The writer said she took a journey to the Cham Museum, a modest building in Phan Rang-Thap Cham, noting that it might not boast size but it brims with pride for the local community, featuring carefully preserved sandstone sculptures, portraits, and rare artifacts.

What made this visit special wasn’t just the collection, but the cultural context, the layered symbology, the meaning behind the rituals, and how Cham identity continues to evolve today in modern Vietnam, Mahabir said.

She shared her experiences while visiting My Nghiep brocade weaving village, Bau Truc pottery village, one of the oldest in Southeast Asia, Po Klong Garai Temple built in the 13th century to honor King Po Klong Garai, and attended ancestral prayers and a Cham cuisine showcase.

For Mahabir these were not “activities” checked off a list but meaningful encounters with a people whose culture continues to shape the soul of southern Vietnam - quietly, beautifully, enduringly, the writer said.