Phu Dien Tower - ancient Cham relic rises to fame from under the dunes

Hanoi (VNA) – To visit Phu Dien Tower, tourists can travel about 30km to the southeast of Hue city’s centre and then move for another 14km to the south of Thuan An township to reach Phu Dien commune of Phu Vang district, the central province of Thua Thien - Hue, where the national architectural - artistic relic site is located.

Phu Dien Tower was discovered in My Khanh hamlet of Phu Dien commune, Phu Vang district, in 2001 after a group of titanium ore miners found a block of bricks covered by sand at about 5 - 7 metres underground on April 18 that year.

The discovery of Phu Dien Tower under coastal sand dunes in Thua Thien - Hue attracted much attention, especially from domestic and international researchers, at that time.

The roofless rectangular tower, located far from other Cham tower relics, is situated in an east - west direction. It was built on a ground that is 8.22 metres long and 7.12 metres wide and gradually becomes smaller towards the top. Its entire height is 3.1 - 3.26 metres as the relic leans.

The base, 0.29 metres high, was formed with four layers of bricks to give the tower a solid foundation. The foot is 1.25 metres high and the body, 1.36 metres. Meanwhile, the tower’s rectangular inside, 3.9 metres long and 3.3 metres wide, features a 0.73m-tall altar with a sandstone Yoni sculpture atop.

Situated five metres in front of the tower’s main entrance is a square brick altar with a length of 1.38 metres and a height of 1.4 metres. There is a round hole that is 0.19 metre in diameter in the middle of this altar’s surface, and researchers suspect that it was where a worship statue was placed.

Although a long time has passed, Phu Dien Tower retains its red brick color. Studies showed that the bricks were made of clay and baked in temperatures of around 800 - 900 degrees Celsius. They were joined by the sap of the “o duoc” plant mixed with water.

At the excavation site, scientists also uncovered some worship items such as a ceramic box and a lamp base.

Compared to other Cham towers, patterns on Phu Dien are more stylised and simpler. Archaeologists classified Phu Dien as one of “short towers” - the initial group of towers in the Champa religious architecture.

Radiocarbon dating results show that it was constructed in the early 8th century and is one of the oldest Cham towers in Vietnam.

Researchers believe that Phu Dien Tower is a transition from the My Son ancient architectural style E1 to the Hoa Lai tower architectural style. It features a harmonious beauty as a balanced and complete structure, which is remarkable considering its age and the fact that it was buried in sand.

To protect the tower from degradation due to natural impacts, it has been preserved in a glasshouse.

Since its discovery, Phu Dien Tower has become popular and holds potential for tourism development.

Given its unique values, the Ministry of Culture and Information (now the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) listed Phu Dien Tower as a national architectural - artistic relic site on December 28, 2001.

On March 14, 2022, the Vietnam Records Organisation (VietKings) recognised this tower as the first excavated and preserved ancient brick Cham tower deep under coastal sand dunes in Vietnam.

Later on May 30, the World Records Union (WorldKings) listed Phu Dien as the first excavated and preserved ancient brick Cham tower deep under coastal sand dunes in the world./.