Set within the jungle 55km from Hoi An are the enigmatic ruins of My Son, the most important remains of the ancient kingdom of Champa and a Unesco World Heritage site. Although Vietnam has better preserved Cham sites, none are as extensive and few have such beautiful surroundings – in a verdant valley surrounded by hills and overlooked by Cat’s Tooth Mountain (Hon Quap). Clear streams run between the structures and past nearby coffee plantations.

During the centuries when Tra Kieu (which was then known as Simhapura) served as the political capital, My Son was the most important intellectual and religious centre, and may also have served as a burial place for Cham monarchs.

My Son is considered to be Champa’s smaller version of the grand cities of Southeast Asia’s other Indian-influenced civilisations: Angkor (Cambodia), Ayu-thaya (Thailand), Bagan (Myanmar) and Borobudur (Java). American bombs have reduced many of the towers to ruins, but there’s still plenty to see.