Cao Dai

by Nadia Kim

photos by Audrey Samuel

We, the travellers in search of Saigon visited the Cao Dai Temple on Day Two. Cao Dai temple is in the city of Tay Ninh, southern Vietnam, about 2 hours drive away from the centre of Saigon.

Cao Dai is a syncretic religion that combines faith elements of Taoism, Christianity and Buddhism. This religion believes in the principle that all religions have one same divine origin. In addition, the religion emphasizes the practice of loving other living beings and the avoidance of harming others so that one may enter heaven.

The interiors of the temple.

On every window around the temple is painted the motif of an eye, which depicts the left eye of God, the master of heart, the two sources of pure light which are Yin and Yang. There are three animals carved as a motif displayed in the temple- dragon, unicorn and turtle. The dragon represents power, the unicorn prosperity, and the turtle wisdom.

A painting inside the temple.

In addition, the followers worship the three significant saints, the signatories of the third alliance between God and Mankind - Sun Yat-Sen, Victor Hugo and Nguyen Binh-Khiem. Sun Yat-Sen was a leader of the Chinese Revolution in 1911; Victor Hugo a French famed poet who was passionate about social justice, revealing himself under the name of Chuong Dao Nguyen Tam Chan Nhan, the last Nguyen Binh-Khiem a Vietnamese administrator, educator and poet who was famous for his reported ability of foretelling the future

There are two entrances- one for men and the other for women. Although there is no physical boundary that separates men from women, the men tend to stay at the right side of the temple to sit and pray, while the women worship at the left side of the temple. All of the worshippers don white-coloured traditional Vietnamese robes similar to that of the ao dai. The women tie their hair into tight buns while the men are spotted with black hats. There are three priests dressed in red, blue and yellow robes. The red Vietnamese dress symbolizes the Christian roots of the Cao Dai belief system; yellow refers to Buddhist origins of the Cao Dai faith while blue emblematizes that of Taoism.

Priests during the ceremony.

Devotees of the Cao Dai pray four times a day as they face the altar of an eye displayed in the centre of the temple. While we were at the temple, the bell rang at noon notifying the time for prayer; as the devotees started gathering in the temple, we gathered round to observe the ceremony, moving onto our next destination having enlightened ourselves after yet another informative visit to a religion not known to many.

Blogger's Profile

Nadia Namwoo Kim, the crazy Korean, studies International Studies. She will eat you if she is hungry. Beware!

War Tourism: The War Remnants Museum and Cu Chi

by Mumbi Munene
photos by Lim Fei Xiang

The Vietnam War was a focal point in the evolution of both Vietnamese and world history. Despite the fact that numerous colonisers including the French and the Chinese attempted to control Vietnam, no conflict was as violent and as ultimately criminal as the American- Vietnam war. This war is often viewed as the prime example of an international war crime. Despite the horror of war and unwarranted conflict, modern day Vietnam does not resent America. However, war remnants remain more of a tourist attraction that boasts of Vietnamese patriotism rather than attack the American soldiers who were viewed as “devils” during the war. The American-Vietnam war began in 1958 and lasted till 1975 and it dragged Vietnam into a gruesome proxy war that represented a war against communism for the Americans, but an unjustifiable attack for the Vietnamese.

Present day Vietnam is a socialist republic, and war tourism attractions such as the war remnants museum and the Cu Chi tunnels stand as a tragic failure for the United States both in preventing the development of alternative forms of governance and in managing war in a civilized manner.

The War Remnants museum in Ho Chi Minh City shows the various war crimes committed during the American-Vietnam war and explores how a conflict aimed at the Viet Cong eventually expanded to include civilians. Portraits adorning the walls of the museum tell stories of numerous civilians especially women and children who were tortured and killed for no justifiable reason. One particularly touching portrait shows a picture of two young boys with the older boy on top of the younger one in an effort to protect him from gunshots, but in the end both boys were killed by American soldiers. Of the three million Vietnamese who died during the 17 years of the American-Vietnam war, a staggering two million were civilians. A particular section of the museum dwells on the effects of chemical warfare on the Vietnamese people. The use of dioxin laden chemicals, specifically Agent Orange caused and continues to cause numerous deformities and birth defects. The conserved images of deformed fetuses missing hands or legs and having extra heads would make even the gutsiest tourist shudder. Similarly, the recreated tiger cages replicate the brutality of American war prisons and show how American soldiers used torture techniques as drastic as blinding, removing teeth and caning to force information from Vietnamese soldiers. A large guillotine placed in one prison cell tells that death was the result of non-cooperation.

