Tay Ninh

Most visitors come to Tay Ninh to see the spectacular Cao Dai Great Temple, located 5 km south east of the city. The Cao Dai or "High Palace", was founded in 1926 by Ngo Van Chieu. The sect, originating in Vietnam, combines elements of Vietnamese Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism and ancestor worship with those of Christianity and other world faiths.

The architecture is simply stunning, while neither Eastern nor Western it shows influences of the faiths from which the religion is derived. Interestingly, among the sect's most prominent patron saints is the French writer Victor Hugo. To see the temple at its busiest visitors should attend the main ceremony at noon.