Po Dam

A group of towers in Tuy Phong district, among the least visited and most atmospheric Cham monuments. The complex lies at the foot of Ông Xiêm Mountain near the village of Lạc Trị and belongs to the Hòa Lai style of the second half of the 8th and beginning of the 9th century, that is, to the earliest stone architecture of Champa. It differs from the other sanctuaries in two respects at once: the towers are set not on the top of the hill but below it, and the main entrances face not east, as is usual with the Cham, but south, and the explanation for this is still disputed. Originally there were two groups, six buildings in all; some collapsed long ago and only their foundations and pieces of wall can be seen. Excavations uncovered foundations and fragments of sculpture beneath the rubble. Po Dam was recognised as a national monument in 1996. This is one of the least visited Cham monuments: the towers stand at the foot of the mountain near the village of Lạc Trị, away from the tourist roads, and people get here in their own vehicle. Apart from the foundations and the surviving walls there is almost nothing to see; people come for the quiet and the early style. A dirt road leads to the towers, and the last stretch is covered on foot up the slope.

On the map