Champa was preceded in the region by a kingdom called Lin-yi or Lâm Ấp (Vietnamese) that was in existence from 192 CE, but the historical relationship between Lin-yi and Champa is not clear.

Earlier western scholarship believed Lin Yi in Chinese records to refer to Champa itself, but Champa expansion northwards may have resulted in the Chinese applying the name Lin Yi to the Champa city Tra Kieu and the Thu Bồn River valley only around 600 CE.