Cham Tower CircuitBinh Dinh's 1,000-Year-Old Temple Legacy

Binh Dinh province, whose capital is Quy Nhon, was the heart of the Cham kingdom of Vijaya from around the eleventh to the fifteenth century, and several of the finest surviving Cham towers stand here. They are less famous than the temples of My Son, near Hoi An, and see far fewer visitors, which means you can study the brickwork, the carved sandstone and the setting of each site in near silence. This circuit visits three groups: the Banh It towers on a hilltop north of the city, the Duong Long towers inland, and the Thap Doi twin towers in Quy Nhon itself.

The Cham were a Hindu and later partly Buddhist people who ruled much of central and southern Vietnam for more than a thousand years. Their towers, known as kalan, were built to house images of the gods, above all Shiva, and were made of fired brick laid with striking precision, possibly using a plant-based resin rather than mortar. How exactly they were built is still debated.

The Banh It towers, also called the Silver Towers, stand on a hill above the rice fields and the coastal highway. Four structures survive: the main temple, a gate tower, a treasury with an unusual saddle-shaped roof and a stele house. From the top of the hill, the view stretches across the plain to the mountains, and the arrangement of the towers shows how the Cham positioned their temples in the landscape.

The Duong Long towers, known as the Ivory Towers, are the tallest of the circuit, with the central tower rising around forty metres. Their sandstone decorations include Garuda, the mythical bird, naga serpents, dancers and lotus patterns, with some of the carving still sharp enough to read clearly.

Thap Doi, in the city, has two towers with curved roofs whose corners were once decorated with sculpted figures of Garuda. Their distinctive silhouette, closer to Khmer architecture than to other Cham sites, reflects the region's links with Angkor.

Your guide explains the history of Vijaya, its wars with the Khmer and the Dai Viet, and its fall in 1471, as well as how the Cham communities who still live in southern Vietnam relate to these sites today.

The best time to visit is from February to August, when the weather is dry. The morning start avoids the midday heat, which can be intense on the exposed hilltops. Wear comfortable shoes, a hat and sun protection, and bring water.

The circuit lasts around five hours. A private vehicle, an expert guide and all entry fees are included.