My Opera is closing 1st of March

Vietnamese foods and drinks

Cat Tien Archeological Vestiges

, , , , , , , , ,

Cat Tien Archeological Vestiges,Saigon, Viet Nam
In Quang Ngai Commune of Cat Tien District there is a cluster of interesting archeological sites. To get there from Ho Chi Minh City, follow National Road No. 20 to the T-junction named Nga Ba Madagui, then turn left and follow the provincial road No. 721 for 35 kilometers, and there you are.

This archeological site is also important for Southeast Asian Studies. It was first discovered in 1985 and has gone through three excavations. You'll see several temples and tower-shaped graves belonging to an extinct kingdom. Although this kingdom ended 13-14 centuries ago, its remains reveal alot about the existence and the disappearance of this mysterious kingdom.

The largest vestige area on this site is the Doc Khi (go 1A) Temple. It is located on the highest hill of the site and faces east. Archeologists have found Linga and Yoni statues in this tower-shaped temple-believed to be large votive objects reflecting the harmony of yin and yang.

Locals are known to fetch water at the temple and pour it over the two statues to pray for a pregnancy. If a girt is desired, the worshippers placed their hands on Yoni; if a boy is desired, they touch Linga. Afterwards, they drink some water that flows on Yoni to fulfill their wish.

Near 1A Temple are some smaller temples. One of most beautiful ones is located close to the river and is surrounded by a wall.

Since 2001, Da Lat Tourist has organized tours to this site. In 1997, the Cat Tien Vestige Site was recognized by the Ministry of Culture and Information as a National Vestige Site.

he vestiges are remnants of the Oc Eo-Phu Nam culture from the first to seventh centuries.

Binh Ta’s architectural and archaeological vestiges including Go Xoai, Go Don and Go Nam Tuoc can be found 40km north-east of the town of Tan An in Long An Province.

Go Xoai Temple at a depth of 1.7 to 1.9m is considered a one-time celebration place of the Phu Nam people. On a collection of 26 gold objects discovered in Go Xoai, there are thin gold leaves with sentences of Buddhist sutra written in the ancient Sanskrit language.

Other valuable objects were also excavated here. There are pieces of Oc Eo pottery, metal, precious stones, sandstone and a series of other relics from primitive man discovered around the temple.

Architectural works discovered in Binh Ta’s vestiges are a temple dedicating to the Siva deity of Brahmanism which appeared in India around the first century BC and was introduced to southern Indochina at the beginning of the Christian era. Most of the works were constructed for religious purposes, but at the same time played a role as a cultural and political centre of the ancient state.


Visa to Vietnam
Hoi An Travel Guides, Vietnam Travel Guides, Travel Information
Mui Ne Beach Resort

Le Le Hotel

Flavors of Hoi AnDai Hoang King Banana

Write a comment

New comments have been disabled for this post.