Po Nagar Cham Towers

The Cham built on this hill above the river mouth in stages between roughly the eighth and thirteenth centuries, and four of the original towers still stand. The tallest, dedicated to the goddess the Cham called Po Nagar and Vietnamese worshippers know as Thien Y A Na, rises about twenty-three metres, its brick face carved with a dancing four-armed figure over the door and its interior black with centuries of incense. A stone statue of the goddess sits inside, dressed in cloth and attended daily. On the terrace below stand the brick columns of a ruined hall where pilgrims once gathered. The site is active rather than archaeological, which is what gives it its atmosphere.

What you actually see

• The main tower - the tallest of the four, with a carved lintel and a dressed stone statue inside.
• The pillared terrace - rows of brick columns from a collapsed meditation hall below the towers.
• Brick carving - dancers, deities and mouldings cut directly into the brickwork of the towers.
• The river view - fishing boats and the Xom Bong bridge seen from the hilltop terrace.

When to go

February to August is dry and hot, while September to December brings the wet season to this coast. Early morning is cooler, and the towers belong to worshippers rather than groups at that hour. Cham dance is performed for visitors at set times during the day. Shoulders and knees must be covered, and robes are lent at the entrance.

Honest expectations

The towers sit in the middle of a working city, so the backdrop is a road bridge, boats and apartment blocks rather than jungle. Tour buses fill the small terrace by mid-morning and the queue into the main tower can take a while. Interiors are dark and thick with incense smoke. Half the original towers are gone and the brickwork carries visible repairs.

Nearby

Nha Trang's beach front and the fishing harbour at Xom Bong are within minutes.