In Vietnam’s Gia Lai province, a restoration project is giving new life to Nga Tower, also known as An Chanh, Binh An, or Nga tower, a special national relic built by the Cham people in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The three-tower complex sits in Binh An commune, with a central tower rising about 39 metres. After more than 800 years of exposure, the masonry has suffered damage from weather, time, and plant growth.
Local officials launched a restoration effort in late 2025 valued at more than VND90 billion (US$3.4 million). The work is scheduled to take 10 months, and the project is reported to be about 40% complete.
One detail that will resonate with mason contractors and restoration crews is the emphasis on documentation before demolition or repair. The site was carefully surveyed and recorded first, with the goal of keeping repairs aligned with heritage conservation principles, and avoiding irreversible changes to the original fabric.
Material matching is also front and center. About 340,000 bricks have been specially produced to match the original Cham bricks in composition, color, and texture. Each new brick is marked with the production year of 2026, a straightforward way to separate original masonry from replacement units during future inspections and maintenance.
To keep new work compatible with old, broken ancient bricks have been crushed and mixed with lime to create mortar intended to work with the existing masonry. The project is also using resin from the Dipterocarpus alatus tree as a bonding material, along with a traditional polishing and bonding technique believed to be close to the Cham construction methods.
On the stone side, the approach is conservative. Carvings are only being restored where there is enough historical evidence. Where sections are missing and references are not reliable, plain stone blocks are used instead, which helps protect the integrity of the historic design without adding guesswork.
Read the full, original article from VOV.VN here.