If you have been to Vietnam, you have probably seen the Po Nagar towers in Nha Trang. But few people know that around fifty such sanctuaries are scattered across the country, from Quang Nam to the inland highlands. This guide brings together the surviving monuments of Champa.
A lost heritage: Cham towers of Vietnam
Dozens of red-brick towers dot the coast of central Vietnam, from Quang Nam Province in the north to Binh Thuan in the south. They are silent witnesses to a vanished civilisation: tháp Chăm, the temple towers of the Kingdom of Champa, which existed here for more than 1,500 years, from the second to the seventeenth century CE.
Tourists seeing these sanctuaries for the first time often call them “little Angkor”—and get it wrong. The earliest temples at Mỹ Sơn are older: they date back to the fourth to seventh centuries, several centuries before the Khmer built Angkor Wat (twelfth century). Champa and the Khmer Empire were not teacher and pupil but neighbours and rivals. Both civilisations grew from a shared Indian and Hindu root, fought and influenced each other; in 1177, a Cham fleet sailed up the river and sacked Angkor. These towers are not a provincial copy of a great neighbour, but an independent, older tradition with its own golden age.
Unlike Angkor, with its crowds and entrance tickets, most Cham towers are places you discover on your own—often alone and for free, among rice fields or on a hilltop above the sea. That makes them ideal for independent travel: no tour buses or queues, just you, red brick, and 1,500 years of history.
About 50 Cham towers and temple complexes survive in Vietnam today. Some are UNESCO gems; others stand forgotten in rice fields, while still others hide on mountain peaks. I tried to visit most of them. I managed to visit more than half, though many remain. This guide brings together the surviving Champa monuments.
The Kingdom of Champa: 1,500 years between India and the sea
The Cham are an Austronesian people who are believed to have migrated from Borneo to the Vietnamese coast in the early centuries CE. In 192, during the collapse of China’s Han Empire, the state of Linyi arose in what is now central Vietnam and became the precursor to Champa.
By the fifth century, under King Bhadravarman, Cham lands had united into a kingdom. Champa was never a monolithic state; it was more like a confederation of four smaller kingdoms named after Indian regions: Amaravati (Quang Nam), Vijaya (Binh Dinh), Kauthara (Nha Trang), and Panduranga (Phan Rang).
Champa’s culture was deeply influenced by India. Shaivism became the main religion, though Buddhism and local cults were naturally woven into spiritual life. The Cham were sailors and traders: at its height, the kingdom controlled the spice and silk trade between China, India, Indonesia, and Persia.
Champa’s capital moved south as the Vietnamese state of Đại Việt put pressure on it from the north. First, the centre was at Mỹ Sơn and Đồng Dương (Quang Nam), then at Vijaya (Binh Dinh), and finally at Panduranga (Ninh Thuan). In 1471, the Vietnamese captured Vijaya, and Champa ceased to be a significant power. The kingdom’s last remnants were absorbed in 1832.
But the towers remained.
How the Cham built their towers
Cham architecture is unique. The towers were built from fired red bricks without mortar; the bricks fit together so precisely that they have held for more than a thousand years. One theory is that the bricks were stacked first and then fired as a single structure. Another suggests that plant resin was used as a binding material. The mystery remains unsolved. Each tower (kalan) has three parts:
Base — symbolises the human world
Tower body — the sacred world of spirits, where the principal deity was housed
Top — tiers that grow smaller upwards, symbolising the connection with the sky
Entrances usually face east, the direction of the gods. False doors on the other three sides created an illusion of symmetry. The decoration included carved sandstone reliefs depicting dancing Shiva, nāga serpents, elephants, lions, and mythical creatures.
Quang Nam Province: the cradle of Champa
It all began here: the earliest Cham temples stand in these valleys, many centuries before Vijaya and Panduranga rose in the south. The roads around Da Nang and Hoi An are among the best-maintained sections of the whole route: there is tarmac right up to the entrance of Mỹ Sơn, and the four smaller towers within an hour’s drive are easy to visit in a day on a rented motorbike.
