My Son Sanctuary from Hoi An: Tickets & Tips

Featured image: JL Cogburn, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Is My Son Sanctuary Worth Visiting from Hoi An?

Yes, for most first-time visitors with a spare morning. My Son sits in Duy Phu commune, Duy Xuyen district, Quang Nam, inland southwest of Hoi An. Sources put the drive at about 1 hour, and some give up to 1.5 hours. Distances vary between roughly 40 km and 45 km, so plan around time instead. Most visitors spend about 2 hours inside, and a tour or a show adds more. You will see brick towers, carved sandstone pieces, a small museum and Cham dance shows. Skip it if you have only one free day and have already seen temple ruins elsewhere. Visitors who struggle with heat or stairs should also think twice.

• Travel time from Hoi An: about 1 hour each way
• Time on site: about 2 hours, 3 with a show
• Adult foreign ticket: ₫150,000
• Best start: shortly after opening

How to Get to My Son from Hoi An: Scooter, Grab, Tour or Private Car

Four options work from Hoi An, and the right one depends on your budget and appetite for traffic. Prices below are as reported by travel operators and drivers, so treat them as rough ranges. A Grab ride costs about ₫480,000 to ₫500,000 one way. A round-trip Grab package with waiting is reported at about ₫800,000 for a 4-hour window. Drivers also wait in the car park, so a return ride is easy to find after your visit. Private cars run ₫1,000,000 to ₫3,000,000 round trip, depending on the vehicle. Join-in tours start around ₫640,000 per person.

• Check tour pickup points. Some operators charge extra to collect guests in Da Nang.
• Avoid riding in heavy rain, as roads turn slippery.
• Da Nang is about 1.5 to 2 hours away by car, and Hue is about 3 to 3.5 hours.

Tickets, Opening Hours and What's Included

Prices and hours checked November 2026. Foreign adults pay ₫150,000, and Vietnamese adults pay ₫100,000. Children aged 5 to 15 pay between ₫30,000 and ₫50,000, depending on the source. Under-5s enter free. The ticket covers entry, the electric shuttle for the roughly 2 km ride to the ruins, the museum and the dance shows. Cash is reported as the only payment method at the gate, so carry notes. An audio guide app costs ₫70,000 per ticket. Hours are listed as 6:30 to 17:30 in some sources and 6:00 to 18:00 in others, with the ticket office closing at 17:00. Arrive well before 16:30 and check the Quang Nam tourism portal for notices. Mobility is the main question for older visitors. The loop is mostly flat but has stairs at several temples, and slow walkers report managing it in 1 to 2 hours. Contact the site if you use a wheelchair.

Best Time to Visit: Season, Time of Day and Show Schedule

Sources disagree on season. Some name March to May, others the dry months from February to August. Heat builds from May, so early starts matter more than the month. Morning gives cooler air and fewer tour groups. Afternoon suits you if you want to catch a Cham dance show. Reported schedules run 4 shows in the morning and 3 in the afternoon, so check the board at the hall. Mid-morning light flattens the brick, while 7:00 to 9:00 gives the best photos. Late December falls near the end of the rainy season, with less rain than October and November. Shade under the trees helps in both sun and showers.

A Practical Route Through the Site: Groups A to G

A museum sits near the entrance, and shuttles carry you to the start of the ruins in about 3 minutes. One loop path then links the temple groups. Groups B, C and D are best preserved, so prioritise them. Group A was once the largest, but war damage left it badly broken. Groups E, F and G are simpler, with partly destroyed structures.

• 1 hour: ride the shuttle, then walk Groups B, C and D only.
• 2 hours: add Group A and one dance show.
• 3 hours: add Groups E, F and G and the museum, and walk without hurrying.

Architecture and History in Brief

My Son was a religious centre of the Champa kingdom, with temples dedicated to Shiva. Each cluster centres on a kalan, the main sanctuary tower, surrounded by smaller shrines. The plan follows a mandala layout, and the kalan represents Mount Meru. Builders used fired brick, and many guides say little or no mortar was used. That claim is debated, so treat it as a popular explanation. Carvings show deities, dancers and Naga serpents. UNESCO inscribed the site in 1999. Bombing during the Vietnam War collapsed or damaged many towers, with heavy raids reported in 1969. Restoration continues today.

Half-Day Itineraries Combining My Son With Other Hoi An Stops

For a sunrise start, leave Old Town around 5:30 and reach the gate near opening. You can be back for lunch by early afternoon. Spend the afternoon at the Old Town cafes or on a gentler village outing. Some tours return by boat along the Thu Bon River, so ask the operator. For a quieter second half-day, try the pottery stop at Thanh Ha. The farming village of Tra Que also suits a slower afternoon. Boat fans can add the Cam Thanh coconut trip on another day. See more options among our other Hoi An day trips.

What to Wear and Bring

Wear sneakers or soft sandals, since temple stairs and loop paths are uneven. Bring water, a hat and sunscreen. Shops along the path sell cold drinks, and a few toilets sit around the complex. Pack a light rain layer in the wetter months. Keep voices low and do not touch carved surfaces.