The elusive monument, standing at an elevation of 779 metres above sea level, continues to intrigue researchers and explorers seeking answers about its origins, purpose and unusual location.
To gain a closer look at the tower, local tour guide Nguyen Huy Hoang, who regularly leads expeditions to Hon Chuong Mountain, used a drone to capture detailed images of the structure.
The photographs show that the eastern façade remains the best-preserved section of the tower. Its outer wall still retains 86 tightly fitted brick courses with almost no visible mortar joints. Between the 27th and 29th brick layers, a protruding horizontal ridge separates the base from the main body of the structure.
The tower’s main entrance faces east and features the stepped construction technique characteristic of Champa architecture. Measuring approximately 2.08 metres in height, the doorway is partially blocked by a large accumulation of fallen bricks. The eastern wall also bears three scars attributed to wartime bombing, while extensive damage is visible at both the northeast and southeast corners.
The northern side has suffered significant deterioration. Much of the outer brick layer has disappeared, exposing the internal structure and revealing the Cham builders’ staggered brick-laying method, in which bricks interlock in a hook-like pattern to enhance stability.
Damage is even more severe on the southern façade. Vegetation covers much of the base, and only around 28 rows of the outer brick layer remain near the upper section. Elsewhere, the outer shell has vanished, exposing brighter red interior bricks and deep cavities created by displaced or missing masonry.
On June 2, Nguyen Trung Hieu, Vice Chairman of the De Gi Commune People’s Committee, announced that the contractor is finalizing the design plan to submit for approval to implement the project connecting the Hon Chuong Tower heritage site. The project, approved by the provincial People’s Committee for investment in 2025, will feature a road over 6 km long and 6.5 meters wide, constructed with cement concrete. The total investment is 125 billion VND, with the De Gi Commune People’s Committee as the investor, and is expected to be completed in 2027. Once finished, the road will reduce the time to reach the tower’s base from 3–4 hours on foot to just 10–15 minutes by car.
The western side is the most heavily damaged. Nearly all of the exterior brickwork has peeled away, leaving only the core structure. Large roots from dense vegetation have penetrated deep into the tower, disrupting the masonry and exposing the contrast between weathered outer bricks and the brighter inner layers.
Aerial images indicate that the tower’s walls are between 1.5 and 2 metres thick, with tightly interlocked bricks arranged in a staggered pattern. The surviving architecture suggests that the original roof was significantly taller and gradually tapered toward the summit.
Despite centuries of exposure and the effects of war, the monument remains standing. Researchers continue to investigate questions surrounding its construction techniques, function and the reasons a Cham tower was built on such a high mountain peak.
According to Hoang Nhu Khoa of the Provincial Museum’s Professional Department, Hon Chuong Tower was first identified by researchers in 1993 during a survey of Ba Mountain conducted as part of efforts to document revolutionary base sites. Initial assessments classified the structure as a Cham tower and incorporated it into the wider network of Cham monuments previously recorded in Binh Dinh.
A second survey undertaken by the Provincial Museum in 2020 found that the tower stands atop a granite formation consisting of three large rocks. The central rock supporting the structure rises approximately 50 metres. An adjoining rock mass extends down the eastern slope, while a separate formation to the west, around 30 metres away, resembles a giant overturned bowl.
The tower has a square floor plan measuring about 8.64 metres on each side and a remaining height of roughly 7 metres. Unlike many traditional Cham towers, its base rises vertically for around 2 metres before narrowing gradually upward, giving the structure a distinctive slender profile. Vegetation now covers the summit, while scattered bricks lie across the surrounding rocky terrain.
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Although several adventure climbing groups have reached the site in the past, local authorities have introduced restrictions on unauthorised climbing to protect the monument and ensure public safety.
Close-up photographs of artefacts collected at the foot of the rock formation reveal that the tower incorporated at least two types of roofing tiles in addition to rectangular bricks of varying sizes. One tile type is pale, lightweight and porous, made from clay similar to that used for the tower bricks. The other is darker red, smoother and denser, with surviving fragments displaying decorative ridges and small holes used to connect adjoining tiles.
Based on the remaining artefacts and architectural features, researchers believe Hon Chuong Tower represents a distinctive monument that differs significantly from other known Cham structure in both design and location.
Amid a landscape of forests and cloud-covered peaks, the solitary tower continues to stand as a silent witness to history. Though only partial walls and scattered fragments remain, Hon Chuong Tower preserves the legacy of a civilisation that once left its mark high in the mountains of eastern Gia Lai.