Po Nagar Cham Towers, Nha Trang

Po Nagar entrance fee and opening hours

A ticket costs 30,000 VND per visit — the rate set by the Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Council and in force since 2023. Children, people with disabilities and regular worshippers get in free. You pay in cash at the counter at the foot of the hill, so bring small dong notes; Grab is the place to use a card, not the ticket window.

The complex is open every day. Published hours don't agree: Vietnam Airlines and most travel guides say 6 am to 6 pm, closing at 5:30 pm from October to December, while the provincial tourism portal says 8 am to 6 pm. To be safe, arrive after 8 am and be done by 5:30 pm.

Once a year, from the 20th to the 23rd day of the third lunar month (it falls in April or May), the site hosts the goddess's festival: a ceremony changing her robes, a procession, floating lanterns on the river and dancing. Expect big crowds. The province also runs evening programmes among the lit towers on the 1st and 15th lunar days — check times locally.

What are the Po Nagar Cham Towers?

Po Nagar is Nha Trang's oldest monument and one of the key temples of the Cham, whose kingdom of Champa ruled this coast for centuries before it became part of Vietnam. The temple is dedicated to Yan Po Nagar, the mother goddess of the land, who was linked with the Hindu goddesses Bhagavati and Durga.

In Vietnamese it's Tháp Bà Ponagar — the Lady's Tower — or just Tháp Bà. When the Vietnamese took over the region in the 17th century they kept worshipping the goddess here under the name Thiên Y A Na, so today Vietnamese Buddhists and Cham people both come to pray, and incense burns for most of the day.

The complex sits on Cu Lao hill, only 10–12 metres above the sea but right over the river mouth. The towers are red brick laid with almost invisible joints, with carved stone lintels and terracotta figures — classic Cham work. Of the original six towers, four survive.

What to see at Po Nagar

• The mandapa — two rows of thick octagonal brick pillars on the middle terrace, all that's left of a roofed hall where pilgrims prepared their offerings.
• The main tower, about 23 metres high. A carved stone pediment above the door shows a many-armed goddess; inside, in the smoky half-dark, sits the ten-armed stone statue of Po Nagar, dressed in bright Vietnamese robes.
• The south tower, about 18 metres, a shrine to Shiva with a stone linga.
• The northwest tower with its long saddle-shaped roof, the best preserved of the smaller towers at about 9 metres.
• The southeast tower, the smallest at about 7 metres.
• Inscribed steles in Sanskrit and Old Cham — key records of Champa's history.
• Cham dance — dancers in traditional dress perform in the courtyard to drums and the saranai horn; there's no fixed timetable.
• The view over the Cai River mouth, blue fishing boats and the bridges — one of the best free views in old Nha Trang.

Is Po Nagar worth visiting?

Yes, if you have more than a beach day in Nha Trang. It's the city's oldest monument and a Cham temple that's still in use rather than a museum piece. The ticket costs about a dollar, it's ten minutes from the beach, and with Dam Market and the Hon Chong rocks it makes an easy half day in the north of town.

Keep expectations in check. It's small — four towers and a pillared hall that you'll see in 40–60 minutes. Tour groups arrive from about 9 am and the main tower doorway gets crowded. A lot has been restored, and the steps up the hill are steep and unshaded. If you've been to My Son near Hoi An, Po Nagar is more modest — but it's a living temple, not a ruin.

Go at opening time or after 3 pm for soft light on the brick, fewer groups and less heat. The spring festival and the first days of Tet are packed; if you're there for the architecture, pick an ordinary weekday.

A short history of Po Nagar

A shrine to the goddess stood on this hill before any of the brick towers, and it was built of wood. A stele dated 781 records King Satyavarman restoring the temple, and by 784 it had been rebuilt in brick. The main tower is dated by the province and Vietnamese historians to around 813–817, with rebuilding in the 11th century; the other towers were added up to the 13th century.

The steles here are among the most important sources on Champa: kings recorded gifts of land, gold and jewels to the goddess from the 8th to the 13th century. French archaeologists of the École française d'Extrême-Orient shored up and partly rebuilt the towers in the early 20th century. Po Nagar became a national monument in 1979, its festival joined Vietnam's intangible heritage list in 2012, and in 2025 it was raised to Special National Monument, the country's top heritage rank.

Po Nagar or Hon Chong?

Both fees come from the same Khanh Hoa provincial resolution; the distance is our OpenStreetMap measurement. They're easy to pair in one trip.

Temples in Nha Trang

Temples and shrines in Nha Trang rated by YesGo. Tap a column header to sort.

Nearby

42

Dam Market

Nha Trang, Vietnam

1 h · Free entry · 21 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Dam Market

35

Hon Chong Promontory

Nha Trang, Vietnam

45 min · 30,000 VND, children free · 25 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Hon Chong Promontory

44

Nha Trang Cathedral

Nha Trang, Vietnam

30 min · Free · 38 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Nha Trang Cathedral

41

Long Son Pagoda

Nha Trang, Vietnam

1 h · Free · 38 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Long Son Pagoda

How to do it right

• Arrive at opening time to have the main tower almost to yourself.
• Bring your own sarong or scarf — cooler than the loan robes and better in photos.
• Inside the main tower it's dark and smoky; give your eyes a minute to make out the statue.
• For the best view of the river mouth and boats, walk to the edge of the terrace behind the south tower.
• Cham dances repeat through the day; if nothing's on, wait 20–30 minutes.
• Afterwards it's five minutes by taxi to the Hon Chong rocks, and Dam Market is on the way back.

Questions