Mỹ Sơn — UNESCO
If you have seen The Mystery of the Snake Valley, a Polish-Vietnamese film from the late 1980s that many in the USSR remember as their own, you probably remember the jungle, monks, and temples. Those temples were filmed near Da Nang, at a place called Mỹ Sơn. Located 69 km southwest of Da Nang in a mountain-ringed valley, it was Champa’s religious centre for almost a millennium, from the fourth to the twelfth century.
The complex originally contained more than 70 temples and towers grouped into clusters (labelled with the Latin letters A–N). All the main styles of Cham architecture are represented here, from the archaic seventh- and eighth-century style to the Bình Định style of the eleventh to thirteenth centuries.
During the Vietnam War, Mỹ Sơn was badly damaged by B-52 bombing in 1969 and 1972. Many temples were lost forever. In 1999, the complex was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Today, some structures have been restored, but most are picturesque ruins overgrown with tropical vegetation.
Getting there: Rent a motorbike in Da Nang or Hoi An. The journey takes 2 hours. I recommend going in the first half of the day, since, besides visiting the complex itself, a Cham dance performance takes place on the grounds at around 14:00.
If you also want to explore the region, here are a few more options:
Chiến Đàn
Three towers from the late tenth to early eleventh century in Tam An Commune, Phú Ninh District. They stand close together on a north–south axis. The southern tower has been restored; restoration work is under way on the northern and central towers.
Bàng An
A tower in Điện Bàn District, one of the stops between Mỹ Sơn and Hoi An. A restoration project worth more than 8 billion dong is under way.
Khương Mỹ
Three towers from the late ninth to early tenth century in Tam Xuân Commune, Núi Thành District, arranged along a north–south axis; they have been a nationally significant monument since 1989. The transition between architectural styles is easy to see here: this is a transitional form between Hòa Lai and Mỹ Sơn.
Đồng Dương
A Buddhist monastery and temple complex 20 km from Mỹ Sơn, built in the ninth century under King Indravarman II. It was one of the largest Buddhist centres in Southeast Asia at the time. Only fragments of the complex survive, but Đồng Dương artefacts are among the most important exhibits at the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang.
Da Nang: a museum without walls
Museum of Cham Sculpture (Bảo tàng Điêu khắc Chăm)
In Da Nang itself, you can visit a museum of Cham art with around 300 sculptures collected from across central Vietnam. The displays are organised by style and region: Mỹ Sơn, Đồng Dương, Tháp Mẫm, and other galleries. It is an essential stop before visiting the towers; it provides context for the ruins you will see later.
Bình Định Province: capital of Vijaya
Vijaya was Champa’s capital longer than any other city, from the eleventh to the fifteenth century. You can see this in the concentration of towers around modern Quy Nhơn: nine complexes with fourteen towers lie within a half-hour’s drive of each other, mostly on the plain near An Nhơn village. Quy Nhơn is one of Vietnam’s three main resort towns, alongside Da Nang and Nha Trang, but mass tourism has not reached it yet. The roads around it are flat and almost empty, so it is realistic to visit all the sites on a rented motorbike in one or two days. The only drawback is the limited, rather mediocre choice of hotels near the village. If you are short on time, prioritise Dương Long, Bánh Ít, Tháp Đôi, Cánh Tiên, and Bình Lâm: these are the most impressive and accessible complexes among the nine. The rest—the Vijaya Citadel, Phú Lốc, Thủ Thiện, and Hòn Chuông—are for those in no rush.
Dương Long
Bánh Ít
Tháp Đôi
Cánh Tiên
Phú Lốc
Thủ Thiện
Bình Lâm
Hòn Chuông
Dương Long — the tallest
Three towers stand in a row in Tây Sơn District. The central tower reaches 39 metres, making it the tallest surviving Cham structure in Vietnam and all of Southeast Asia. They were built in the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Rare sandstone reliefs depicting dragons and deities decorate them. Khmer influence is evident in their massive forms. The drawback is that they are farther from the other Bình Định towers than any of the rest, and as of 2026 they are still being restored; you may find scaffolding where you hoped to see ancient walls.
Bánh Ít — the most graceful
This complex of four towers, with panoramic views over rice fields and rivers, can be seen from many kilometres away because it stands on a hilltop. It was built in the late eleventh and early twelfth centuries. The complex includes the main tower (kalan), a gateway tower (gopura), a fire tower (kosagrha), and a stele tower. They are considered the most graceful Cham towers in Bình Định. A Buddhist monastery stands at the foot of the hill. It is one of the region’s most photogenic spots.
