Phan Rang: Po Klong Garai, Cham pottery and Vinh Hy Bay

A journey into the dry, cactus-dotted heartland of the living Cham culture: hilltop brick towers, potters shaping clay by hand, and a turquoise bay beneath bare mountains.

Area

South to Mui Ne

Start from

Nha Trang

Distance

about 105 km south to Phan Rang

Time needed

1–2 days

Best season

All year; the driest corner of Vietnam

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

Car, bus or train to Thap Cham/Phan Rang

Tickets & rules

Small ticket at Po Klong Garai; modest dress at the towers

Why go

South of Nha Trang the landscape changes quickly. The mountains move inland, the land turns dry and sandy, and you start to see vineyards, cactus hedges and flocks of sheep and goats, unusual sights in Vietnam. This is the old Cham principality of Panduranga, around today’s Phan Rang, and it is still home to a large Cham community.

Po Klong Garai, four brick towers on a granite hill outside town, is one of the finest and best-preserved Cham monuments anywhere. The main tower is crowned with stepped tiers, its doorway guarded by a carving of a dancing Shiva, and the view from the hill takes in rice fields, rail lines and dry mountains.

Nearby, the village of Bau Truc keeps alive one of the oldest pottery traditions in Southeast Asia, and an hour’s drive north the road drops to Vinh Hy, a fishing bay of clear water enclosed by the cliffs of Nui Chua National Park.

The story

Po Klong Garai was built around the turn of the fourteenth century under King Jaya Simhavarman III and honours a legendary king, Po Klong Garai, who is said to have brought irrigation and prosperity to the region. Unlike Po Nagar, it is still an active temple for the Cham Brahmanist community, and inside the main tower a linga carved with a king’s face receives offerings.

Every year, around the seventh month of the Cham calendar, usually September or October, the Katê festival honours gods and ancestors. Cham families gather at the towers in traditional white dress, with music from the ginang drum and saranai oboe, and a procession carries the sacred garments of the deities up the hill. Visitors are welcome if they are respectful.

At Bau Truc, women shape pots without a wheel, walking backwards around the clay while moulding it by hand, then fire them in open bonfires of straw and wood. Cham pottery was added to UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage in need of urgent safeguarding in 2022, and buying directly from the potters helps keep the craft going.

Vinh Hy Bay sits at the edge of Nui Chua National Park, one of the driest forests in Vietnam and a place where sea turtles still nest on a few protected beaches.

Getting there

Phan Rang is about two hours south of Nha Trang by car, a little longer by bus. Trains on the north–south line stop at Thap Cham station, close to Po Klong Garai.

A hired car with driver is the easiest way to combine the towers, Bau Truc and Vinh Hy in a single day; Vinh Hy is roughly 40 km north-east of Phan Rang along a beautiful coastal road.

A suggested plan

1. 7:00Leave Nha Trang heading south on Highway 1.
2. 9:00Po Klong Garai: the towers, the hilltop and the small exhibition.
3. 10:30Bau Truc pottery village; watch the potters at work.
4. 12:30 pmLunch in Phan Rang: try the grilled lamb or goat dishes of the region.
5. 2:00–5:00Coastal road to Vinh Hy Bay; swim or take a glass-bottom boat.

Where to stay

Phan Rang and the nearby beach of Ninh Chu have plenty of hotels; you can also continue south to Mui Ne and make this the first stop of a longer coastal trip.

Good to know

• Visit early: the area is hot, bright and very dry.
• Ninh Thuan grapes and wine are local specialities; try them at a roadside stall.
• Since the 2025 provincial mergers this area is administratively part of Khanh Hoa; older maps still say Ninh Thuan.
• Ask before photographing Cham worshippers or ceremonies.