to the museum must present a ticket to the Museum. Dress neatly and politely.
- Do not bring weapons, explosives, flammable substances, toxic substances such as acids, corrosives, oversized furniture and other dangerous items into the Museum.
- Do not bring large luggage into the Museum. Hand luggage of over 03 kg must be deposited at the luggage counter (visitors should bring money and high-value items).
- No smoking, do not wear raincoats, eat and drink in galleries. Keep general hygiene and garbage in the prescribed place. No street vendors within the Museum area.
- Not to bring banners and pets into the Museum. Do not make noise when visiting the Museum.
- Do not touch objects, do not climb, sit on the platform displaying artifacts in the Museum.
- Do not use a tripod and flash to take photos. Special filming and photography programs must be approved by Museum’s Leaders.
- Not arbitrarily organizing fun, cultural and artistic activities within the Museum’s premises without permission of the Museum’s Leaders.
- Do not climb trees, break branches, cut flowers, pick fruits … within the Museum’s premises.
- Visitors are responsible for causing damage to the Museum.
DISCOVER THE MUSEUM
Coming to Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture, visitors have the opportunity to admire more than 300 artifacts including National Treasures and many items reflecting the peak of Champa sculpture art from the 5th to 15th centuries, expressed in diverse materials such as sandstone, terracotta and metal. Artifacts with themes of Hindu and Buddhist deities, symbols of fertility, sacred animals and architectural decors … reflecting the cultural, religious and aesthetic characteristics of ancient Champa residents in the Central region of Vietnam.
The collection is divided into 12 rooms corresponding to the geographical areas where the exhibits were discovered, namely Tra Kieu, My Son, Dong Duong, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, Thua Thien Hue, Da Nang, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Thap Mam, Binh Dinh and Kon Tum; and 04 thematic galleries, explicitly Champa Inscription, Sa Huynh – Champa Pottery, Traditional Festivals and Handicrafts of Cham People in Ninh Thuan, Introduction of Archeological Results at Champa site of Phong Le Relics (Da Nang City).
Danang FantastiCity has applied the 4D Scanning technology for four most important and typical galleries, including Tra Kieu, My Son, Dong Duong and Thap Mam Hall.
There are also photos and information of five objects that have been recognized as National Treasures: Tra Kieu Altar, My Son E1 Altar, Statue of Laskmindra Lokeshvara/Tara, Dong Duong Altar (BTC 168), Gajasimha (Currently, the museum has six National Treasures in total as of December 2022)
Visiting the Museum with the 4D Scanning technology will definitely offer visitors brand new and stimulating experiences on the journey to explore the collections as well as learning the history and culture of people in Central Vietnam.
References
- Official website of Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture: chammuseum.vn
- Information points and annotations of artifacts at Danang Museum of Cham Sculpture.
- “Vibrancy in Stone – Masterpieces of the Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture”
- Information guidebook introducing 20 characteristic artifacts at Da Nang Museum of Cham Sculpture.
- Presentation of tourist destinations in Da Nang.
- Web portal of Da Nang city
DANANG CENTER FOR TOURISM PROMOTION
