Throughout history, Phú Quý Island was under the control of the Cham people for a long period until the end of the 17th century. Therefore, it is evident that the island’s earliest cultural influences are of Cham origin.
An overview of the rise and fall of the Champa Kingdom and the Cham people’s culture helps to better understand the Cham identity of Phú Quý Island.
The island was originally named Koh Rong in the Cham language. Later, when the Vietnamese took over, it became known as Cổ Long, a transliteration of Koh Rong.
Phú Quý, now part of Bình Thuận Province, used to belong to Panduranga—the southernmost region of the ancient Champa Kingdom. The Champa Kingdom emerged and developed along the central coast of Vietnam, stretching from modern-day Quảng Bình to Bình Thuận. In addition to controlling the mainland, the Cham also dominated many coastal islands, including Phú Quý. The kingdom existed from around the 7th century until 1832. Cham culture was heavily influenced by Indian and Cambodian civilizations. In 1832, the entire kingdom was officially annexed by Vietnam under Emperor Minh Mạng.
Elders on the island still recall the legend of Chàm Vung (the Cham ghost), said to be a dangerous creature resembling a gecko with a red head and toxic saliva that could kill with no known cure. This ghost was believed to guard sacred Cham lands, and those who offended these places would be cursed and required a spiritual master to lift the curse. While such beliefs have mostly faded and are rarely known by the younger generation, they reflect the Cham heritage of Phú Quý’s inhabitants.
There is also the legend of Princess Bàn Tranh being exiled to the island, though the specific era or Champa ruler remains unclear. Bàn Tranh is the Vietnamese name given to her, but her original Cham name is unknown. According to historical records, only King Po Saut, of the 8th dynasty, ruled Panduranga from 1659 to 1692 and was referred to in Chinese as Bà Tranh. In 1692, Po Saut attacked Nguyễn forces but was defeated and lost his throne.
In 1695, Nguyễn Hữu Cảnh defeated the Cham forces led by Po Saktiray Da Patih (Po Saut’s brother), and Panduranga was renamed Thuận Thành Trấn, falling under the Nguyễn Lords’ control. Given this context, it is plausible that Princess Bàn Tranh refers to King Po Saut. However, the temple dedicated to her on the island is said to have been established in the late 15th or early 16th century, suggesting she lived in the 15th century, which would conflict with the historical timeline of Po Saut. This discrepancy requires further scholarly investigation.
One of the most prominent deities worshipped by the Cham is the goddess Poh Yang Inư Nagar (also known as Po Ino Nogor), especially in Kauthara—an ancient Cham region with its spiritual center in today’s Nha Trang. There, the Po Nagar Cham Towers still stand. This goddess was worshipped as the Mother of the Land with numerous divine legends. Research into Cham religious practices shows she was modeled after the Hindu goddess Parvati—wife of Shiva and incarnation of Mahadevi. Parvati is also considered a manifestation of Adi Parashakti, the supreme female deity, from whom all other goddesses derive. As this Hindu deity was integrated into Cham belief systems, influenced by local spiritual practices, she became Po Inư Nagar, and among the Vietnamese, she is venerated as Bà Chúa Ngọc. The worship of Bà Chúa Ngọc on Phú Quý Island reflects a cultural fusion and shared spiritual traditions between the Vietnamese and the Cham.
The Cham, who lived along the central coast, also revered a sea deity known as Po Riyak. Legend has it that Po Riyak was swallowed by a fish but later manifested to save those in danger at sea. He became the god of ocean waves and was worshipped in many Cham villages in Ninh Thuận. This legend closely resembles the Vietnamese belief in the Whale God (Thần Nam Hải), and some scholars suggest that the Cham’s worship of Po Riyak could have been the origin of the whale veneration practiced by Vietnamese fishing communities, including those in Phú Quý. This, again, illustrates the rich cultural interplay between the Cham and Vietnamese, particularly in seafaring traditions.
Although the Cham no longer reside on the island today, their legacy lives on through legends and relics, such as the Bà Chúa Temple dedicated to Princess Bàn Tranh, ancient Cham graves, and wells in Long Hải commune, as well as tales of the princess’s mystical presence.
In recent years, especially since 2015, groups of Cham people from the mainland (Ninh Thuận and Bình Thuận) have returned to the island during the temple festivals to worship according to their traditional customs. During these events, local ritual committees warmly welcome them and support their ceremonies, allowing Cham rites to blend with the Vietnamese-style offerings.
Due to their environmental conditions, the Cham developed exceptional agricultural and irrigation practices. Religiously, they were polytheists and practiced totemism, attributing spiritual significance to natural objects and ancestral heroes. Their customs reflected deep cultural roots. For instance, they avoided planting trees near their homes to keep away spirits. They often built low stone walls around their homes—believing stones had souls and sacred power.
The Cham were also skilled in traditional crafts like weaving and pottery. As the first inhabitants of Phú Quý and the earliest to leave, they left behind a rich spiritual and material legacy. The people who inherited and adapted these traditions were Vietnamese migrants from the central mainland, who, upon arriving on this “strange land where even birds and fish tremble,” began to selectively adopt Cham practices for survival.
Though they didn’t build low-roofed, narrow-windowed houses like the Cham, the Vietnamese settlers soon recognized the practicality of Cham stone fences to protect their homes from seasonal wind and sand. They adopted Cham carrying baskets (gùi) to ease the burden of transporting goods through the island’s harsh terrain. They also learned agricultural techniques, including cotton cultivation and weaving, to meet basic needs. Thanks to their industriousness, they mastered these trades, producing durable vải bạch bố cloth and growing high-quality crops like beans, corn, and sweet potatoes.
