Cao Dai Temple, also known as Holy See, is the center of Cao Dai faith, an indigenous Vietnamese religion that incorporates the teachings of Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism as well as some elements of Christianity and Islam.
The Great Temple was built between 1933- 1955 in Tay Ninh province about 90 kilometers northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Caodaiists believe that all religions are the same in principle and they credit God as the religion’s founder.
A visit to Cao Dai temple is one of the popular tours on offer in Ho Chi Minh. The promise of witnessing a religious ceremony of an intriguing religion unique to Vietnam was enough to pique my curiosity and so I added it to my half-day tour to Cu Chi Tunnel.
With the amount of time and effort it takes to get there, it’s not surprising why many visitors find it not worth the long drive.
- It’s hard to reach by public transport.
- It’s more than two-hour drive from the city.
- There’s nothing much to do beyond taking pictures and walking around.
- It’s not worth a special trip unless combined with a visit to Cu Chi Tunnel, which is somewhat along the way.
On the good side, if you have enough time on your hands and dig temples with interesting history, a visit to Cao Dai Temple will not disappoint you.
- It is the original home of Cao Dai religion.
- It is the biggest and the brightest in the country.
- Visitors are allowed to witness and document the ceremony.
- You might have seen hundreds of Buddhist, Hindu and Chinese temples but this would probably be your first Cao Dai Temple.
- Where else in the world can you find devotees venerating saints and Gods from different religions as well as western icons like Victor Hugo, William Shakespeare and Joan of Arc.
The structure of the Cao Dai Temple is a reflection of its ideology. It is part a pagoda, a cathedral and a mosque rolled into one unique temple. Its brightly painted façade in hues of splashy pink and baby blues reminds me of a theme park castle rather than a place of worship. It was a bit gaudy for a temple but I find it quite interesting.
It’s also hard to miss its pastel blue ceiling painted with fluffy white clouds and the grandiose columns encrusted with writhing dragons that run the length of the cathedral. If not for the sea of devotees and statues inside, it wouldn’t seem out of place as a themed hall in a Macau casino.
The priests are easily identified by their white pointy hats decorated with the holy eye and are dressed in either red, blue or yellow flowing robes.
Cao Dai priests waiting for the mass to start
At the start of the ceremony, men and women worshippers are separated from each other. Men enter at the right side of the doorway and females at the left.
The three principal colors of Cao Dai are yellow (for Buddhism), blue (for Taoism), and red (for Christianity). They are reflected in the worshippers’ robes and the temple itself.
The balcony on the 2nd floor runs the entire length of the temple and offers the best vantage point to view the service.
Sea of worshippers in flowing robes beautifully arranged in symmetrical rows.
The choir, gongs, and string instruments accompany the solemn chants of the devotees.
Overall, I was quite satisfied with my visit to Cao Dai Temple. It was unlike other temples I have seen in South East Asia and it was enlightening to get acquainted with a religion I never knew existed before this trip.
The main draw of Cao Dai temple is the ceremony itself. Make sure to catch one of the four ceremonies during your visit. It is the “thing to do” if you have come all the way to Tay Ninh.
Getting to Cao Dai Temple
The easiest and most popular way to visit the Cao Dai Temple is on an organised tour from Ho Chi Minh city. The bus ride takes about two hours. I organised all my tours with Sinh Cafe during my visit to Ho Chi Minh.
i love temples, this will be part of our itinerary this december.
sosyal ka chino, magvi-vietnam ka na rin? hehe.. pasama sa maleta mo. lol
Nice one, international na ang lakwatsa
nyaks pinagipunan ko talaga haha. actually cambodia -vietnam yun.. Sana lang eh matipid kami
hehehe….. cool! ang kulet nung religion nila… parang… parang walang away sige pagsamasamahin natin lahat sila! hehehehe…..
I know right, I never knew they could coexist peacefully with each other and now I wonder why several wars were caused by religious conflict.
based on your photos dear, it’s really worth a visit. haluyon na ini ha, backlog? parang I read your Vietnam tour date pa. or nagpunta kau uli. dame mu pang backlogs for sure.
Yeah this trip was part of my first domain name, diary of a traveler, so I’m giving everything a fresh twist now. (Dakulon ang backlogs dai ko na pig-iisip ta maski sarong taon ako dai maglakwatsa igwa na ki material for blogging
)
Oh my! We missed this temple on our visit!:-( Oh well, another reason to go back:-) Great photos and article Claire!
