Step inside the glass shelter amid the white sand dunes of Mỹ Khánh village and, unlike at almost every other Cham tower, you do not look up but look down. Beneath the walkway lies a rectangular mass of pinkish-red brick whose surviving wall tops sit lower than the surrounding sand surface, with foundations resting 3 to 4 meters below sea level. Inside the brick chamber stands an altar pedestal topped by a grooved sandstone slab. Outside, roughly 120 meters away, is the sound of ocean waves.
This is Phú Diên Tower (tháp Phú Diên), also known as Mỹ Khánh Tower (tháp Mỹ Khánh) after the village name, two names for the same monument. This Cham Hindu brick sanctuary was built around the early 8th century and subsequently buried 5 to 7 meters deep under coastal sand until April 18, 2001, when titanium mining workers accidentally struck red bricks beneath the dune. Only the lower portion of the tower survives, yet it is the base of one of the earliest surviving brick Cham temples in central Vietnam.
IThe yoni pedestal and the absent deity
At the center of the inner chamber stands a brick altar pedestal 0.73 meters high, supporting a large sandstone yoni basin. The yoni is the lower pedestal of a linga and yoni ensemble, the sacred emblem dedicated to Shiva in Hinduism. The consulted sources record no surviving linga, meaning the upright pillar that once stood upon the yoni has been lost. Based on the in-situ yoni pedestal, the sanctuary can be identified with the Shaivite tradition, even though the cult ensemble is no longer complete.
Today the site is an inactive ruin. No Cham community comes here to perform rites, and the structure is preserved as an in-situ archaeological artifact beneath a protective glass enclosure.
In Shaivite doctrine, the linga represents the generative principle associated with Shiva, while the yoni serves as the supporting basin representing nurturing creative energy. The yoni slab is carved with a channel and spout pointing north, because during worship the officiating priest poured water over the linga, letting the liquid run across the yoni surface and drain out through the spout as sanctified water. A yoni slab still resting on its original brick altar, as at Phú Diên, is a direct material trace of that liturgy even though the celebrants have been absent for over a millennium.
Roughly 5 meters east of the main doorway stands a square brick altar built with flush joints, measuring 1.4 meters high and 1.38 meters long. Dân trí and Thanh Niên newspapers note that a round hole 0.19 meters in diameter is bored into the center of its upper surface, which archaeologists suggest may have held a worship statue. In addition, to the right of the front doorway of the main tower, excavations exposed the foundation system of a smaller auxiliary worship tower alongside ritual ceramics such as clay jars, ceramic boxes, and lamp stands.
The first common point of confusion concerns the name. Seeing publications refer sometimes to Phú Diên Tower and sometimes to Mỹ Khánh Tower, many readers assume Huế has two different sand-buried Cham towers. In reality there is only one. Mỹ Khánh is the name of the village where the tower stands, Phú Diên is the name of the former commune, and Huế heritage records state explicitly that both names refer to a single structure.
The second point is that the tower was not buried intentionally by human hands. Sources state that the monument was gradually engulfed by shifting coastal sands and geological subsidence over many centuries.
IITwelve centuries beneath the sand
Sources including Dân trí, Thanh Niên, VietnamPlus, and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism all date the tower to around the 8th century. Thanh Niên and VietnamPlus specify that radiocarbon (C14) dating confirmed the tower was erected in the early 8th century, placing it in the dwarf tower group (nhóm tháp lùn) that marks the transition from the Mỹ Sơn E1 artistic style to the Hòa Lai architectural style. This makes Phú Diên one of the few Cham towers whose age has been cross-checked through natural science methods alongside stylistic comparison.
Geographically, Phú Diên belonged to northern Champa. Because the consulted sources do not state which regional principality governed the site, the library does not assign one.
- Early 8th centuryConstruction of the sanctuaryDated by radiocarbon C14 analysis and architectural comparison to the transitional phase between the Mỹ Sơn E1 and Hòa Lai styles.
- 2001Discovery and excavationOn the morning of April 18, 2001, titanium mining workers in the coastal sand dunes of former Phú Diên commune struck brickwork buried 5 to 7 meters deep. Archaeological excavation took place from September 5 to September 23, 2001.
- 2001National heritage siteOn December 28, 2001, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision 52/2001/QĐ-BVHTT ranking Phú Diên Tower as a national architectural and artistic heritage site (one local tourism page mistakenly printed December 28, 2011).
- 2005 to 2007Conservation and glass shelterThe foundation was reinforced against subsidence, brick surfaces were treated with preservative chemicals, and a steel-framed glass shelter was erected. Conservation work was completed in May 2007.
- 2022Two record recognitionsRecognized by the Vietnam Record Organization (VietKings) on March 14, 2022, and by the World Records Union (WorldKings) in late May 2022 as the world's first ancient brick Cham tower buried deep beneath coastal sand dunes to be excavated and preserved.
- 2025Flooding from heavy rainsHeavy rains and floods in late October and early November 2025 caused groundwater to submerge the base of the tower for several months, prompting Huế city to allocate 1 billion VND for drainage and preservation measures.
