The central province of Quang Nam is a popular heritage site and is known to cradle a great number of Champa relics. Though not a common destination in most of the tour packages offered by local travel organizers, it is still never without visitors as there are those who truly appreciate artifacts, ancient statues and its rich history.
Sadly, many of these artifacts and structures are now damaged due to element exposure and because of the passage of time, and are now in danger of being lost if not urgently restored. Among those that suffered serious damage is the Dong Duong Buddhist College in Thang Binh District's Binh Dinh Bac Commune. An important spiritual site in Indrapura, the college was founded by King Indravarman II in 875, was recognized by the Culture Ministry as a National Heritage Site in 2001, the Dong Duong Buddhist College. At present, it is in the state of ruins.
Visitors must make their way through paths covered with wild plants and creepers to reach the Sang Tower, one of the last vestiges of the Dong Duong Buddhist College. Several years back, the 5-meter mossy tower started falling apart and needed to be enforced by wood to prevent from toppling but just the same, elements and time caught up with the wood materials and eventually rotted. Now, it is in danger of collapsing.
According to some people, a great number of relics in the college have been lost and thousands of the old bricks that fell apart were taken by the locals and were used to build their homes. With things getting out of control, the chairman of Binh Dinh Bac Commune's People's Committee, Truong Van Viet, admits that funds and support from the province is urgently needed to preserve the heritage site.
The Chien Dan Cham Tower in Tam An Commune, Phu Ninh District, about 60km south of Da Nang City, is another heritage site that is in need of funds for preservation. Chien Dan is a group of three towers built in the 11th or 12th century and dedicated to three deities of Hinduism, the dominant religion in the Champa Kingdom: Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva.
In it is a showroom displaying Cham artifacts including many ancient statues. Should these have been preserved better, they would be strong tourist attractions as they offer both beauty and learning, as they come attractive to curious visitors and researchers alike.
Anyone who would come by now could not help noticing how quiet the place have grown. Visitors coming by have slowly decreased in numbers. With the requested restoration be implemented at the soonest time, tourism would once again come alive in the province and its great history be preserved better appreciated. The Quang Nam People's Committee recently approved a project worth more than VND42 billion (US$2million) for its repair.
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