On June 27, 2022, within the framework of the program of Cham Towers Night in Phuong Dien village, Phu Dien commune, Phu Vang district, Thua Thien Hue province, the Vietnam Records Organization (VietKings), under the authorization of the Union World Records (WorldKings), awarded the World Record to two units, including Thua Thien Hue History Museum and Phu Dien Commune People’s Committee, Phu Vang District, Thua Thien Hue Province.
Guests attending the Record announcement ceremony (Photo: VietKings)
According to People’s Deputies Online, State Records And Archives Management Department Of Vietnam: Archaeological excavation results show that the tower has a rectangular shape facing East-West. The ground floor of the bottom layer of the tower is 8.22m long, 7.12m wide, the tower gets smaller and smaller from bottom to top, with different parts including the foundation, the foot of tower, the body and the roof. The entire remaining tower height is from 3.1 – 3.26m, due to the tower’s tilting and subsidence. The base of the tower has an angled rectangular with 0.29m high, including 4 layers of bricks built closely to create a solid foundation for the body of tower.
The base of tower is 1.25m high, including the body and false doors with many different decorative layers. The body of tower is 1.36m high. The bed of the tower is rectangular in the East-West (3.9m long and 3.3m wide). In the middle, there is an altar with 0.73m high, on the pedestal is the Yoni made of sandstone. About 5 meters in front of the main door of the tower is an altar has the shape of square block built by grinding and folded snugly brick with 1.4m high and 1.38m long. In the middle of pedestal is a round hole with a diameter of 0.19m, which researchers believe there was a worshiping statue placed before.
The remaining structure of Phu Dien tower includes the foundation of the tower, the base of the tower, the foot of the tower, the body of the tower, the roof and the bed of the tower. The bottom layer plan of the tower is 8.22 meters long and 7.12 meters wide.
The tower has four doors, including a main door and three false doors. In the bed of tower is a square stone Yonּi (female version), in the middle of tower is a circular ledge that is the base for a Linga (male version). According to researchers, Phu Dien tower is a dwarf tower in the architectural art of Cham towers.
On behalf of the World Records Union, Ms. Nguyen Thi Quynh Ngoc, General Secretary of the Vietnam Records Organization (VietKings), announced the Letter of Authorization for the Vietnam Records Organization to award the World Record. (Photo: VietKings)
Dr. Le Doan Hop, former Minister of Information and Communications, Chairman of the Vietnam Records Organization Council, a member of the WorldKings Global Council, presented the World Record certificate to the representatives (Photo: Duy Nghia/VietKings).
Among the Cham towers in Vietnam, Phu Dien tower is the newest one to be found. This relic was discovered purely by accident. In April 2001 at the 3rd titanium ore mining site on the coast of Phu Dien commune, a group of workers of 2nd Factory Titan were suddenly discovered an ancient brick work with strange architecture located deep in the coastal sand dunes. The official excavation was carried out in September of the same year.
After the discovery, the tower was protected by measures such as: building shelters from rain and sun, zoning, erecting many wooden columns to prevent collapsing, building embankments, planting trees to avoid being buried by sand and water erosion.