If you’re not into temples/architecture then you didn’t miss much.
Thanks for this, Claire! I am visiting Ho Chi Minh City again on Saturday, and I didn’t have an idea what to do because I basically did “everything” on my first visit—except visit the Cao Dai Temple. I never knew this kind of religion existed either, and it sure piqued my curiosity.
Love the photos!
Thanks Reiza, I would love to go back to Vietnam too but I will prolly concentrate more on the countryside. It would be nice to check out Sapa or Hue for a few days.
Have fun in Ho Chi Minh and please eat lots of Pho and fresh spring rolls for me
Ang masasabi ko: Nakikita ko ang spirit ng discipline.. In the Philippines, many but not all churches contain people chatting each other, dating and most politician love to stay at the entrance door para makita ng mga tao lalo na kapag malapit ang election, Such a temple of discipline individuals, with harmony, with rituals and standards done by every devotee. may dress code pa. simply a culture of discipline, ang ganda.
Discipline I think is a big part of this religion, imagine attending the mass 4x a day for at least an hour, no wonder the new generation/young ones are shunning it off. Less time for them to do work and other things.
P.S. MAy mga flaws ang grammar ko, sesnya na di ko ma-edit eh. heheh
When I was there, I took the Cu Chi half day trip and a dormmate took the half day Cu Chi and Cao Dai trip – I asked her, at the end of the day, the very same thing, “was the extra 4 hours worth it?” she answered, without batting an eyelash, without even thinking twice with a resounding “no”
I guess it is quite far, your post may change my mind next time in HCMC for a trip — but then there isn’t just Cao Dai trip – it’s always packaged with the Cu Chi tunnels. :-s
The pros definitely outnumbers the cons, actually we were supposed to do this along with Cu-Chi tunnel, if you ask me I like this better than Cu-Chi, in the end me and my brother just decided to spend our last day in HCMC foodtripping and me drinking beer, after reading this, I wish I proceeded with our original plan. Witnessing the ceremony is always something to delight on.
OMG, I wanna come here! Speechless ako. I will definitely get to this. I will be in Vietnam next month
We did not take a tour of this place when we visited HCMC, I feel kasi na wala talagang magagawa sa Cao Dai Temple except admiration of its architecture and culture. For me mas enjoy yung Mekong River tour! Kakamiss HCMC, sana makabalik ako next year!
Wala akong masabi kundi, WOW!!! ang gandaaaa…
I think it is worth the long trip if you get to witness a unique and magnificent architecture and religious practice like this…
Claire dear.love the photography! beautiful. I missed this spot for reasons you mentioned although we went to Cu Chi Tunnel during our visit. with this I am considering to check this out when I am back in Vietnam!
by your photos… i believe it’s worth seeing even for a long road trip. first to see it here.
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Looks interesting, but I passed on this. I chose the Cu Chi and city tour instead. I agree though that if you’re into churches and temple kind of traveler, this shouldn’t be missed.
Such a nice place Very interesting. I am in love with the temples even tho I’m not a religious person at all. Still love to observe it all in the temples.
They are so solemn when they are praying and worshiping. This is how I observed the old and ancient practice of early religion. How I wish that I could this one just to witness personally their practice.
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What a cool amalgamation of ideologies in architecture!
i agree, im one of the few who dropped this temple in exchange of seeing the cu chi tunnel. sayang, wala kasi akong masyadong time nun..
Based on your description alone (even without seeing the pix), it’s worth a go-see! Never heard of this place of worship, or even this pan-religion of sorts, before. Truly interesting, especially since they allow visitors to witness and document their ceremonies. I’m the nerdy tourist, so this is so way up my alley, hehe. Making a mental note of this in case I find myself in Saigon again. Thankeeeeee!
salamat nito Claire! will need this for my trip next year. kelangan ko na ang mga Vietnam posts. hehe
i haven’t been here when we went to vietnam. but ur photos really look great. vibrant colors
Wow, nice place and beautiful photos. Vietnam and Cambodia the countries I love to visit.
Hi, we’re planning to visit this place this june. Ask ko lang po how much would it cost to go to this place from HCMC? More info on how to get to the place would be much appreciated. We’re trying to do backpacking so sariling sikap ung pagpunta.
thank you.
HI jack, I joined a group tour when we visited it so I can’t give you much info on DIY trip