Two discrepancies encountered online should be clarified. Regarding the ranking year, Thanh Niên, Dân trí, and official Huế heritage directories record December 28, 2001 under Decision 52/2001/QĐ-BVHTT, whereas a local tourism page printed December 28, 2011, an exact ten-year typographical slip sharing the same day and month.
Regarding the village name and administrative boundaries, press reports on the monument consistently name Mỹ Khánh village, while online maps currently label the area Phương Diên village. Former Phú Diên commune belonged to former Phú Vang district, and under Resolution 1675/NQ-UBTVQH15 in 2025 it was merged with Vinh Xuân, Vinh An, and Vinh Thanh to form Phú Vinh commune, Huế city.
IIIThe lower base of an early temple tower
The tower has a rectangular ground plan measuring 8.22 meters long by 7.12 meters wide at the bottom base, tapering upward along the body to 7.42 meters by 6.20 meters, with a surviving height of 3.1 to 3.26 meters (slightly uneven due to sand subsidence). The remaining elevation comprises three levels, a plinth base 0.29 meters high, a tower foot 1.25 meters high, and a surviving wall body 1.36 meters high. The inner sanctum is likewise rectangular, measuring 3.9 meters long by 3.3 meters wide. The structure opens a single real doorway to the east, with three false doors on the west, south, and north faces.
Specialists classify Phú Diên within the dwarf tower (tháp lùn) group, the earliest group of brick religious monuments in Champa architecture. The hallmark of this early masonry is the brick itself, pinkish-red, light, and porous, made of clay fired at a low temperature below 800 to 900 degrees Celsius and rubbed flat to bond tightly using ô dước (Litsea glutinosa) plant sap mixed with water, leaving no visible mortar joints.
The plinth is 0.29 meters high and the foot is 1.25 meters high on a footprint of 8.22 by 7.12 meters. Lying deepest in the sand, this lower zone is the best-preserved part of the monument.
Surviving to about 1.36 meters in height, each wall face features four corner pilasters, with projecting false doors on the west, south, and north sides. The entire multi-tiered roof superstructure has collapsed.
Measuring 3.9 meters long by 3.3 meters wide with corbeled inner walls stepping inward, the chamber houses a 0.73-meter brick pedestal topped by the sandstone yoni.
About 5 meters in front of the main doorway stands a square brick altar 1.4 meters high and 1.38 meters long with a 0.19-meter central hole. To the right of the front entrance lies the foundation of a smaller worship tower.
A steel-framed glass enclosure built between 2005 and 2007 to shield the brickwork from sun, rain, and blowing sand while providing an overhead viewing walkway for visitors.
How did a structure of soft, low-fired brick survive beneath coastal sand for more than twelve centuries? The sand itself is the answer. By sealing the monument off from sunlight, wind, and human disturbance, the dune preserved the fresh color and sharp edges of the lower brickwork. The paradox of Phú Diên is that once the sand was cleared away and the brick exposed to the air, the monument immediately faced weathering, dampness, moss, and rising groundwater, especially since its foundation lies 3 to 4 meters below sea level. The prolonged waterlogging from late 2025 into early 2026 demonstrated how challenging it remains to keep low-fired brick dry below sea level.
Huế is also home to Liễu Cốc Twin Cham Towers. Although the two sites are often mentioned together, they differ sharply, as Phú Diên is an earlier single tower from the early 8th century lying beneath coastal sand dunes right beside the sea, whereas Liễu Cốc is a late 9th-century complex with two parallel main sanctuaries on an inland alluvial mound near the Bồ River.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
Two distinct systems should be separated at the outset. Under the rules of Hindu temple architecture followed by the Cham, the main doorway opens to the east to greet the rising sun, the sanctuary stands on elevated ground, and the site is linked to the ideas of the sacred mountain and water. The doorway of Phú Diên Tower opens due east, looking straight toward the sea roughly 120 meters away. The Cham did not practice East Asian geomancy, nor does Hinduism teach it. The reading below is offered by the library through the lens of traditional East Asian landform analysis for comparative reference, and does not appear in any historical document concerning the tower.
Viewed through East Asian geomancy, the setting of Phú Diên is first of all a coastal sandbar between lagoon and ocean. The former Phú Vang area sits on a narrow strip of sand wedged between the Tam Giang and Cầu Hai lagoon system inland and the East Sea outside. A structure facing east here opens directly toward the open sea with its back turned toward the lagoon. With vast water in front and water behind, and no rocky mountain for support, traditional Vietnamese geomancy rarely selects such a site for a temple because shifting coastal sand is considered unable to retain qi over time.
The second feature is elevated ground that was lost. Cham sacred custom placed temples on high ground, and when built in the 8th century the sanctuary likely stood on a prominent coastal mound. Across twelve centuries of marine transgression and windblown sand, that mound subsided and was buried 5 to 7 meters deep beneath the dune, resting 3 to 4 meters below present sea level. Traditional landform analysis calls this dynamic ground (đất động), where the terrain shifts constantly with wind and waves, in contrast to the stillness of mountain rock. Phú Diên shows that on a coastal sandbar, even high ground does not stay high forever.
