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My Son: Cultural heritage fights for tourists and financial support!
Find out how investing in My Son can promote Vietnam's cultural heritage and what the challenges are.
My Son: Cultural heritage fights for tourists and financial support!
My Son, a major heritage site in Quang Nam, faces the challenge of not attracting enough tourists despite its undeniable appeal. Recent reports show that thousands of visitors frequent the site every day, regardless of weather conditions. On May 7, 2025, tour guide Nguyen Quoc Dung led tourists through the ruins, which are an impressive example of Cham culture. Nevertheless, the region must make an effort to further increase visitor numbers.
Between 2022 and 2024, the number of tourists increased significantly. While 110,366 people visited My Son in 2022, there were already 378,778 in 2023 and even 457,378 in 2024. In the first quarter of 2025, 149,712 visitors were counted. Despite this positive development, only a small proportion of tourists were actually able to generate additional income through the sale of local handicrafts - only 10% of overnight guests were able to participate in this, which indicates an insufficient integration of local products into the tourism sector.
Investments and infrastructure
To increase the attractiveness of My Son, the My Son Cultural Heritage Management Board has implemented significant infrastructure measures. This includes modernizing streets and tourist areas as well as creating new offerings such as open kiosks, food markets and virtual reality tours. These measures are necessary to better exploit the economic potential of the site. However, current investment projects near the temple complex are stagnating, making long-term development difficult.
The site's main economic value is currently based primarily on ticket sales. A special series of events, the Mysterious My Son Night, was canceled due to a lack of funding. Ways have been sought for some time to ensure the preservation and promotion of Quang Nam's heritage through international support and additional funding. The Prime Minister has already approved a proposal to support cultural heritage, recorded in Resolution No. 135 of May 6, 2022.
Future perspectives
A master plan for the preservation of the My Son Temple complex has been prepared and plans for the period 2025 to 2035 are in the approval phase. The aim is to lay the foundations for a socialization project, although the current regulations have caused some delays. The expired plan from 2008 to 2022 had to be adjusted to better reflect the diversity and value of cultural heritage.
At European level, the reports of the European Court of Auditors show that many EU members consider the treatment and development of cultural heritage to be important, but these aspects are not sufficiently taken into account in the current EU strategic framework. The majority of funds come from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), which primarily pursues economic goals, while cultural value is often pushed into the background. The audit of 27 projects from seven Member States showed that greater coordination and real prioritization of cultural aspects is necessary to ensure long-term success.
The EU and its Member States work together in multilateral fora to promote the protection of cultural heritage, but monitoring and evaluation of existing projects remains inadequate. Cultural investments should be approached more strategically in order to ensure sustainable social and economic benefits.
Given the challenges facing My Son, it remains to be seen whether the planned steps to improve tourist and infrastructural conditions and increased efforts for international engagement can be the key to safeguarding and promoting this important cultural heritage.