The Canh Tien Cham Tower (known to the French as Tour de Cuivre) is on a knoll in Nam An Village, An Nhon Town, Binh Dinh. The site is 28km northwest of Quy Nhon City, near Route 1A. The tower looks like a fairy wing, hence the name Canh Tien.

Travel Guide to Canh Tien Cham Tower, Binh Dinh

From 999 to 1471 centuries, the City State of the Champa Kingdom was moved to Vijaya (Do Ban), Binh Dinh Province nowadays. The Canh Tien Tower was built in the 12th century, in the heart of the capital. The Cham King who built the tower was Che Man (Jaya Sinbavarman III). The tower was a Kalan, a temple where the Cham King worshiped their gods.

The tower is 20m high with the 4 sides mostly the same in decorations, except that there is only one real door facing east while the others are false ones. The whole structure built with fired bricks rests on a square basement. Each side of the square shape is approximately 10m length and the two pairs are not exactly equal. The four vertical pillars are covered by slabs of sandstone with amazing motifs. There is a front structure to the current Kalan which does not exist now.

The basement part of the Kalan has a smooth surface with decorations like candle holders on top. Above the basement part is the body part which is decorated by straight vertical lines, each of the three sides has a protruding false door, the side facing east has a real door.

The top level depicts the sacred Mount Meru in Hindu mythology and this level is just amazing with smaller Mount Meru motifs which looks like flames. Facing the tower in person, you’ll feel the imposing grandeur of the great architecture of the Cham people.

Paradissa could arrange day tours or half a day tours for the travelers interested in learning about the Cham Civilization and history.