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The Lost Tower Temple's Mee Son Sanctuary.

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Tran Kee Fong visited here for the first time in 1978.

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Mee Son, surrounded by mountains on all four sides,

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was holy ground for the Champa Kingdom,

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which prospered from the 7th to the 13th century.

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Tran Kee Fong was a member of a research team

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sent by the government to survey the level of war damage at the site.

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The Champa Kingdom dominated the central region of Vietnam

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and successive kings built many religious structures here.

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It was Hindu and greatly influenced by their trading partner India.

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Successive kings of the Champa Kingdom built over 70 towers here.

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Here, kings spoke to God and prayed.

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This is where the statue of Shiva originally stood.

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It is kept in the museum and is now shaped as a king.

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King and God were united in this way.

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This is a sacred bull called Nan Din, the guardian of the sanctuary.

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And this part was damaged by bullets during the Vietnam War.

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Mee Son became a battlefield and a target of airstrikes.

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Many towers were demolished during an air raid in August 1969.

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This used to be the tallest. It was 28 meters high.

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Nine people were killed and 11 people were injured

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during landmine removal activity

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before the visit of the inspection team after the war.

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30 years has passed since then.

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The towers at this heritage site were decorated with countless carved statues.

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This carving of a woman is one of the few remaining.

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It is called a woman prayer tower.

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These carvings tell us how people used to live.

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Here, a person is giving a massage.

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The Champa Kingdom was founded by the Cham people from Indonesia.

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They loved music and dance.

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Cham descended from the Cham people.

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War is not alone in destroying ancient monuments.

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The biggest enemy is time.

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It is important that those alive today

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should try to keep ancient history alive and not bury it away.

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The history of the Champa Kingdom has been preserved

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by the people of the Champa people.

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It is important that those alive today

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should try to keep ancient history alive and not bury it away.