Turn off the main road into Thạnh Lợi A Hamlet and you pass through a stretch of rice fields and orchards before seeing the roof of the sanctuary rise above the trees. There are no crowded city streets around it and no vast parking lot, only a canal bank, rows of coconut palms, and a three-section temple aligned along a flat plot of ground. This is Long Châu Holy See (Tòa Thánh Long Châu), the central seat of the Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Long Châu Holy See (Hội Thánh Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Long Châu), and one of the few Cao Đài Holy Sees standing out in the open countryside rather than inside a town.
The two words Chiếu Minh on the temple signboard call for an immediate clarification. This library already has an article on Thánh Đức Ancestral Hall (Thánh Đức Tổ Đình) in Tân An Ward (formerly Hưng Lợi Ward), also in Cần Thơ and also bearing the name Chiếu Minh. The two sites are not the same place, nor are they two facilities of a single organization. To read this site accurately, one must first distinguish those two branches of the name.
IThe name Chiếu Minh and two distinct paths
In Caodaism, the name Chiếu Minh is tied to Đức Ngô Minh Chiêu, the first disciple and the first person taught to venerate the Divine Eye (Thiên Nhãn). From that common root, the name Chiếu Minh later branched into several streams. The two streams covered by separate articles in the library are the secluded practice lineage without a Holy See and the ecclesiastical church with a Holy See and clerical ranks, and the site you are reading about here belongs to the second.
The most common misunderstanding about this place is to conflate it with the Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi practice lineage, the secluded cultivation lineage transmitted by Đức Ngô whose ancestral seat is Thánh Đức Ancestral Hall in Tân An Ward (formerly Hưng Lợi Ward), where Đức Ngô is entombed. Both share the name Chiếu Minh and both are in the Cần Thơ area, but they are two organizations of fundamentally different character.
The Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi practice lineage does not establish a Holy See, has no clerical dignitaries or vestments, and its practitioners venerate the Divine Eye at home while keeping lifelong vegetarianism. The Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Long Châu Holy See is the opposite, as it maintains a Holy See organized with two palaces and two divisions (lưỡng đài lưỡng phái), clerical ranks, a central Holy See temple and a network of affiliated congregations. The library does not rank either path or branch above the other, but simply records their differences in historical terms.
| Feature | Chiếu Minh Long Châu Holy See | Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi Lineage |
|---|---|---|
| Character | A Cao Đài Holy See with an ecclesiastical organization | A practice lineage (pháp môn), a path of cultivation without a church hierarchy |
| Central seat | Long Châu Holy See, Thạnh Xuân Commune, Cần Thơ | Thánh Đức Ancestral Hall, Tân An Ward (formerly Hưng Lợi), Cần Thơ |
| Path | Combines exoteric missionary work (phổ độ) and selective inner cultivation (tuyển độ) | Purely esoteric self-cultivation (vô vi) practiced at home |
| Clergy | Has clerical ranks across two palaces and two divisions, with ceremonial vestments | No clerical ranks and no ceremonial vestments |
| Facilities | Central Holy See and affiliated temples (thánh tịnh) and congregations | Ancestral hall alongside the Divine Eye altar in each disciple's home |
| Initiation | Follows the Ngọc Đế Chơn Truyền code, progressing from exoteric practice to meditation | Uninterrupted lifelong vegetarianism from the moment of initiation |
In the Supreme Being worshipped, Long Châu follows the common system of Caodaism. The Supreme Being is Đức Chí Tôn, not carved as a statue but represented by the Divine Eye (Thiên Nhãn) placed on the highest seat inside the Bát Quái Đài. Beside the Holy See temple stands a sanctuary dedicated to Đức Phật Mẫu, the Divine Mother in Caodaist worship.
The full name of the religion is Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ (Great Way of the Third Universal Amnesty), guided by the principle of uniting the Three Teachings and returning the Five Branches to one root. The distinctive feature highlighted in the records of the Long Châu Holy See and the Cao Đài Inter-branch Review is that this church is organized under the Ngọc Đế Chơn Truyền law, building a Holy See of two palaces and two divisions (lưỡng đài, lưỡng phái) that maintains both dimensions, namely exoteric salvation (phổ độ) with clerical ranks and temples, and esoteric inner transmission (tuyển độ, nội giáo tâm truyền) for practitioners who have fulfilled the prerequisites for meditation. That dual structure allows Long Châu to maintain a public ecclesiastical body while preserving the meditative thread of the Chiếu Minh tradition.
One small point should be made clear, namely that the two Chinese characters at the top of this page represent the name Long Châu reconstructed by the library for readers familiar with Chinese script, not copied from a plaque at the Holy See.