The entrance to the prison and tiger cage at the War Remnants museum, Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam.

The Cu Chi tunnels on the other hand, are an hour and a half’s drive away from Saigon and serve as another example of how the Vietnam- American war has become a nationalistic tourist attraction. At Cu Chi, tourists have the chance to temporarily experience what it was like to be a Viet Cong soldier during the war. The Cu Chi tunnels show how a traditional and innovative system of elaborate underground tunneling was used by the Vietnamese to conquer a much stronger and more developed enemy. The most fascinating part of the Cu Chi experience is a ten minute crawl through the underground tunnels that reek of human sweat but are so carefully crafted and hidden; they were virtually invisible to American soldiers. The Vietnamese used the “home field advantage” to corner the Americans and trick them into falling into basic but well thought out traps designed using local tools. The Cu Chi experience is all the more fascinating when one considers the fact that the Viet Cong soldiers basically created an underground life that lasted much longer than the five or ten minutes that tourists experience.

An entrance into one of the Cu Chi tunnels, Cu Chi, Vietnam.

Vietnam has faced numerous attacks from various aggressors including the Chinese, the French and the Americans, but all war tourism attractions focus mainly on the Vietnam-American war. A visit to the War Remnants museum or the Cu Chi tunnels explains why. These sites explore the effects of chemical warfare, the condition of prison confinement and the reality of the underground lives that Vietnamese soldiers were forced to live during the war. The Vietnam-American war is a central point of Vietnamese War tourism because this conflict was both unwarranted and needlessly gruesome.

Blogger Profile

Mumbi Munene is pursuing an Undergraduate Degree in International Studies and Economics. She is in Malaysia as an exchange student from the Monash South Africa campus, and is keen to grab all opportunities to travel within and beyond Malaysia.

Architecture: A Historical Perspective (Pt 1)

by Farah Zulkefly

Vietnamese architecture has fascinated me since my first trip to Saigon. No two buildings are the same yet they share many similar traits. The influx of foreign powers has crept its way into everyday Vietnamese life. The varieties of styles reflect the influences of French, American and Chinese cultures. Architectural styles here can be categorized into a few major classifications: Chinese, colonial, vernacular and contemporary. This is the first of a two-part article. In this article, I will focus on the buildings we visited as part of our tourist-y activities.

The most prominent buildings in Saigon are the ones inherited through colonialism. On Day One, we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral, an intimidating structure of red brick and arches with a gigantic clock adorning its façade (kind of like my planet-of-a-pimple on the bridge of my nose between my eyes at the start of this trip).

The cathedral, is in fact a replica of its more recognized counterpart in Paris – though I suppose the hunchback, Quasimodo and his gypsy fling, Esmeralda aren’t likely to pop out from a crevice or shadows where walls are joined together. On a more factual note, it took three years to complete the building, with the materials used in its construction being imported directly from France. As Dr. Yeoh says “You all like imported stuff right?” But let us not depart from the fascinating subtle beauty embedded in every stone - and in some cases, unturned ones.

Though parts of the cathedral itself were damaged during the war, many of them such as tiles were replaced with new ones made in Saigon itself. The most imposing structure of the cathedral however, is the dominating but benevolent statue of the “Regina Pacis” more commonly known in layman’s terms as the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus! The statue arrived from France to Saigon on 16 February 1959.

We also visited the Re-unification Palace, christened as such because it was meant to signify the reunion of Northern and Southern Vietnam following the years of American military occupation in the country. The Vietnamese flag, which flies today on the highest pole of the Re-unification Palace stands as a proud symbol for the Vietnamese from the day they floored the accelerator of a tank and rammed it through the palace gates, effectively seizing control of the palace from its American occupants.  The tank still stands today - as a reminder of solidarity amongst the people - within the palace grounds. Besides functioning as a historical tourist attraction of sorts, the palace still has its purpose in contemporary Vietnamese politics. It was designed by the architect Ngô Viết Thụ and was both residence and office the President of South Vietnam during the Vietnam War.

Sadly, we ran out of time as we got there after visiting hours. So I will describe what we saw on the outside, and what we didn’t see on the inside (briefly), which I was privileged to see in 2009. You game?

