Cao Dai Holy See – Tay Ninh province

Gallery of images from the Cao Dai Holy See dawn service

Images taken during the Cao Dai dawn service at the Holy See in Tay Ninh

When one thinks of the phrase “CaoDai,” they will associate it with a political group involved in protest of French rule in Vietnam, if they have ever heard of it at all. In actuality, while CaoDaiists did play a part in these protests, CaoDai is a primarily indigenous Vietnamese religion that encompasses many other world religions but is also extraordinarily unique in its belief system and practices.

In 1943 a Cao Dai army was established during the Japanese occupation of Indochina. After the war the Cao Dai was an effective force in national politics; it first supported, then opposed, Premier Ngo Dinh Diem. In 1955–56 Diem disbanded the Cao Dai army and forced the sect’s pope, Pham Cong Tac, into exile.

After the communist takeover in 1975, Cao Dai was reportedly repressed by the government. Centers of worship were established in Vietnamese refugee communities abroad, however, and by the early 1990s Cao Dai was reported to have some two million adherents in Vietnam, Cambodia, France, and the United States.

Today, Cao Dai adherents may number as high as 6 million, at least according to Cao Dai sources.  The headquarters of Cao Dai are at Tay Ninh, near Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), however, smaller Cao Dai temples can be found all over Southern Vietnam and the Mekong Delta.  All of them hold worshipping ceremonies and although attendance is much smaller than the Holy See, they are well worth visiting, if only for a more intimate experience.

Read more and view further images from the Cao Dai Holy See blog post here