Po Sah Inu Cham Towers

The Po Sah Inư towers stand on Bà Nài hill about 7 km northeast of central Phan Thiết, in what is now Phú Thủy ward of Lâm Đồng province (formerly Phú Hài ward, Phan Thiết, Bình Thuận). They are also known as Tháp Bà Tranh or the Phố Hài Cham towers. Built by the Cham around the late 8th to early 9th century to worship Shiva, they are among the oldest surviving Cham temple-towers in the region and a proud symbol of the Cham community of the former Bình Thuận province. The site was listed as a national historic relic in 1991.

In the 15th century the Cham added simpler temples nearby to honour Princess Po Sah Inư. Excavations and restoration work in the 1990s uncovered the foundations of collapsed temples, altars and artefacts buried for centuries, some dating from the 15th century. The towers are still in religious use: the Brahmanist Cham hold their most important rites here, above all the Katê festival.

The Legend of Princess Po Sah Inư

Local legend says Po Sah Inư was a Cham princess, daughter of the king, who fell in love with Po Sahaniempar, a Muslim lord, and married him despite their different faiths. Her brother later drove the couple apart, and her husband's heart turned to another woman. The princess returned home and spent her life teaching people to farm, weave and raise livestock. In gratitude, the people built a temple in her memory, and they still honour her at the Katê festival each year.

The towers are about 7 km northeast of central Phan Thiết on the road towards Mũi Né. By motorbike or car, follow Võ Nguyên Giáp road to the foot of Bà Nài hill; by taxi or Grab it takes roughly 15-30 minutes depending on where you start. There's plenty of parking at the entrance, along with a rest area, restrooms and souvenir shops. Buy your ticket at the gate and walk up a gentle, tree-lined staircase to the towers.

The complex is compact. Three towers remain, built in the Hòa Lai style, one of the oldest Champa art styles: red fired bricks fitted together so tightly that no visible mortar is used - a binder that many researchers think may have been a plant resin. Only the largest tower is still fairly intact; the other two have been partly damaged and restored.

Towers A, B and C

• Tower A, the main tower: about 15 m tall over three tiers, with its door facing east - the direction where the gods dwell in Cham belief. Inside is a Shiva linga-yoni carved from a single block of dark stone
• Tower B: also three tiers but smaller, with arched doorways and Cham carving. It once held a statue of the sacred bull Nandin, which no longer survives
• Tower C: the smallest, about 5 m and one storey, dedicated to the fire god. It stands beside the main tower, and worshippers place offerings here before entering Tower A

The Hilltop and Lầu Ông Hoàng

Behind the towers, a path climbs to the top of the hill, with sweeping views over Phan Thiết, the coast and Mũi Né - the best viewpoint on the site. Close by are the ruins of Lầu Ông Hoàng, a villa built around 1911-1912 for a French duke as a holiday residence, later linked to the 20th-century poet Hàn Mặc Tử, who met his muse Mộng Cầm there.

Note that the tall concrete blockhouse on the hill is often mistaken for Lầu Ông Hoàng, but it is a different structure. The path to the hilltop can be overgrown and muddy in places.

Po Sah Inư is an easy, inexpensive stop on any Phan Thiết - Mũi Né itinerary. One visitor rated it 8/10 overall: 9/10 for photos, history and culture, but only 7.5/10 for activities, since the site is small. If you're not interested in history, there isn't much to do beyond the towers and the view, and some visitors leave after 10-15 minutes. Those who stay longer, walk up to the hilltop and read up on the Cham beforehand get far more out of it.

Weekdays are quiet, sometimes almost empty, and there's no queue at the gate. On-site explanations are scarce, so consider reading about Champa history before you go. Outside the gate you'll find a large rest area with Cham costume rental and handmade souvenirs.