"CAO DAI GREAT TEMPLE" Vietnam Things to Do Tip by mad4travel

More about this strange religion:

Explaining Cao Dai beliefs is not easy. The religion is said to have combined elements of Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Confucianism, Hinduism, and Taoism. But at the heart of the religion is the duty of individual followers to their family and society -- a very Confucian theme. The concept of Karma and a detachment from the material world are both borrowed from Buddhism. Elements of Vietnam's prehistoric religions are also absorbed into Cao Dai beliefs.

The religion's eight million or so followers are governed by a church structure similar to that of Catholicism -- complete with a pope, cardinals, bishops, priests and other offices. And there are saints, including Joan of Arc, Lenin, Shakespeare, Chinese nationalist Sun Yatsen, and French poet Victor Hugo.

Only about 30,000 people outside Vietnam follow Cao Dai beliefs.

It makes an interesting day trip out from Ho Chi Minh city about 60 miles away.