Thap Doi Towers

Thap Doi is a pair of brick towers of the twelfth or thirteenth century now surrounded by the streets of Quy Nhon, and they are architecturally odd for Champa: instead of the usual tiered false storeys, their upper parts are pyramidal with curved profiles and sandstone garuda figures at the corners, a form generally read as showing Khmer influence during a period when Champa and Angkor were in close and often hostile contact. They were restored in the 1990s with Polish involvement. The setting is entirely urban, which is unusual for Cham towers and makes them easy to reach.

What you actually see

• Two towers of the twelfth or thirteenth century - in the middle of a city.
• Pyramidal upper parts - unlike the usual Cham tiered form.
• Garuda figures at the corners - carved in sandstone.
• Khmer influence - from a period of close contact with Angkor.

When to go

Year round. An hour.

Honest expectations

The urban setting means traffic noise and no atmosphere of isolation. Restoration is visible. The site is small and takes half an hour. Interpretation is limited.

Nearby

Banh It towers are north of the city; Quy Nhon's beaches are east.