1,000-year-old Cham tower unearthed

The remains of a unique Cham tower have been found in Phong Le Village, Cam Le District in the central city of Da Nang, an area not known for Cham relics.

The remains of a unique Cham tower have been found in Phong Le Village, Cam Le District, Da Nang City.

Archaeologists from the city's Museum of Cham Sculpture and Faculty of History at the University of Social Sciences and Humanity discovered the site last year and earlier this month found that the foundations of the structure, which measure 16m by 16m, said Vo Van Thang, director of the museum.

"We have unearthed this vestige dating back 1,000 years ago and the foundations are still intact," he said. "Experts were surprised because this is the first archaeological vestige relating to Cham culture found in Da Nang and it's different from other Cham relics found in other regions."

"The discovery is very important," he said.

The excavation was prompted by the discovery of many valuable c at the same site last year.

The Champa Kingdom originated in India and spread along the coast of modern-day Viet Nam between the 4th and 13th centuries. Cham culture, including Cham towers, folk songs and dances and traditional festivals, are an important part of Viet Nam's cultural diversity.