10 Days in Vietnam

Updated 2012-04-13 14:08:45

 

 

On Sept. 20, we visited different places of religious and historical importance of Ho Chi Minh City. These included Independence Palace (Presidential Palace), Ho Chi Minh Municipal Theatre also known as Opera House, City Post Office, Notre-Dame Cathedral, a chinese market as well as many pagodas and churches. Ho Chi Minh City has various attractions as its many ancient architectural constructions and various beautiful buildings display an assimilative characteristic of Vietnamese, Chinese and European cultures. We have also experienced and enjoyed its harmonious blending of traditional national values with northern and southern cultural features. Ho Chi Minh is a cosmopolitan city. Formerly known as Saigon, the capital of the Republic of South Vietnam, it is a kind of place where commerce and culture are marked to be assimilated in a totally unique way. Its towering skyscrapers, shopping and nightlife, touring the city during the day indicate the latest city fashions.

 

On 21st September we took a two-hour road trip from Ho Chi Minh to the Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh which is approximately 100 km northwest of Saigon. We were given an official reception at the office of the Chairman of Caodai religion where we had an official meeting with the Chairman, Cardinal Thuong Tam Thanh,  as a part of our tour to establish an official relation between the Caodai Sacerdotal Council and the Department of World Religions and Culture. In the beginning of our meeting we handed over a report on Caodai Course that is taught in the department. Then we met Her Eminence Cardinal Huong Nhin, Deputy Chairwoman of the Sacerdotal Council. We talked on different issues related to Caodaism and its relation with the Department of World Religions and Culture. We had a meaningful discussion. At the end of our meeting we handed over books, published by Caodai Overseas Missionary Washington DC, USA, entitled Caodaism A Syncretistic Religion of Vietnam and The Concept of Unity in Bahai Faith and Caodaism written by Md. Shaikh Farid and Mohammad Jahangir Alam respectively. In his official speech, Professor Dr. Kazi Nurul Islam appreciated the Caodai Community for their spiritual beauty and immeasurable contribution in promoting the unity of God and the unity of mankind. In an interview with a satellite television of Viet Nam, Professor Azizun Nahar Islam said that a collective enterprise of the Caodaists would bring a new force to social, administrative, political, cultural and economic activities of Vietnam in the near most future.

At the Tay Ninh Holy See, we attended the celebration ceremony commemorating the Mother Goddess, Duc Dieu Tri Kim Mau, which is the second biggest event of the Cao Dai religion. This ceremony appealed approximately five hundred thousand of adepts from around the world, and included exhibition, parade and special religious rites at the Mother Goddess temple. We had a rare opportunity to meet the dignitaries of the Cao Dai Sacerdoce and talk to Caodai youths, where we got a scope to receive detailed explanations on the history, philosophy, doctrine and religious rites of the Cao Dai religion. A good number of high-ranking government officials, researchers, foreign guests, tourists and thousands of non-Caodaists Vietnamese joined this auspicious and fabulous occasion. Astonishingly, the Caodai Holy See is a center where all operations of Caodaism are regulated.

 

 

Another excursion took us to Tri Hue Cung, a meditation center where Ho Phap Pham Cong Tac stayed during his meditation to receive instructions from God. Then we visited Go Ken Tu Lam Tu pagoda which is well-known for its contribution to the inaugural ceremony of Caodaism and where we could view one the original “tipping table” on which H.E Ho Phap Pham Cong Tac, Thuong Pham Cao Quynh Cu and Thuong Sanh Cao Hoai Sang have communicated with God. We didn’t miss visiting the sacred Black Virgin Mountain that shadows Tay Ninh Province in South Vietnam. The main attractions of the mountains include a cave known as a natural air cooler, a large white statue of amazing lying Buddha and temples.

 

 

 

On 23rd Sept we planned a trip to Phu Quoc Island by air that took us 50 minutes. One of the Vietnam’s star attractions, mountainous and forested Phu Quoc is a splendid tropical getaway set with beautiful and isolated romantic beaches. Tourism plays an important role in the economy of Vietnam with the beaches being the main attraction. The tear-shaped island of Phu Quoc in the Gulf of Thailand is such an important example.

Traveling on Phu Quoc included a visit to some important places such as Quan Am Tu pagoda, Caodai Temple, Dinh Cau Rock, Duong Dong River, Black Pepper farm, Suoi Da Ban natural water spring and pearl farm. History of Cao Dai religion says that Caodaism was originated in 1920 on Phu Quoc Island at Quan Am Tu pagoda by Ngo Minh Chieu. It is said that God often revealed himself as a spiritual master called Cao Dai and delivered his teachings to Ngo Van Chieu, who is then considered as the first disciple of Caodai. Cao Dai also authorized Ngo Minh Chieu to find a symbol for the new religion. One morning Ngo Minh Chieu suddenly saw an eye in front of him on the ocean horizon that appeared in the next few days. Finally he decided to choose the eye as the symbol of the new religion.

 

 

The oddly shaped Dinh Cau Rock at the mouth of the Duong Dong River is the symbol of Phu Quoc and is a sacred, holy place. Fishermen pray there before setting sail, asking for their safe return with a good catch. On the beach we enjoyed the beauty of the late evening so much when we saw the sun dipping into the ocean. The sunset was irresistible as calm waves gently lapped the shore. The sea was now a chromium color, a liquid metal against sunset pink clouds.

On 25th Sept we flew for the lower Mekong river to a town called Can Tho. Can Tho is located in the center of the 11 provinces of the Mekong Delta, 170 km from Ho Chi Minh City. It is on the South of the Hau River -a benefactor of this region. On the south bank of the Hau River is Ho Chi Minh Square which is well known for its beautiful location. We travelled along the waterway to the legendary floating markets to enjoy the scene, a specialty of the region that has really fascinated us. We explored the Hau river on a restaurant boat in the evening and enjoyed diverse Vietnamese traditional food.

On 26th Sept we took a wonderful long boat trip down the watery network that led us to Vinh Long. We had a good chance to discover the unique beauty of Vinh Long. It is the land of orchards of various seasonal fruits. We stopped for lunch at a nice Vietnamese restaurant but owned by a French, called “Le Longanier”, situated in a beautiful and scenic setting of a southern countryside landscape.

On 27th Sept we returned to Ho Chi Minh City where we had a great chance to explore the city again. On 29th Sept we got back to our country with diverse sweet memories and a good research experience that is leading us to conduct a further research in Cao Dai religion.

Throughout a ten-day intensive excursion we have learned a lot about Vietnam. It is mainly because that we were closer to the local activity and cultural attractions of South Vietnam. A warm hearted hospitality we have experienced from the smiling faces of our Caodai friends throughout the journey. We can never forget our friends and guides, Le Tan Dung, Nguyen Lan Anh, Nguyen Lam and Thien-Huong Ninh. And, happily, our friendship has grown and deepened in the course of our fantastic tour. We took plenty of pictures so that we can always remember our amazing trip (Please click here to view these pictures).

 

 

By Mohammad Jahangir Alam

Md. Shaikh Farid