The Phu Dien Cham Tower in Thua Thien-Hue. (Photo: pathsunwritten.com)

The Cham Tower was discovered in April 2001 in the coastal sand dunes of Phu Dien commune of Phu Vang district (Thua Thien-Hue). The structure was buried at a depth of 5-7 m in the sand.

The tower is one of the earliest remaining Champa brick structures in the central region, dating back to the eighth century.

The Cham built religious towers to worship Hindu, and Phu Dien Tower is believed to be one of the two lost such structures near the former imperial city of Hue. The other lost structure is Lieu Coc Tower.

The Phu Dien structure is of great scientific and historical values as Yoni stone pieces, ceramic vases and other items found inside the tower are typical artifacts for the worship of the Cham people in the past.

For its historical values, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism listed Phu Dien Tower as a national architectural monument in December 2001. The Vietnam Records Organization (VietKings) set a Vietnamese record for Phu Dien Tower in March 2022.

Three months later the World Records Union (WorldKings) also decided to set a world record for the structure as the ancient Cham tower buried deep in the coastal sand dunes was unearthed and preserved first in the world.