Without an H

Cao Dai Portraits (POTW #4)

Nov 7, 2011

This ‘Picture of the Week’ post actually features two pictures, but it’s my blog, and I make the rules, so I’ll do what I want.

These pictures were taken in the Cao Dai temple on Tran Hung Dao, District 5, Saigon.  The Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh, a couple of hours drive from the city, is a popular tourist destination, but this temple, despite being situated on a busy main road in central Saigon, seems to be less well known; I certainly wasn’t aware of it until I went past on a bus on the way to Cholon.  It’s built on a smaller scale than the Tay Ninh temple, sandwiched between apartment blocks and shops, and with far fewer worshippers (and far fewer photographers) attending the services, but the atmosphere is very calm and welcoming.

The smiley gentleman above is Ong Tam Thoi, the temple’s senior priest and owner of a fine pair of eyebrows, pictured before and after officiating at a twelve noon service.