IIFrom an altar house to a Holy See
The journey from an initial spirit-writing altar house to a formal Holy See took nearly thirty years here. That is worth noting, because most Cao Đài branches formed much earlier, within the first decade after the 1926 Opening of the Way.
- 1926Chiếu Minh spirit-writing altar brought to Cần ThơAccording to the chronicle of the Chiếu Minh tradition, early in the Bính Dần year (1926) Đức Ngô Minh Chiêu entrusted Hồ Vinh Qui (religious name Từ Huệ) with bringing the spirit-writing altar down to the Cần Thơ region. This is the shared root of all branches bearing the name Chiếu Minh in the Mekong Delta.
- 1928Opening of the Thạnh Mỹ altar house (Chiếu Minh Tự)According to the Holy See's records, the Thạnh Mỹ altar house (Nhà đàn Thạnh Mỹ) was opened at Rạch Sỏi, Thạnh Mỹ Village in the Cần Thơ area on the 20th day of the 4th lunar month of 1928 (some religious surveys also record the name of the first thatched altar house as Chiếu Minh Tự in Tân Phú Thạnh).
- 1936Branching within the Chiếu Minh traditionIn the Bính Tý year (1936), differences arose within the Chiếu Minh circles over the arrangement of the Divine Altar (Thiên Bàn) and ritual practice, leading the altar houses to form distinct branches. Each branch recounts this event in its own way, and the library simply notes the milestone.
- 1956Establishment of the Holy See and construction of the three-hall templeThe Holy See was organized in this year with three leaders heading its three bodies, namely Nguyễn Văn Tự (religious name Thiên Huyền Tâm) heading the Cửu Trùng Đài, Lê Hữu Lộc (religious name Ngọc Minh Khai) heading the Hiệp Thiên Đài, and Lady Từ Lý heading the female division. In the same year, the three-hall temple (Tam Đài) was built and inaugurated.
- 1996Construction of the Diêu Trì Bửu ĐiệnThe sanctuary dedicated to the Divine Mother (Đức Phật Mẫu) was built beside the Holy See, adding a dedicated hall for the Mother principle to the complex.
- 1996First General Assembly and adoption of the CharterOn May 1, 1996, the Holy See convened its First General Assembly (Đại hội Đại biểu Nhơn sanh lần thứ nhất) at Long Châu Holy See, adopting its Charter and religious guidelines and electing the Standing Committee of the Holy See.
- 2025Foundation-stone ceremony to rebuild the three-hall templeAfter nearly seventy years since 1956, the original three-hall temple had severely deteriorated. According to announcements from the Holy See, the building permit was issued on January 3, 2025, and the foundation-stone ceremony (lễ Trí Thạch) to rebuild the three-hall temple took place on June 11, 2025 (the 16th day of the 5th lunar month, Ất Tỵ year).
Regarding the address, sources differ and the library states this plainly. Current official publications of the Holy See place the Holy See in Thạnh Lợi A Hamlet, Thạnh Xuân Commune. Several older surveys of Cao Đài Holy Sees record it instead in Tân Phú Thạnh Commune, also within former Châu Thành A District, Hậu Giang Province, where the 1928 Chiếu Minh Tự altar house stood. Following the 2025 administrative reorganization, Hậu Giang Province merged into Cần Thơ City and Thạnh Xuân Commune retained its name, so this article uses the Thạnh Xuân address confirmed by the Holy See's official notices and current administrative boundaries.
The number of affiliated temples also varies across sources. The survey on Nhịp Cầu Giáo Lý lists sixteen temples (thánh tịnh), six of which had fallen into disrepair, along with one meditation hall (tịnh trường). The Cao Đài Inter-branch Review records about twelve temples, while records from the Tây Ninh Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs note fourteen congregations (họ đạo) across Cần Thơ and former Hậu Giang. Because these counts were taken at different times and classify facilities differently, the library records all of them for comparison.
IIIA three-hall sanctuary amid the fields
Visitors who have been to the Tây Ninh Holy See will immediately recognize the basic layout here, as it shares the same structural frame of three halls aligned along a single axis, moving from outside to inside through Hiệp Thiên Đài, Cửu Trùng Đài and Bát Quái Đài. That is the shared architectural grammar of Caodaism rather than the property of any single branch.
Yet stopping at the similarities would miss what makes Long Châu distinctive.
The front section and entrance of the sanctuary. In general Caodaist doctrine, this body mediates between the visible and invisible realms and upholds religious law. In a medium-sized Holy See like this one, the front section is much more compact than at Tây Ninh.
The middle hall where dignitaries and lay followers stand during services, arranged by rank and gender. The floor rises in stepped levels from outside to inside corresponding to the nine clerical ranks.
