Po Klong Garai Towers

Po Klong Garai stands on a bare hill of boulders and cactus outside Phan Rang, in the dry belt where most of Vietnam's remaining Cham people live. Three structures survive from around the turn of the fourteenth century: the main tower, a gate tower and a long-roofed building usually called the fire house. Over the main entrance a relief of a six-armed dancing Shiva is cut into the brick, and inside stands a mukhalinga, a stone linga carved with a face. The towers are still in use. During the Kate festival in autumn, families climb the hill in white and red with offerings, music and dressing rituals for the images.

What you actually see

• The main tower - a tall kalan with a dancing Shiva relief over the door and a face-carved linga inside.
• The fire house - a lower building with a boat-shaped roof standing beside the main tower.
• The gate tower - the smaller entrance structure on the approach path up the hill.
• Kate rites - the autumn festival when Cham families bring offerings and music to the towers.

When to go

Ninh Thuan is the driest province in the country and hot for most of the year, so early morning or late afternoon is the only comfortable time. January to August is reliably rainless. The Kate festival falls in the seventh month of the Cham calendar, usually late September or October, and is the one time the site is crowded and fully alive.

Honest expectations

The hill is exposed, treeless and scorching by ten in the morning, and the climb from the car park is short but steep. Phan Rang sees few foreign visitors, so information and food nearby are limited. Power lines and a rail line cross the view from the terrace. Outside festival days the site can be close to deserted.

Nearby

The vineyards and salt flats of Ninh Thuan and the coast road towards Vinh Hy bay.