The kingdom of Champa (or Lin-yi in Chinese records) 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 1720s.

Champa was established by the rebellion of a local official named Kiu-lien against the Chinese authority in 192 C.E. in the region of present-day Hue. Champa included thereafter the modern provinces of Quang Nam, Quang Tin , Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa , Phan Rang , and Binh Thuan . Initially closely tied to Chinese cultural and religious traditions, wars with neighboring Funan and the acquisition of Funanese territory in the fourth century saw the infusion of Indian culture into Cham society.

Cham history was fraught with conflict against the Chinese, the Khmer, the Vietnamese, and the Mongols. Champa was periodically brought under Chinese vassalage but maintained her unique culture and territorial integrity. The Chams proved excellent warriors, using the mountains to great advantage. In 1471, the Chams suffered a severe defeat at the hands of the Vietnamese, suffering at least 60,000 dead and 30,000 taken into captivity. Champa continued to resist total conquest, existing in the mountains around Nha Trang until the 1720, when the last Cham king fled with his family to Cambodia.

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.