Kingdom of Champa

Kingdom of Champa, medieval state in what is now Vietnam. The Chams, a seafaring people of Indonesian stock, occupied the central and southern coast of Vietnam from Neolithic times. In the 2nd century ad they adopted Indian culture and religion and established the kingdom of Champa. Over the next few hundred years, they repeatedly fought off Chinese attempts to subjugate them. From the 7th to the 9th century, their capital was at Indrapura (Tra Kieu), near Ðà Nang. In response to pressure from the expanding Vietnamese in the north, it was moved south to Vijaya, near Qui Nhon, in the 11th century. In the 12th and 13th centuries, Champa fought a series of wars with the Khmers of Cambodia. It was finally conquered by the Vietnamese about 1470.