Monday, the World Records Union designated Phu Dien Tower in Thua Thien-Hue Province as “the world’s first excavated and preserved ancient brick Cham tower deep beneath coastal sand dunes.”
Built by the Cham to honor Hindu deities, the ruined tower is one of the earliest remaining Cham brick structures in central Vietnam, dating back to around the eighth century.
In 2001, a team of diggers mining titanium ore in Phu Dien Commune stumbled upon an ancient brick structure with distinctive architecture buried deep within the coastal sand dunes.
The local authorities then ordered the tower’s excavation. It was buried beneath five to seven meters of sand at the time.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism designated the tower a national treasure in 2001.
and then 