This session re-examines the transformation from the Iron Age Sa Huynh culture to the emergence of Champa (Linyi) between 500 BCE and 500 CE, drawing on both previous scholarship and recent discoveries. Central to longstanding debate is whether a direct cultural lineage or population continuity connected the Sa Huynh culture and early Champa, two successive cultural horizons in central Vietnam. Once described as among the least known topics in Southeast Asian archaeology, the origins of Champa have been illuminated by intensive archaeological investigations since the 1990s, leading to significant progress in evidence-based debates. Yet by the 2020s, many issues remain unresolved, and discussions appear to have reached an impasse. This session seeks to revitalize these debates by bringing together the latest research on the Sa Huynh–Champa interface, including cultural continuity and discontinuity, the processes of early state formation, and broader patterns of transformation in mainland Southeast Asia.