Binh Lam Cham Tower

Binh Lam is a solitary Cham tower of the tenth to early eleventh century in Tuy Phuoc District, Binh Dinh Province. Unlike most Champa sanctuaries, which were placed on hills, this kalan rises right among village houses and fields and is thought to have been linked to an early port centre at the mouth of the Kon River. The port of Thi Nai in the lagoon served as the sea gateway of Vijaya; trade with China and with merchants from overseas passed through it, and it was also here that the fleets waging war on Champa came ashore. This is the earliest surviving tower in the province, and its proportions still show the soft My Son style, which was later replaced by the heavier Binh Dinh manner: a slender body, narrow pilasters, false doorways with multifoil arches. The top is assembled from three diminishing tiers, and the overall height is about twenty metres. The tower was declared a national monument in 1993, and in recent years archaeological excavations have been carried out around it to establish whether it stood alone or formed part of a larger temple courtyard. There is no tourist infrastructure nearby, and it is easiest to get there with your own transport.

On the map