Cao Dai is a relatively new religion, having started in 1926 in South Vietnam. One early morning in 2013, Glen and I met a driver who would take us from Ho Chi Minh City (aka Saigon) to the outskirts of the town of Tây-Ninh. We left early enough so that the 2-hour-plus drive would allow us to walk around the Cao Dai Holy See and get situated inside for the noon service. (I wrote about this years ago, for details see Cao Dài Temple: The Great Religion of the Third Period of Revelation and Salvation.) Now that I am in a self-imposed shelter-at-home, I am looking at photographs from past trips.
I scheduled a side trip to Vietnam while on the way to Cambodia. The hotel offered many services, including a day trip to the Cao Day Temple. I'm glad I signed on, as the experience was extraordinary.
When I stepped inside the temple, all I could think of was a carousel—the colors, the intricately carved dragon columns, carved seats for the highest echelon of priests, and so on.
This was in stark contrast to the followers, who filed in dressed in pure white. It was a stunning scene.