At first glance, the palace appears to be an apparition of Barack Obama’s backyard, albeit with a circular grassy courtyard with a fountain in the middle, framed by a semi-circle of Vietnamese flags. The structure itself is conglomeration of various rooms of various functions including staterooms, libraries and even underground war rooms, reminiscent of old CIA offices on American TV.

In view of these buildings, which set the benchmark in Saigon architecture, I will next be looking at the French influences that have been brought forward and absorbed into contemporary buildings that make up Saigon’s cityscape in the sequel to document the breathtaking architecture of Vietnam.

Part 2 follows here.

Blogger Profile

Farah Zulkefly, majoring in Journalism and Communications, is an omnivorous being who loves spending time in the depths of the ocean where humans can't talk with turtles and other reef inhabitants. She has a closet love for architecture and interiors but cannot draw to save her life.

Diary Entry Day 2: Of Temples & Tunnels

By Nadia Kim

Photos by Audrey Samuel

Woot woot! It’s day two! Today we are supposed to visit the Cao Dai temple and the legendary Chu Chi tunnels that happen to be quite a distance from Saigon city. Translated, it means that we had to leave the hotel premises by 7.30 am. I did not want to be left behind so I prepared myself to wake up at 6.30 but as it turned out, my alarm was running on Malaysian time! My little accident turned out to be a blessing in disguise - I had ample time for breakfast a morning toilet session! After reconciliating myself to my foolishness, I resumed my much deprived slumber. We gathered at 7.30 and boarded our tour bus and headed for the Cao Dai temple first.

It was a long journey and we had a short break at a  factory where victims of Agent Orange produce handmade crafts, especially the beautiful and intricate work that goes into an eggshell “painting”. The tour guide said that one eggshell painting would take at least two months to be completed. After taking a look around the workshop (we can’t afford much unfortunately), we quickly resumed our journey and finally arrived at the Cao Dai temple half an hour before noon.

Two women working on an eggshell painting of "Tintin in Vietnam"

The temple is a place of worship for those of the Cao Dai religion. It is a syncretic religion that preaches unity together in faith of one God - no matter of what religion - since as they believe all Gods are representations of one supreme deity. There were enormous hand paintings on the ceiling and pillars full of symbolic references to other religions such as Hinduism, Christianity, Taoism and Confucianism, decorated with dragons. The Cao Dai followers believe that the left eye is the manifestation of God, the left eye being closer to the heart. It was a unique cultural experience but also a spiritual one. And oh, Dr Yeoh accidentally entered the ladies room! How naughty naughty, Dr Yeoh!

The altar at Cao Dai Temple

Lunch was a stone’s throw away from the temple. We had simple food but we had great company with our wonderful and friendly student guides. We left for the Cu Chi Tunnels after lunch and these hand-dug tunnels served as shelter, communication and supply routes, hospital, kitchen and weapon caches and living quarters for numerous guerrilla fighters. The sound of shooting in the background made it seem so much more real (we later found out they were really gunshots!). We began with a black and white, rather biased video describing how the Chu Chi tunnels came about. It was truly a genius invention/creation. After the show, we visited some of the smaller tunnels, booby traps, weapons house, handmade splices and much more before finally arriving at the Chu Chi Tunnels. It was awesomely scary...

I decided to chance the tunnel despite my better judgement but then again - carpe diem! It was very tight and cramped. I had to bend my back the entire time and it was very tiring and claustrophobic. We were warned beforehand (by Dr Yeoh) that it might get smelly inside the tunnels as they smear petrol on its walls to prevent insects and animals from getting in.

 A quick escape route for the petite Viet Cong

When we finally returned to the hotel, it was already seven in the evening. As we all parted ways in front of the tour office, I had dinner with Dr. James Chin, Dr Yeoh, Joanna and Fei. Too lazy to sleep I decided to join some friends on a short trip to the night market. As we walked through the booths we bumped into another group of fellow travellers who had unfortunate news: Jia Wei’s wallet had been stolen from his backpack!

Not knowing what to do, we headed back to our hotel together. But shortly before the hotel, we parted ways once more.  After all, what better way  to end the day than a chilled drink?

Blogger's Profile

Nadia Namwoo Kim, the crazy Korean, studies International Studies. She will eat you if she is hungry. Beware!