A Day Trip to Cao Dai Temple & Cu Chi Tunnels
Details
Intinerary
Commence the day to explore mystery Cao Dai religion and the original tunnels of Ben Duoc with a couple of hours of drives to Tay Ninh, 110 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh. To Cao Dai pilgrims, God is represented as an eye in a triangle, a symbol on the facades of the sect’s temples. The religion’s organization is patterned after Roman Catholicism, with a pope, cardinals, and archbishops. Worship involves elaborate rituals and festivals.
Depart at 8:30 am at your hotel for a scenic drive on roads, travel through small towns, farmlands of tapioca, peanuts, and rural landscapes. Arrive at Cao Dai Temple before noon mass with plenty of photos to explore the colorful Holly temple and surroundings.
Cao Dai is an indigenous religion encompassing Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, and Taoism. Religious followers hold several holy documents and must wear a long dress at noon to pray. This belief practice began in 1921 when a man received a vision of the Divine Eye, a powerful symbol of Cao Daism. Most followers are white at noon mass, and the pope, archbishop, cardinal, and priest are colorful. After the noon mass, enjoy your lunch, and continue traveling through lush farmlands, rice paddies, idyllic villages, and rubber plantations to Ben Duoc tunnels.
Arrive at the Head Quarter of the original tunnels around 3:00 pm, and watch the documentary film about the war in Cu Chi from 1948 to 1975 before you tour the tunnels of more than 250 km. The tunnels of Cu Chi are an immense network used for hiding and fighting during combat and served as communication and supply routes, hospitals, food and weapon caches, and living quarters for numerous North Vietnamese fighters. The tunnel systems were important to the Viet Cong in military activities. Arrive at the Be Dinh tunnels around 3:00 am, watch a documentary film, then explore the renowned fighting tunnels on foot, traps, bunkers, and trenches and experience crawling a piece of the underground tunnels. Then return to Saigon by vehicle in the late afternoon.
