Banh It Tower is a complex of towers of the Champa people in Dai Loc, Phuoc Hiep, Tuy Phuoc District, about 25km from Qui Nhon City, Binh Dinh province. The complex includes four towers: Main Tower, Nam (South) Tower, Cong (Gate) Tower, and Dong (East) Tower.

The name of the complex comes from the shape of the tallest tower with its peak which looks like a banh it (three-cornered glutinous rice cake filled with green bean paste and meat). Each tower has been built with different design and architecture and varied shape, creating diversity in the complex.

The Main Tower is 22m in height. The architecture of Banh It Tower bears the Binh Dinh sculptural style of 12th century with small, embossed lines on the walls. Leaf and flower-shaped motifs are only found on edges of the roofs, and dancing senses are found on false gates.

To get to the towers, tourists need to conquer a small sloping road paved with bricks and lined by tree shapes. On the peak at a few dozen meters above sea level, not only can you sense the boundless of heaven but also can take a panoramic view of scattered houses, green farms in the villages and winding rivers and streams below. Inside the ancient buildings are splendid bas-reliefs – which are a great example of Cham craftsmanship.

Carvings of dancing girls and many valuable sculptures such as the stone statues of Siva, Ganesa, goddess Uma and bronze statue of Bhahma, were discovered in the French colonial period. Several fine bas-reliefs of dancers from Banh It are displayed in the Cham Museum in Danang City.

This is the most striking and best-preserved towers in the seven complexes of Cham towers in Binh Dinh Province. The Banh It Tower has got specific architectural characteristics and is one of the great temple-towers of the Champa Dynasty, which draw the attention of researchers and tourists.

Read more

• Duong Long Tower
• Eo Gio
• Doi Tower
• Nhan Tower
• Tuong Binh Hiep Lacquer Village

Binh Dinh Tours