The Faith Tour

For those interested in religion, history or architecture, a tour of the city's many places of worship is a-must. Ornamental Cantonese and Fujian pagodas in Cho Lon, a Japanese-style pagoda, Vietnamese temples, South Indian mosques and Hindu temple and Catholic churches attest to the Buddhist, Taoist, Muslim, Hindu and Christian faiths that make up the spiritual lives of Vietnamese past and present. Many are the site of historical events such as Cha Tam Church where President Ngo Dinh Diem and his brother took refuge after a coup attempt. Or go out of the city to Tay Ninh to visit the Cao Dai Great Temple and its attempt at a curious fusion between Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Hinduism, Vietnamese spiritism, Christianity and Islam.