Champa, Kingdom of

Champa, Kingdom of, 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 in the wake of the breakup of Han dynasty China, which had controlled the region. Over the next few hundred years, they repeatedly fought off Chinese attempts to subjugate them, first achieving unity around ad 400. From the 7th to the 9th century, the capital was at Indrapura (Tra Kieu), near Đa Nãng, and the state enjoyed great prosperity. At first under pressure from the expanding Vietnamese state of Annam, it was invaded and conquered by the Khmers in 1145. The Chams later revolted and in 1177 sacked Angkor. Attacked by Cambodians, Vietnamese, and Mongols (1284), Champa was finally conquered by the Vietnamese about 1470.