The 800-year-old Nhạn Tower is one of the must-visit places in Tuy Hòa Town in coastal Phú Yên Province. — VNA/VNS Photo

HCM CITY — The 800-year-old Nhạn Tower is one of the must-visit places in Tuy Hòa Town in coastal Phú Yên Province.

Nhạn Tower is located on a flat piece of land near the top of Nhạn mountain, built in the 11th and 12th centuries.

The tower has a square plan and is 23.5m high. Like many other Chăm towers stretching along the central coast, Nhạn Tower faces East, which is the direction of the sun and spirit.

The pinnacle has four corners that resemble lotus buds, and there is a monolithic rock symbolising a Linga, a male being symbolising Shiva, one of three supreme Hindu deities.

The Nhạn Tower is built entirely of solid bricks, shown by research to be lightweight, durable, and more compressive than the normal equivalents.

It is still a mystery how the Chăm people managed to hide the joints between the bricks.

The Nhạn Tower overlooks Tuy Hòa Town, the coast, and Hùng Vương Bridge spanning the mouth of the Đà Rằng River. The tower was named a Special National Monument in 2018. — VNS