Banh It Towers may sound like a simple snack, but they are actually a Cham architectural complex that has survived for almost a thousand years. Learning why the site carries such an everyday name helps us see how ordinary language can hide deep history.

According to a popular explanation, the name comes from the towers’ shape resembling banh it, a traditional Vietnamese cake, when viewed from a distance. Visitors often notice the likeness while approaching the hill.

The same group of towers is also called Thap Bac, meaning “Silver Towers”, and French colonial records list it as Tour d’Argent. These alternative names reflect the prestige the site held in historic records.

Archaeologists date the construction to the late 11th and early 12th centuries, so the towers are nearly a thousand years old. The complex is organized into four main structures: the Main Tower, the Gate Tower, the Fire Tower, and the Stele Tower.

The Main Tower dominates the hilltop. It stands almost 30 meters high, has a square floor plan, an entrance that faces east, and is built from dark red bricks that give the whole complex its striking colour.