Cao Dai Temple

While Vietnam is a predominantly Buddhist (first) and Catholic (second - thank the French) country, it is also home to the Cao Dai religion. It was founded in the Mekong Delta region by a mystic named Ngo Mihn Chieu in 1926 and, to put it simplistically, is a blend of "Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, native Vietnamese spiritualism, Christianity, and Islam." Among the more interesting aspects of the religion is belief that the spirits of Joan of Arc, Shakespeare, Lenin, and Victor Hugo can be contacted via seances in order to guide the living. Followers wear all white, are vegetarians, practice daily meditation, and attend prayers at the Cao Dai temple four times a day.

As part of our day tour out to Cu Chi we stopped to observe one of the prayer sessions from the upper balcony of the temple. I had mixed feelings about the visit - only because by the time the last tourist bus arrived, there were way more gawkers than actual Cao Dai members at the temple. While I was glad that we were all kept in the rafters in order to keep the disruptions to a minimum, it still felt a little awkard and I can't imagine why they would allow the tourist circus into town to watch the daily prayers. A Vietnamese guy from California told me later that the Communists have always had it out for the Cao Dai stemming from their refusal to support the VC during the war (I guess the Cao Dai had a standing army of about 25,000 men at one time). Anyway, the rumor is that the Cao

Dai are only allowed to practice their religion as long as it is made available to the public. Whatever the case, it felt pretty intrusive. But it was a great chance to experience, however briefly, another unique religion.