Tay Ninh Town is the headquarters of one of Vietnam's most interesting indigenous religions, Cao Daism. All Cao Dai temples observe four daily prayer sessions, held at 6am, noon, 6pm and midnight. We arrived in time to observe the noon rituals from the upstairs balcony.

The followers are dressed all in white while the Dignitaries wear their colorful ceremonial dress. Prayers are chanted, and offerings of incense, tea, alcohol, fruit and flowers are made.

Cao Daism is the outcome of an attempt to create the ideal religion through the fusion of secular and religious philosophies of the East and the West. The result is a potpourri that includes most of the religious philosophies know in Vietnam during the early 20th century: Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, native Vietnamese spiritualism, Christianity and Islam. The term Cao Dai (meaning tower or place) is a euphemism for God.

The ultimately goal of the Cao Dai disciple is to escape the cycle of reincarnation. This can only be achieved by the performance of certain duties including first, and foremost, the prohibitions against killing, lying, luxurious living, sensuality and stealing.

The main tenets of Cao Daism include believing in one god, the existence of the soul and the use of mediums to communicate with the spiritual world. Some Cao Dai practices include priestly celibacy, vegetarianism, communication with the spirits through séances, maintenance of the cult of ancestors, fervent proselytizing and sessions of meditative self-cultivation.

Following the Chinese duality of Yin and Yang, there are two principal deities, the female Mother Goddess and the male God (a duality that somewhat complicates the belief in one god'). There is a debate among the Cao Dai as to which deity was the primary source of creation.

The great temple is built over nine levels, representing the nine steps to heaven; each level is marked by a pair of columns. At the far end of the sanctuary, eight plaster columns entwined with multicolored dragons support a dome representing the heavens-as does the rest of the ceiling. Under the dome is a giant star-speckled blue globe with the 'divine eye' on it.

The largest of the seven chairs in front of the globe is reserved for the Cao Dai pope, a position that has remained unfilled since 1933. The next three chairs are for the three men responsible for the religion's law books. The remaining chairs are for the leaders of the three branches of Cao Daism, represented by the colors of yellow, blue and red.

On both sides of the area between the columns are two pulpits similar in design to the minibar in mosques. During festivals the pulpits are used by officials to address the assembled worshippers. The upstairs balconies are used if the crowd overflows.

Near the altar are portraits of six figures important to Cao Daism: Sakyamuni (Siddhartha Gautama, the founder of Buddhism), Ly Thai Bach (Li Taibai, a fairy from Chinese mythology), Khuong Tu Nha (Jiang Taigong, a Chinese saint), Laozi (the founder of Taoism), Quan Cong (Guangong, Chinese God of War) and Quan Am (Guanyin, the Goddess of Mercy).

A mural in the front entry hall depicts the three signatories of the 'Third Alliance Between God and Man': the Chinese statesman and revolutionary leader Dr. Sun Yatsen (1866-1925) holds an ink stone; while the Vietnamese poet Nguyen Binh Khiem (1492-1587) and French poet and author Victor Hugo (1802-85) write 'God and Humanity" and "Love and Justice' in Chinese and French (Nguyen Binh Khiem writes with a brush; Victor Hugo uses a quill pen).

Shoes and hats must be removed before entering the temple. Lay women enter the Great Temple through a door at the base of the tower on the left. Once inside they walk around the outside of the colonnaded hall in a clockwise direction. Men enter on the right and walk around the hall in an anticlockwise direction. The area in the center of the sanctuary is reserved for Cao Dai priests.

Cao Daism was founded in 1926 by the mystic (civil servant) Ngo Minh Chieu (also known as Ngo Van Chieu, born 1878) to create the ideal religion. He was well read in Eastern and Western religious works, even becoming active in séances, in order to improve the quality of communication with spirits.

Spirits who have been in touch with the Cao Dai include deceased Cao Dai patriots, warriors, philosophers, poets and political leaders, as well as ordinary people. Among the contacted spirits who lived as Westerners are Joan of Arc, Rene Descartes, William Shakespeare,  Victor Hugo, Louis Pasteur and Vladimir IIyich Lenin. 

The Cao Dai played a significant political and military role in South Vietnam from 1926 to 1956, when most of the 25,000 strong Cao Dai army, which had been given support by the Japanese and later the French, was incorporated into the South Vietnamese Army.

Having refused to support the VC during the American war, and despite the fact that the Saigon government had barely tolerated them, the Cao Dai feared the worst after Reunification. Indeed, all Cao Dai lands were confiscated by the new communist government and four members of the sect were executed in 1979. However, in 1985 the Holy See and some 400 temples were returned to Cao Dai control.

Today there are an estimated three million followers, and temples can be found throughout southern and central Vietnam.

Sidenote:   We prefer independent travel to tours, but in Vietnam tours are generally the way to go, as organizing and hiring your own transport is time consuming, as well as costly. Especially hiring a private car, as foreigners are not allowed to rent and drive themselves. However, once we arrive at a destination we rent a motorbike and get out into the villages. People are not accustomed to seeing anyone, (most people see Vietnam on a bus, or train). The children are eager to shake your hand, and say hello. A smile is always met with a smile, and you get a feel for the life of the average Vietnamese.

It is a good idea to have a laid back attitude, and minimal expectations. Vietnam is similar to the rest of Asia in that time, meaning punctuality, means something different. And while you may have been promised a big tour bus, if there are not enough people, you get a mini bus. Often the ac on the air con bus isn't working, or is not working effectively.  

We took this tour while we were staying in Ho Chi Minh City (still called Saigon around District 1, & by many southerners). It is one of the most popular day tours, and also included the Cu Chi Tunnels. We had an English speaking guide that was knowledgeable, and had a good sense of humor. He and I shared many stories, as he had served in the Vietnam war, and my Dad did as well.

The bus was unexpectedly on time and we boarded at 8:15 a.m.. We stopped at quite a few hotels to pick up other passengers so it was a good 45 minutes before we were on our way. The city of Ho Chi Minh is more a province than a city, stretching from the South China Sea to the Cambodian Border. It took what seemed like hours before we left the urban sprawl of the city behind, and made our way into the countryside, heading northwest towards the border.

I found the Cao Dai temple, and the doctrines interesting. I have a  background in eastern philosophies, religions and metaphysics and this was a new experience for me. I was surprised at the lack of joy on the faces of the followers. I would like to think that this much prayer and devotion would be reflected on their faces.

I was told that the Government no longer allows séances, but that doesn't mean they aren't still done, albeit, covertly. Overall, I saw many types of religion being practiced throughout Vietnam, which makes me feel that the  government today must be somewhat tolerant of religious differences.

References: My own experience. The Lonely Planet's Guide to Vietnam, Around Ho Chi Minh City.

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