Cao Dai Temple

There are many Cao Dai temples around southern Vietnam but none that compare to this. This stunning example is the most impressive in all senses. Built over a 20-year period and completed in 1956, it is the original...and the best.  Like the Cao Dai religion itself, the building's architecture marries eastern and western influences.  The temple is part-cathedral, part-pagoda, part-mosque, and part-fairytale.  Unusual pastel colors are embellished with gold and polished glass, and outside the building is guarded by ornate brightly-colored dragons that are as much fantasy as fearsome. The interior is equally if not more striking than outside. Swirling Rococo design is complemented by various statues of gods - Jesus Christ, Brahman, Buddha - standing side by side; a vision of peaceful harmony in a once war-torn area.