Tháp Đôi — the twins
Two towers in Quy Nhơn itself, in a park beside a busy road. They date from the late twelfth and early thirteenth centuries. Standing about 20 metres tall, they show a blend of Cham and Khmer traditions. Legend says a third tower was planned but never built. Sailors used the towers as a spiritual landmark, praying for calm seas before setting out. They are very well preserved, making the towers in the city itself worth a stop.
Cánh Tiên — the Princess Tower
A solitary twelfth-century tower in An Nhơn District, on the grounds of the former Đồ Bàn citadel, the capital of Vijaya. Its elegant silhouette earned it the name “Princess Tower.” Legend says a divine woman watched over the royal court from here. It has been extensively restored, but its decorative features retain their original tropical-vegetation motifs.
Vijaya Citadel (Thành Hoàng Đế)
Vijaya was Champa’s capital from the late tenth to the fifteenth century, longer than any other Cham royal residence, until it was captured by the Vietnamese army of Đại Việt in 1471. Little remains of the once-great capital: fragments of walls and traces of excavations among rice fields. In 1776, Tây Sơn general Nguyễn Nhạc built the Hoàng Đế Citadel (“Imperial Citadel”) on the same foundations as the headquarters of the rebel army and later as the capital of his own kingdom. Its heritage status, granted in 1982, changes little: it is still a quiet field with fragments of walls, crossed every day by a train as though nothing had happened.
Phú Lốc
A solitary tenth- to eleventh-century tower on a hill in An Nhơn District. Its early Cham style is simpler and squatter than that of later towers. Goats wander below; above, there is a view of the Vijaya valley. Khmer influence is evident in the massive construction. It is hard to reach, but entry is free. You can only get there by motorbike, as the route passes through narrow passages and even a cemetery. In places, you will have to push the bike uphill by hand for a while—but the view of the Vijaya valley from the top is worth it.
Thủ Thiện
A solitary eleventh- to twelfth-century tower on the plain in Tây Sơn District, across the river from Dương Long. Until 1985, an enormous banyan tree wound around it, its roots swallowing the top. The tree was removed, but the story gives the place a mystical air. It is worth coming only if you have already decided to visit Dương Long; the tower itself is in poor condition.
Bình Lâm
A large, solitary tower from the late tenth to early eleventh century near Quy Nhơn, standing at street level. It was once part of a citadel that served as a capital before it moved to Vijaya. Its original brick patterns have survived. Entry is free, making it a convenient stop on the way to Quy Nhơn.
Hòn Chuông — the most mysterious
A 12-metre tower from the twelfth century stands on a giant granite boulder in the Núi Bà mountains, 20 km north of Quy Nhơn. It was discovered only in 1993, having been completely hidden from view. It can be reached only on foot along a mountain trail that involves climbing over boulders. The tower is in poor condition and difficult to reach.
Phú Yên Province
Phú Yên is a province with one tower, but it offers one of the best viewpoints on the entire route. Tháp Nhạn stands on a mountain just above the city, making it a convenient stop in transit: the coastal highway links Quy Nhơn and Nha Trang, and the tower lies roughly halfway, a couple of minutes from the road.
Tháp Nhạn — the province’s symbol
An eleventh-century tower at the top of Nhạn Mountain, 60 metres above sea level, in the city of Tuy Hòa. It is square in plan, has four tiers, and stands 23.5 metres tall. Each side of its base measures 10 metres. It was built from dark red brick without mortar. Its style is Bình Định, with features typical of Champa’s southern regions. It is one of Phú Yên’s symbols.
Khánh Hòa Province
Khánh Hòa is the easiest stop on the whole route: the Po Nagar towers are within Nha Trang itself and a ten-minute taxi ride away without leaving the city. It is the only place in this guide that needs neither a motorbike nor a full day, and the only one where the rituals are living practice rather than museum reenactments.
Po Nagar Cham Towers in Nha Trang — the most visited
Four of the original eight towers stand on Cù Lao Mountain in Nha Trang, overlooking the city and bay. They were built between the seventh and twelfth centuries, making this the oldest surviving Cham temple complex. The central tower is dedicated to the goddess Po Nagar, “Mother of the Kingdom,” depicted seated in the lotus position with ten arms.
