The art of the ancient indianized kingdoms of Champa is particularly noteworthy in the cultural heritage of Vietnam. Alongside the wonderful works of art presented in the Cham museum in Đà Nẵng, the museum of Vietnamese History in Hồ Chí Minh-City preserves the most important and beautyful collection of Cham artefacts in the world.

Mostly located along the coastline of central and southern Vietnam, the Cham kingdoms acquired a major political and economical importance during the first centuries of the Christian era. The emergence of these kingdoms essentially relied on the closed relationships that were established for commercial reasons between south-East Asia and India. Their long lost history has been reconstructed in studying carefully Chinese texts (Dynastic Annls, Embassy Reports), local sanskrit and cham epigraphy and Historical Chronicles of Imperial Vietnam.

Various ancient brick temples mostly located in present day provinces of Quảng Nam and Bình Định, as well as numerous sculptures uncovered in the old cham territories bear testimony to the interest that the Cham people had in the main Indian religions: Buddhism and Hinduism.

Together with uniquie masterpieces such as the famous Devi from Hương Quế, the collection of the museum of Vietnamese History in Hồ Chí Minh-city preserves an exceptional and extremely rare series of Buddhist bronzes.