Could you provide tips on how to best experience the Tet celebrations in Vietnam?
For tourists who love monumental religious works, Vietnam is an ideal tourist destination because it also has numerous excellent religious works. Regarding Buddhism, we have Bai Dinh Pagoda, Yen Tu Pagoda, Jade Emperor Pagoda, Tran Quoc Pagoda, etc. Regarding Islam, we have the Cham temples, and for Catholicism, we have Phat Diem Cathedral, Notre Dame Cathedral, etc. However, there is a religion whose name is quite unfamiliar to many tourists because it is the youngest religion in Vietnam. It is the Cao Dai religion, which combines major religions in the world, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, and Christianity. One of the symbolic works of the Cao Dai religion is the Tay Ninh Holy See.
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1. Brief introduction about Tay Ninh Holy See
Tay Ninh Holy See, also known as Cao Dai Temple, is located in Long Thanh Bac commune, Hoa Thanh district, about 4km southeast of Tay Ninh city center and about 100km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City. Although it was built around mid-1933, it was not until 22 years later (1955) that the Tay Ninh Holy See was completed due to interruptions due to war during construction.
2. Admire the architecture of Tay Ninh Holy See
2.1. The Holy See Gate
One of the interesting features of Tay Ninh Holy See is that this place has up to 12 gates exquisitely carved with dragons, qilins, tortoises, phoenixes, and lotus flowers. The gates of the Holy See are built in a three-entrance style and have typical architectural features similar to temple gates commonly found in Vietnam.
The entrance to Tay Ninh Holy See consists of 3 gates and the main gate is the largest with extremely impressive motifs of dragons fighting for a pearl.
When the sunlight shines through, the Holy See gate radiates a halo like a heavenly eye - a sacred symbol of the Cao Dai religion. When you step through the gate inside, you will see statues of Shakyamuni Buddha, Jesus Christ, Confucius, and Lao Tzu.
2.2. The Inner Campus
This is a large space covering the entire Tay Ninh Holy See with a total area of about 1 km2. The campus includes 100 large and small architectural works of art such as the Buddha Temple, the Holy See, and the Stupa.
The Holy See is about 140m long and 40m wide, Tam Dai is 36m high, Hiep Thien Dai is about 25m high and Cuu Trung Dai, Bat Quai Dai, and Nghinh Phong Dai are all 30m high.
Surrounding the campus is a dense garden of plants and flowers, including rubber trees and ancient oil trees that are older than the Holy See itself.’
2.3. The Art of Carving Pillars
The art of carving pillars is also considered a unique highlight in the architecture of Tay Ninh Holy See. In particular, the 9-level foundation will correspond to nine parts of the gods and each level also corresponds to a level of Cao Dai followers.
In the main hall, the celestial eye symbol is mounted on a globe with more than 3,000 stars symbolizing the stars in the universe. The meaning of this architectural style is that the heavenly eye will symbolize the eyes of God always watching over sentient beings on earth and all good and evil actions will be rewarded and punished.
2.4 The Interference between East-West Architecture
During your visit to the Tay Ninh Holy See, you can see the combination of Eastern European and Western European architectural styles. This symbolizes the intersection of East and West philosophical views and the synthesis of Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian spiritual elements.
3. Special festivals at Tay Ninh Holy See
In addition to the magnificent architecture, the experience of exploring Tay Ninh Holy See also organizes the most bustling festivals in the area.
- The Supreme Entity Worship Ceremony: Held on the 9th day of the first lunar month every year.
- Yen Dieu Tri Cung Festival: Held on the full moon day of the 8th lunar month every year.
4. The best time to visit Tay Ninh Holy See
Because it is a tourist destination, there are not too many outdoor activities, so visitors can come to this place at any time.
However, according to many people's experience of exploring Tay Ninh Holy See, you should go on the 9th day of the first lunar month or the full moon day of the 8th lunar month because this time is when the two biggest Tay Ninh festivals of the year take place.
5. How To Get To Tay Ninh Holy See?
By Coach
You can refer to some reputable bus companies going to Tay Ninh such as Nam Chanh, Hue Nghia, and Saco Travel... with reference fares of about 100,000 VND - 150,000 VND/trip. First, you catch a bus at An Suong bus station (Ho Chi Minh City) to go to Tay Ninh bus station. Here, you can take a taxi to Tay Ninh Holy See at a distance of about 5km.
Bus
Starting from Ho Chi Minh City, you choose bus routes 701, 703, or 704 to go to the Go Dau intersection. From here, you take another bus to get to Tay Ninh Holy See.
Private Vehicles
You can rent a motorbike/car and use Google Maps.
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