PhD Ha Van Phung - Director of Vietnam Archaeology Institute had an interview with Binh Dinh Newspaper about value of Binh Dinh’s Cham Tower relic system, about short-term and long-term preservation plans to  uphold the value”.

Duong Long Tower

Interviewer: In the eyes of an archaeologist, what do you think about Binh Dinh’s Cham Tower system?

Mr. Phung: According to history, Cham culture originated in Quang Nam Province. In my opinion, it happened in the first stage only. The second stage (from the 11th to 15th century), Cham culture developed in its full bloom. In this stage, Cham culture developed not only in artful aspect but also in mutual relation with other cultures. Thanks to that integration, art of Binh Dinh’s Cham towers has many greatest characteristics of Cham culture. Morever, Binh Dinh Province still has a lot of Cham towers while other provinces have ruins of Cham culture only. The towers are actually historical precious treasures for Binh Dinh Province.

Interviewer: In your oppinion, what should we do to take advantage and maximize value of the “cultural treasures”?

Mr. Phung: In order to maximise value of Binh Dinh’s Cham tower system, it is essential to protect and preserve existing relics first. Restoration and embellisment should be done then. Some towers in danger of collapse, we need to reinforce them. However, the on-going reinforcement with bricks and cement at the present is just provisional solution. The brick and cement covers should be taken off when we restore and embellish the towers later.

The restoration and embellisment must be accurate and conform to scientific processes on basis of available relics. New towers should not be created although they may be more beautiful. The new ones are not accurate and harmonious with general view of the whole groups of the towers. In order to insure exact restoration and embellisment, archaeological excavation should be done previously. Don’t commit mistake like Nhan Tower in Phu Yen Province. Its restoration and embellishment had been done before the archaeological excavation.Consequently, we had to  cast many relievos and designs on the tower off.

I have recently visited 5 towers in Binh Dinh Province. I found that the restoration is not perfect. For example, we should keep the relievos  unchanged if we don’t know how to restore them. If we know, we must restore them like they exactly were done by Cham people in the past. The restoration of the relievos in several Binh Dinh’s Cham towers maily focuses on overall design but neglects detail pattern. Hence, the pattern is not similar to the original one any more.

In addition, in order to beautify the towers, we should invest in embellishing the surroundings of Binh Dinh’s Cham towers. We should do that with the most carefulness. There should be detail plannings to show where is festivity house, where is flower garden, etc. If not, environment of the relics will be intruded and destroyed.

On one hand, we should read a lot of research documents and collect more artefacts to know which gods are worshipped in which towers, which objects are displayed so that we may restore the objects in the towers. In the other hand, artefacts excavated from a tower should be used in the restoration of that tower or displayed in that tower. Visitors to the towers have chance to not only enjoy beauty of the towers but also watch with their own eyes or touch with their own hands the exhibits to feel themselves belief of Cham ancestors. Through such vivid experiences, the visitors’ emotion will be aroused. They will feel “soul” of the towers. If we do like that, popularization about the Cham towers will be successful.

Interviewer: Do you think that the proposal of Binh Dinh’s Cham towers to be a  world heritage recognized by UNESCO is feasible? If yes, how should we do to put it into reality?

Mr. Phung: In my opinion, if we evaluate historical and cultural values of Binh Dinh’s Cham towers from general point of view in correlation with a development stage of Cham culture, the proposal of Binh Dinh’s Cham towers to be the world heritage is feasible.

The seminar co-organized by Binh Dinh Newspaper and Provincial Department of Culture and Information is good. However, it just starts up a conversation. In order to achieve the target, we must do  a lot of more things. Firstly, local script analysts, archaeologists, Cham art researchers and historians should be invited to evaluate unique characteristics of Binh Dinh’s Cham towers. Simultaneously, international workshops, seminars with participation of Cham tower researchers in Southeast Asia and India to evaluate Binh Dinh’s Cham tower system is essential. Then, we compile a fully worked-out set of documentation to summit UNESCO. The document must show full scientific proofs about history, age, art and influence of other cultures on Cham culture in the certain phase of Cham culture development.

Japan has been financing a 10-member consultant group to help Vietnam compile a record about Thang Long Citadel to summit UNESCO for a world heritage. We organized many international and local seminars on Thang Long Citadel but no considerable results were gained. I mention to Thang Long Citadel case to proove that it  will be a long journey for Binh Dinh’s Cham towers to become a world heritage. On such the long journey, it is necessary to step in the right direction.

Interviewer: Thank you!

• Interviewed by Hoai Thu
• Translated by To Uyen