IOverview
Cau Kho is an old Saigon neighbourhood. Tam Quan is a coastal town in Binh Dinh. The church carries both names because the faith travelled from one to the other.
The Cao Dai Cau Kho Tam Quan Church is based at the Tam Quan Holy See in Hoai Nhon district, former Binh Dinh province, which became part of Gia Lai in the 2025 reform. It is a small church concentrated on the south central coast, with more than half of its temples in former Binh Dinh.
IIHistory
According to a history of the church published on the Government Committee for Religious Affairs site on 3 June 2015, its root is the Cau Kho temple in Saigon, one of the earliest Cao Dai centres. The name comes from the home of the school inspector Doan Van Ban near the Cau Kho primary school.
From Cau Kho, members carried the faith north. A history of the Missionary Church on Nhip Cau Tam Giao records people from Cau Kho reaching Binh Dinh in 1932 and building the Tan Dinh temple at Tam Quan that year.
The Committee's account dates the church's founding to 15 February 1937, led by Phan Nghi with twelve representatives from six central provinces, using the home of Phan Boi as the central temple. From 1956 to 1960 the church built its holy see at Tam Quan and inaugurated it on 15 March 1960 with the An Thiên assembly. On 3 March 2000 it adopted the name Cao Dai Cau Kho Tam Quan Church.
- 1932Faith reaches Tam QuanMembers from Cau Kho found the Tan Dinh temple at Tam Quan.
- 1937FoundingPhan Nghi and twelve representatives of six central provinces found the church.
- 1960Holy see inauguratedOn 15 March, after four years of building.
- 2000New nameAdopts the name Cao Dai Cau Kho Tam Quan on 3 March.
- 2001Legal statusAccording to a 2024 study. Some sources give 2000.
IIITeachings and Distinctive Features
The church keeps the shared Cao Dai teaching: worship of the Supreme Being through the Divine Eye, a left eye in a circle and not in a triangle, veneration of the Mother Goddess, the Third Universal Salvation, the five precepts and vegetarian days.
According to the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, the church is organized on the principle of three councils, three branches, three assemblies. The councils are the Bát Quái Đài, Hiệp Thiên Đài and Cửu Trùng Đài. The branches correspond to the Three Teachings. The assemblies are the bodies that decide church affairs at each level.
Cau Kho Tam Quan is not a Tay Ninh branch placed in central Vietnam. It has its own origin in the Cau Kho temple, which also helped carry the faith to the central provinces before the Cao Dai Missionary Church was founded in Da Nang.
IVPractice, Ritual and Daily Life
Followers pray at set hours in temples and at home and keep the major feasts of the faith. The name of the 1960 inauguration, the An Thiên assembly, echoes the terms of the early séance groups of Cochinchina. The library has not found a source describing the church's own festival calendar in detail.
VOrganization and Distribution
The church has two levels, central and local. Major decisions are taken at the general assembly of believers. Assemblies met in 2000, 2006, 2010 and for the 2015 to 2020 term, according to the Committee. The sixth assembly, for 2025 to 2030, was attended by Deputy Head Nguyen Tien Trong of the Committee.
| Measure | Figure | Source and year |
|---|---|---|
| Followers | 8,545 | Government Committee for Religious Affairs, 2015 |
| Dignitaries | 405 | Same, 2015 |
| Temples | 26 active, 3 inactive | Same, 2015 |
| Coverage | 8 provinces, central coast and highlands | Same, 2015 |
| Temples | 33, of which 20 in Binh Dinh | Nhip Cau Giao Ly, undated |
VIToday
The church was granted legal status by the state in 2001, according to a 2024 study in the Vietnam Social Sciences journal. It is a member of the Cao Dai inter-church liaison.
The Tam Quan Holy See was rebuilt and reopened in 2007, according to Nhip Cau Giao Ly. Since 2025 Tam Quan belongs to Gia Lai province. Followers are concentrated around Hoai Nhon and the northern districts of former Binh Dinh.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIIOther Branches of Caodaism
Cao Dai Tay Ninh Holy SeeĐại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ Tòa Thánh Tây NinhThe largest church, centred on the Tay Ninh Holy See.Cao Dai Ban Chinh DaoĐại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, Hội Thánh Ban Chỉnh Đạo, Tòa thánh An HộiSeparated from Tay Ninh in 1934, based at An Hoi in Ben Tre.Uses the common symbol of the pathCao Dai Tien ThienTiên Thiên Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, Hội thánh Cao Đài Tiên ThiênBased at Chau Minh in Ben Tre, founded 1937.Uses the common symbol of the pathCao Dai Missionary ChurchĐại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, Hội Thánh Truyền Giáo Cao Đài, Trung Hưng Bửu TòaThe main Cao Dai church of central Vietnam, based in Da Nang since 1956.Uses the common symbol of the pathCao Dai Minh Chon DaoĐại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, Hội Thánh Cao Đài Minh Chơn Đạo, Tòa thánh Ngọc SắcBased at Ngoc Sac in Ca Mau, rebuilt in 1954.Uses the common symbol of the pathCao Dai Cau Kho Tam QuanĐại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, Hội Thánh Cao Đài Cầu Kho Tam QuanBased at Tam Quan in Binh Dinh, founded 1954.Uses the common symbol of the path
Chieu Minh LineageChiếu Minh Vô Vi, Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô ViThe lineage of Ngo Van Chieu, first recipient of the Divine Eye in 1921.Cao Dai Chon LyĐại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ, Hội thánh Cao Đài Chơn LýBased in My Tho, built around 1928 to 1931, one of the earliest branches.Uses the common symbol of the pathCao Dai Bach YBạch Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý, Tòa thánh Ngọc KinhAlso called Bach Y Lien Doan Chon Ly, based at Ngoc Kinh in Kien Giang since 1955.Uses the common symbol of the pathIndependent Cao Dai templesCao Đài Bảo Thủ Chơn Truyền, Cao Đài Pháp Chánh TruyềnTemples and followers outside the recognized churches, describing themselves as keepers of the original 1926 rule.Uses the common symbol of the pathIXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
- Ban Tôn giáo Chính phủ, Sơ lược quá trình hình thành và phát triển Hội thánh Cao Đài Cầu Kho Tam Quan (3 tháng 6 năm 2015)
- Ban Tôn giáo Chính phủ, Phó Trưởng ban Nguyễn Tiến Trọng dự Đại hội Nhơn sanh lần thứ VI của Hội thánh Cao Đài Cầu Kho Tam Quan
- Nhịp Cầu Tam Giáo, Sơ lược về lịch sử Hội thánh Truyền giáo Cao Đài
- Nhịp Cầu Giáo Lý, Các Tòa Thánh Đạo Cao Đài
- Nguyễn Thanh Xuân, Nguyễn Thị Quế Hương, Tạp chí Khoa học xã hội Việt Nam số 9 năm 2024
?Quick Questions
Why is it called Cau Kho Tam Quan?
Cau Kho is the Saigon temple where the faith set out. Tam Quan in Binh Dinh is where the church set up its seat. It adopted the combined name on 3 March 2000.
How many followers does the church have?
According to the Government Committee for Religious Affairs in 2015, it had 8,545 followers, 405 dignitaries and 26 active temples in 8 provinces.
When was Cau Kho Tam Quan recognized?
In 2001, according to a 2024 study in the Vietnam Social Sciences journal. Some sources give 2000.