Po Nagar is the only Cham temple where active religious ceremonies still take place. Every year, from the 20th to the 23rd day of the third lunar month, the Tháp Bà festival is held here: ethnic Cham gather to wash the goddess’s statue and perform sacred dances. The towers are surrounded by royal poinciana trees, which create a fiery backdrop when in bloom.
Russian guidebooks use different names for this complex—Po Nagar Cham towers, Cham towers, or Po Nagar temple complex—but they all refer to the same place. The sanctuary stands on the 50-metre Cù Lao hill near the mouth of the Cái River, a couple of kilometres north of central Nha Trang.
The main tower, about 23 metres tall, is dedicated to Po Ino Nagar, “Mother of the Land,” whom the Vietnamese later adopted into their pantheon as Thiên Y A Na. Above the entrance is a carving of four-armed Shiva dancing on the bull Nandi. Inside, in the half-light, a dark stone figure of the goddess sits on a lotus pedestal, dressed in fabric garments that the attendants change. Farther down the slope, rows of massive brick columns remain—the ruins of a hall where pilgrims prepared for the ritual.
Po Nagar towers are open daily from 8:00 to 18:00; admission costs about 20,000–30,000 dong (less than $1.5). The complex is within Nha Trang, a 10–15-minute taxi or motorbike ride from the centre. Of all the towers in Bình Định and Khánh Hòa, it appears to be the best maintained.
This is an active temple, so visitors must remove their shoes and wear covered clothing inside the main tower; a wrap is provided at the entrance if needed. More tourists visit here than any other Cham tower in the country, so it is quieter to arrive at opening time. From Po Nagar, it makes sense to continue to the Tháp Bà hot springs, farther north in the same direction.
Ninh Thuận Province: the living heart of Champa
Ninh Thuận is Champa’s last stronghold (the kingdom of Panduranga) and a place where Cham culture is still alive. A significant share of Vietnam’s ethnic Cham live here, and the towers are active sanctuaries, not museum exhibits. Phan Rang is a good base, from which you can visit three Cham towers.
Po Klong Garai — the jewel of Panduranga
Three towers stand on Trau Hill in the city of Phan Rang–Tháp Chàm. They were built in the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries in honour of the wise King Po Klong Garai. The complex includes the main tower (kalan, over 20 metres tall), the gateway tower (gopura), and the fire tower (kosagrha, 9 metres), where ritual objects were kept. Every brick is covered with delicate carvings. Frescoes have survived. These are perhaps the most photogenic Cham towers, set against an arid landscape unusual for Vietnam.
Po Rome — the last Cham tower
The tower stands on two low hills in Hậu Sanh village, Phước Hữu Commune, Ninh Phước District, about 15 km south of Phan Rang. It was built in the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries under King Po Rome, who ruled from 1627 to 1651. It is the last Cham tower built in Vietnam.
Po Rome is unique because it is not a temple to a god: people worship King Po Rome himself here. He was deified after his death for his service to his people. Inside is a 1.2-metre statue of the king. The tower is about 8 metres high. The Kate festival, the main Cham celebration, takes place here every year.
Hòa Lai — the oldest in the province
Three towers, one now reduced to its foundations, stand beside National Highway 1A in Bát Tháp village, Bắc Phong Commune, Thuận Bắc District. Built in the late eighth and early ninth centuries, they have been a national historical monument since 1997. The Hòa Lai style, one of the earliest in Cham architecture, is recognisable by its arched doorways, octagonal pilasters, and curved-leaf motif.
Bình Thuận Province
Bình Thuận is the southern edge of the Cham world and also its quietest part: the beach towns of Phan Thiết and Mũi Né have long been popular with tourists, but few make it to the towers half an hour from the coast. The landscape changes too: rice fields give way to dry hills and thorny scrub.
Po Sah Inu (Po Sah Inu / Poshanu)
Three structures—the main tower, an auxiliary tower, and a sanctuary—stand on Bà Nài Hill, 7 km from central Phan Thiết. They were built in the late eighth and early ninth centuries and are more than 1,200 years old. They are among the earliest Cham structures. Built of fired brick and sandstone without mortar, they were originally dedicated to Shiva and later became associated with Princess Po Sah Inu, patroness of agriculture and water. Since 1991, they have officially been recognised as a monument of architecture and art.
