The Cao Dai Holy See: ceremonies, galleries and manners

Caodaism was officially founded in 1926 in Tay Ninh, after a series of seances in Saigon and the Mekong Delta. It draws on Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and Christianity, and its symbol is the Divine Eye inside a triangle. The Holy See, or Toa Thanh, is its central temple and the seat of its hierarchy. Construction started in 1933; VnExpress dates the completion of the building to 1947 and its inauguration to 1955.

The temple sits inside a large walled compound of gardens, gates and administrative buildings, in what is now Long Hoa ward. That ward was formed in June 2025 from the former Long Thanh Bac and Long Hoa wards and three communes of Hoa Thanh town, which is why older guides give the address as Hoa Thanh. It lies about four to five kilometres from the former provincial town.

Inside, the nave is lined with columns wrapped in painted dragons, under a ceiling painted as a starry sky. During a ceremony, followers in white robes, and dignitaries in yellow, blue and red, kneel in rows on the floor while musicians and a choir perform from a raised area. The building is a working place of worship, not a museum. That is the reason for most of the rules below.

During ceremonies, visitors stay on the upper galleries that run along both sides of the nave, above the worshippers. You do not go down to the main floor while a ceremony is under way. After it ends, visitors may be allowed onto the floor, and VnExpress notes that you can ask permission to go upstairs for a wider view at other times. Staff direct people at the doors; follow them rather than the crowd.

The galleries are narrow. When a large group arrives, the front row fills quickly, and people at the back see little. If seeing the ceremony matters more than seeing the building, the 6:00 or 18:00 ceremony is the better plan.

Photography from the galleries is generally allowed, without flash. Do not photograph on the main floor during a ceremony, and do not photograph individual worshippers close up without their permission. VnExpress adds that visitors should not photograph the Divine Eye backdrop above the altar, while views of the building are fine. Discreet video is reported to be tolerated; a tripod, a drone or a ring light is not the kind of discretion meant.

Coaches from Ho Chi Minh City list the Holy See main gate as a drop-off, and the local bus 70-2 from Cu Chi passes it on the way to Ba Den. The temple is about 96 kilometres from the city, roughly two hours in light traffic. Details are on the getting there page.

Many Cao Dai followers eat vegetarian food, and the Long Hoa market in the centre of the ward has a vegetarian food court and stalls selling local products, including vegetarian salt. It is the simplest place to eat between the noon ceremony and the afternoon at Ba Den.

• Travellers who want an empty building to photograph. The temple is busiest exactly when it is most interesting.
• Anyone unwilling to cover shoulders and knees; you may not get past the door.
• Visitors on the two main festival days who expect the normal visitor routine.
• People who will arrive at 12:15 on a coach day. By then the gallery rail is full and the ceremony half over.

If the noon timing does not fit, an overnight stay lets you see the 18:00 or 6:00 ceremony instead. See day trip or overnight.