Banh It Towers

Banh It is a group of four brick towers on a hill north of Quy Nhon, built around the end of the eleventh or start of the twelfth century when this was the Cham region of Vijaya, and it is the largest surviving group of the Binh Dinh style - a main kalan, a gate tower, a saddle-roofed structure and a smaller one, arranged on the hilltop. The brickwork is the thing: Cham builders laid brick against brick with joints so fine that the bonding method has been argued over for a century and is still not fully settled. Carved sandstone figures from the site are in museums; some remain in place.

What you actually see

• Four brick towers on a hill - the largest Binh Dinh style group.
• Built around 1100 - in the Cham region of Vijaya.
• Joints almost invisible - a bonding method still debated.
• Carved sandstone in place - and more of it in museums.

When to go

Year round, early or late to avoid the heat. Two hours.

Honest expectations

There is no shade on the hill and it is very hot in the middle of the day. Interpretation is limited. Restoration work has been criticised in places for its methods. It is a short visit.

Nearby

Thap Doi is in Quy Nhon; Duong Long towers are further inland.