Tay Ninh – Cao Dai Temples and the Cu Chi Tunnels

Tay Ninh Province, 100 km northwest of Ho Chi Minh City near the Cambodian border, is home to two of Southern Vietnam's most visited attractions. The Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh City is the spiritual headquarters of Caodaism – a uniquely Vietnamese religion founded in 1926 that synthesises Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism and Christianity. The cathedral is an extraordinary riot of colour and symbolic architecture, and the noon ceremony (with hundreds of worshippers in white robes) is one of the most photographed scenes in Vietnam. The Cu Chi Tunnels (60 km from Saigon, just inside Ho Chi Minh City province) are 250 km of tunnels dug by Viet Cong fighters, with hospitals, kitchens and command rooms entirely underground. Both sites are typically combined in a popular Saigon day tour.