I wasn't too impressed with Da Nang as a city. Perhaps it was because the focus of the city seemed to me at least to be on the beach and partying, and I wasn't too much into that. In any case, I did find a few interesting gems within the city, and one of them was the Museum of Cham Sculpture. This museum focuses on a culture that I didn't have much knowledge about.
I was actually surprised at the contents of the museum, since from the outside, it just looked like a shabby building. But the interior was definitely stellar, and there were plenty of sculptures that were worth admiring. I therefore procured a ticket and explored the interior.
The Cham people I learned are the original inhabitants of central Vietnam before the Cambodians and the Vietnamese came in. They speak an Austronesian language, which was interesting to learn given that while I knew there were plenty of Austronesian languages in various parts of Asia, I forget that such languages also exist in the Asian mainland. And these people are nowadays Muslims, yet the archaeological ruins and these sculptures are actually of a different faith. Somehow, several changes have happened throughout the years.
I spent a couple of hours exploring the contents of this museum. It was fantastic and I had plenty of things to learn. And when I saw everything, I slowly made my way out.