Po Dam
This group of structures dedicated to King Po Dam, in Tuy Phong District, is among the least visited and most atmospheric Cham monuments. Only three of the six known structures have survived. Their exact dates are disputed: sources variously place them in the eighth or eleventh to twelfth centuries. They stand away from tourist routes amid the dry landscapes of the southern coast.
Đắk Lắk Province: the only tower in the highlands
Đắk Lắk is no longer part of the coastal route; it is a detour inland. The highlands’ only Cham tower stands about a hundred kilometres from Buôn Ma Thuột, close to the Cambodian border. It is worth setting aside a full day rather than stopping on the way somewhere else.
Yang Prong — a tower in the jungle
This is the only Cham tower in Vietnam’s Central Highlands. It stands in Ea Rốk Commune, Ea Súp District, 100 km from Buôn Ma Thuột, near the Cambodian border. King Jaya Simhavarman III built it in the late thirteenth century for the worship of Shiva in the form of a mukhalinga, a symbol of fertility.
Yang Prong is unique for several reasons. First, it is the only Cham tower built not on a hill but in a lowland, hidden beneath an ancient forest canopy along the Ea H’leo River. Second, the tower widens at the top into a huge cone-shaped dome, a form uncommon in coastal Cham towers. Local peoples—the Ê Đê, Mnong, and Gia Rai—call it “Great God.” It was granted historical-monument status only in 1991, though it was surely sacred to them long before that designation.
Map of all the Cham towers of Vietnam
All the points on the map, from Quang Nam in the north to inland Đắk Lắk:
Architectural styles: from Hòa Lai to Bình Định
Cham architecture passed through several styles, each named after the place with the most characteristic monuments:
Mỹ Sơn E1 style (seventh–eighth centuries) — the earliest, with archaic forms and Indian and Javanese influences
Hòa Lai style (eighth–ninth centuries) — arched openings, octagonal pilasters, curved-leaf motifs
Đồng Dương style (mid-ninth century) — Buddhist influence, larger scale
Mỹ Sơn A1 style (tenth century) — classic Cham style, harmonious proportions
Bình Định / Tháp Mẫm style (eleventh–thirteenth centuries) — Khmer influence, massiveness, sandstone reliefs of dragons and garudas
Late style (fourteenth–seventeenth centuries) — simpler forms, towers of Panduranga
The Cham today
The Cham have not disappeared: about 180,000 ethnic Cham live in Vietnam, mainly in Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan provinces, and about 400,000 more live in Cambodia. Vietnam’s Cham are divided into two groups: Hindu Cham (Ninh Thuan) and Muslim Cham (An Giang, the Mekong Delta).
The Kate festival is the main celebration of the Hindu Cham. It takes place every year in the seventh month of the Cham calendar, usually October. Ceremonies are held at the Po Klong Garai and Po Rome towers: priests in traditional clothes ritually wash statues, traditional music plays, and dances are performed. It is one of Vietnam’s most authentic cultural events and one of the least known to tourists.
Practical information
How to get there
The towers are scattered along more than 600 km of coastline. Main bases:
Da Nang or Hoi An — for Mỹ Sơn, Đồng Dương, Chiến Đàn, Bàng An, Khương Mỹ, and the Museum of Cham Sculpture
Quy Nhơn — for all 8 Bình Định complexes
Nha Trang — for Po Nagar
Phan Rang — for Po Klong Garai, Po Rome, and Hòa Lai
Phan Thiết / Mũi Né — for Po Sah Inu
Best time to visit
February–May: the dry season in central Vietnam. October: the Kate festival at the Ninh Thuận towers, if you want to experience living Cham culture.
Tips
Visit Mỹ Sơn early in the morning; groups from Hoi An arrive by 10:00.
You can visit the Bình Định towers from Quy Nhơn by motorbike in one or two days.
Po Nagar and Po Klong Garai are active sanctuaries. Dress respectfully.
Hòn Chuông requires a mountain hike; bring water and comfortable shoes.
Start at the Museum of Cham Sculpture in Da Nang to put the towers in context.
Fifty stories spanning 1,500 years, and not all have been told yet.
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