The third feature is the eastern orientation and the sea. Here the ritual rule and the physical landscape coincide, as the doorway opens toward the rising sun according to Hindu canon while the east is also the direction of the ocean. In Vietnamese geomancy, the east belongs to the Wood phase and the ocean belongs to Water, where Water generates Wood in a harmonious sequence. Yet it bears repeating that the builders faced the doorway east so that the first rays of morning light would strike the sacred emblem inside the sanctum, not because of Five-Phase element theory.
VRitual traces inside and in front of the tower
At Phú Diên no Cham rituals are performed today, and the consulted sources record no festival tied to the monument. What remains for reading its liturgical past is the physical layout of the sanctuary itself together with the artifacts recovered during the September 2001 excavation. The table below lists those material traces and what they indicate rather than an active festival schedule.
| Material trace | Location | What it indicates |
|---|---|---|
| Brick altar 0.73 m high and sandstone yoni pedestal | Center of the inner sanctum | The rite of pouring sacred water over the linga so that it flowed north along the yoni spout to the outside, a hallmark of Shaivite worship. |
| Eastern main doorway and three false doors | Real doorway on the east face, false doors on the other three faces | Morning sunlight shone straight through the eastern doorway onto the altar in keeping with Hindu kalan canon. |
| Square brick altar 1.4 m high, 1.38 m long, with a 0.19 m central hole | About 5 meters in front of the main doorway | An outdoor offering altar or pedestal that once supported a worship statue in front of the sanctuary. |
| Secondary tower foundation | To the right of the front doorway of the main tower | The temple complex originally included a smaller auxiliary worship structure beside the main tower. |
| Ceramic jars, boxes, and lamp stands | Excavation strata around the tower | Ritual offerings of water, fire, and sacred substances during ancient ceremonies. |
To see the rite of bathing the sacred emblem still performed inside an early Cham temple tower of the same era, readers can consult the entry on Po Sah Inư Towers, which also belong to the 8th-to-9th-century Hòa Lai style group. At Phú Diên, that same ritual survives only as a grooved stone slab resting beneath a glass roof.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Cồn cát ven biển, thôn Mỹ Khánh, xã Phú Vinh (xã Phú Diên cũ, huyện Phú Vang cũ), thành phố Huế. Nghị quyết 1675/NQ-UBTVQH15 gộp Phú Diên, Vinh Xuân, Vinh An, Vinh Thanh thành xã Phú Vinh. Maps ghi thôn Phương Diên, các báo trước 2025 ghi thôn Mỹ Khánh
- Getting there
- Coastal sand dunes of Mỹ Khánh village, Phú Vinh commune, Huế city, formerly Phú Diên commune, Phú Vang district. Roughly 15 kilometers from Hà Trung Pagoda.
- Coordinates
- 16.4958, 107.7461
The tower is an in-situ archaeological artifact sheltered beneath a glass roof, so the rule here is strictly visual observation. Stay on the designated walkway, do not climb over the railing into the sanctum pit, do not touch the brick faces or the yoni slab, and do not drop anything through the glass gaps. Exposed low-fired brick is highly sensitive to moisture, where even a handprint or a drop of water leaves a mark. If you wish to light incense, ask the caretaker for the designated spot.
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?Quick Questions
Are Phú Diên Tower and Mỹ Khánh Tower the same monument
Yes. Mỹ Khánh is the name of the village where the tower stands, and Phú Diên is the name of the former commune prior to the 2025 administrative merger. Huế heritage records and tourism directories state clearly that both names refer to a single monument rather than two separate towers. Online maps currently label the village Phương Diên in Phú Vinh commune.
Who is worshiped at Phú Diên Cham Tower
Inside the sanctum stands a 0.73-meter brick altar supporting a sandstone yoni pedestal, the lower half of a linga and yoni ensemble dedicated to Shiva in Hinduism. The sources record no surviving linga. Today the tower is an archaeological ruin where no Cham community performs worship.
How was Phú Diên Tower discovered
On the morning of April 18, 2001, titanium mining workers in the coastal sand dunes of former Phú Diên commune accidentally struck a brick structure buried 5 to 7 meters beneath the sand surface and 3 to 4 meters below sea level. An archaeological excavation from September 5 to September 23, 2001 exposed the lower portion of an early 8th-century Cham temple tower.
Why is Phú Diên Tower enclosed in a glass house
While buried deep beneath the dune, the tower was shielded from sun and wind by the sand layer. Once excavated and exposed to the air, the soft low-fired bricks became vulnerable to crumbling, moss, and groundwater seepage. A steel-framed glass shelter was built between 2005 and 2007 alongside foundation reinforcement to protect the brick surfaces, although heavy seasonal flooding can still cause groundwater to rise around the base.
When was Phú Diên Tower built and when was it ranked a national heritage site
Radiocarbon C14 analysis shows that the tower was built in the early 8th century, belonging to the dwarf tower group transitioning from the Mỹ Sơn E1 style to the Hòa Lai style. On December 28, 2001, the Ministry of Culture and Information issued Decision 52/2001/QĐ-BVHTT ranking the tower as a national architectural and artistic heritage site.