Po Nagar is a complex of Cham temple towers raised between roughly the eighth and thirteenth centuries and dedicated to Ponagar, the mother goddess of the land in Cham belief. It is the most significant cultural and spiritual site in Nha Trang.
Four towers survive of an original eight. The north tower is the largest at about 23 metres, sheltering a stone statue of the goddess seated on a lotus throne. The detail worth lingering over is the brickwork: the Cham laid these bricks so tightly that almost no mortar line shows, and the technique has never been fully explained.
The towers stand on Cu Lao hill on the north bank of the Cai river, about two kilometres from the centre — walkable from Tran Phu if you don’t mind the sun, otherwise a few minutes by car. Come early or late in the day: the site is entirely open, and at midday the brick radiates heat with nowhere to shelter.
This is a working place of worship, and both Cham and Vietnamese devotees still bring offerings. Shoulders and knees must be covered; robes are lent at the entrance. People presenting themselves as guides tend to approach in the grounds — a firm no at the outset settles it.
Hon Chong is a few minutes further north-east, and the hot springs lie the same way; the three make a sensible afternoon together.
