Archive for the ‘Tay Ninh’ Category
religion and war
The aftermath of the Vietnam-American war has been greatly emphasized through the course of the past few days through visits to the former Presidential Palace, the War Remnants Museum, the Tây Ninh Holy See (Cao Đài), and the Củ Chi tunnel complex. Of course, the majority of what was shown is biased in the Việt Nam issued perspective as are the majority of showings of most controversial subject matter anywhere in this world. As it stands, each of these locations visited has that feeling of incompleteness.
The former blame as it were, is cast upon the government of the United States and its soldiers once occupying Việt Nam. Gruesome images of village massacres, agent orange disfigured individuals, video presentations displaying the vigor of the Vietnamese peoples, and other allotted sources of information were aplenty. These government-sponsored media, however biased, do provide another important perspective on this conflict which inadvertently continues to shape the course of our lives. For who enjoys admitting their own wrongs?
During the previous day’s visit to Tây Ninh sect of the Cao Đài religion, I was able to witness one of the sect’s daily masses. The organizational structure of Cao Đài in this region seems to closely resemble that of the Catholic Church–there are hierarchies in this conglomeration of beliefs with different colored robes representing the differences. Likewise, this sect is tied to also connected to the struggle of over thirty years prior.
Today after an early train departure to Phan Thiết, I have arrived in Mũi Né. Famous sand dunes and other sites tomorrow.
