The kingdom of Champa controlled what is now south and central Vietnam from approximately 192 AD through 1697. The empire began to decline in the late 15th Century, became a Vietnamese vassal state in 1697, and was finally dissolved in the 1820s.
The dominant religion of the Cham people was Hinduism and the culture was heavily influenced by India. Many Cham towers still stand in central Vietnam. The most significant example of Cham architecture was My Son near the Vietnamese city of Hoi An. My Son was destroyed by US bombing during the Vietnam War.