The innermost and most sacred sanctuary, worshipping Đức Chí Tôn through the Divine Eye. Here Long Châu differs clearly from Tây Ninh, as its Bát Quái Đài enshrines the Divine Eye without a Celestial Globe (quả Càn Khôn).
The hall built in 1996 beside the Holy See to worship the Divine Mother (Đức Phật Mẫu). Setting the Mother sanctuary in a separate hall alongside the main temple is a familiar arrangement at many Cao Đài seats.
Within the complex stands a memorial shrine honoring Đức Võ Văn Phẩm, revered by the Holy See as Nhị Thiên Giáo Chủ. This is a distinctive feature of Long Châu not found at other Holy Sees.
The complex sits on flat ground amid rice fields and orchards with a canal running nearby. Unhemmed by high walls or city blocks, the temple roof rises directly against the open sky when seen from afar.
Many people familiar with images of the Tây Ninh Holy See assume that every Cao Đài temple must house a Celestial Globe (quả Càn Khôn), a sphere painted with the Divine Eye and constellations. That is not the case. The Celestial Globe is the specific liturgical arrangement of the Tây Ninh Holy See. At Long Châu, the Bát Quái Đài venerates the Divine Eye without a Celestial Globe, which is not an omission but the distinct liturgical practice of this Holy See. Cao Đài Holy Sees differ in many such details of altar arrangement and ritual while sharing a common doctrinal foundation.
One further practical note before visiting is that the three-hall temple is currently being rebuilt. The 1956 structure had deteriorated after nearly seventy years of use, and the Holy See held the foundation-stone ceremony to construct the new temple on June 11, 2025. The library notes this so visitors will not be surprised if the site looks different from older photographs.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
This section presents the library's reading through the lens of traditional geomancy, not content written in the Holy See's own records. The library states this clearly so readers can distinguish documentary record from interpretation. Those who built this sanctuary followed the three-hall canon of their faith, not manuals of geomancy.
The first feature worth reading is the flat delta terrain. This is the alluvial plain of the Hậu River, almost completely flat, without mounds or hills. In traditional site reading, such a landscape offers no mountain backing (tựa sơn) in the textbook sense. In exchange, water is present everywhere in the form of canals and ditches, and since water gathers qi, classical geomancers call this kind of terrain a water formation (thủy cục), where water veins take the role played by mountain ridges elsewhere. Choosing a plot amid open fields with a canal running nearby and orchard trees around it fits the logic of a water formation.
The second feature is the three-hall axis. The three halls align in a straight row with the floor rising step by step from outside to inside, as at other Holy Sees. Read in terms of form geomancy, this is a configuration of advancing qi rising by grades (tiến khí thăng cấp), where qi enters along a single axis and is elevated at each threshold rather than scattering in all directions. What stands out at Long Châu is that this axis sits on an open plain of fields, making the profile of the three halls stand out far more clearly from a distance than when a temple is hemmed in by urban blocks.
The third feature is the bright hall (minh đường). In front of the sanctuary stretch open fields with nothing blocking the line of sight. Classical texts call this a spacious bright hall (minh đường khoát đại), prized because qi is not cramped and approaching visitors can see their destination from afar. The trade-off of such openness is a lack of shelter, so the orchard trees and coconut palms ringing the compound serve as a protective screen (bình phong), doing the work that the flat terrain cannot do on its own.
Finally, the library states plainly one detail that could not be verified from written records. The library has not found a document recording the exact compass orientation of the main facade of the three-hall temple, and therefore refrains from offering a directional reading built on guesswork. If you visit in person, that is well worth asking the caretakers at the Holy See, as practitioners on site know their sanctuary's orientation more reliably than any secondary survey.
VFestivals and liturgical practice
As a Holy See combining exoteric missionary work with selective inner cultivation, Long Châu maintains collective liturgical services at its temples alongside esoteric meditation schedules. Its collective liturgy operates on two levels, namely the four daily services (cúng tứ thời) and the major annual festivals on the lunar calendar.
| Lunar date | Festival | Details |
|---|---|---|
| 9th of the 1st lunar month | Festival of Đức Chí Tôn (Vía Đức Chí Tôn) | The grand New Year festival and most important annual celebration in Caodaism. Followers from affiliated temples gather at the Holy See. |
| 15th of the 1st lunar month | Upper Nguơn Festival (Lễ Thượng Nguơn) | The first of the three seasonal Nguơn festivals in the religious year. |
| 15th of the 7th lunar month | Middle Nguơn Festival (Lễ Trung Nguơn) | The mid-year Nguơn festival, featuring prayers for the deliverance of the departed in keeping with general Caodaist custom. |
| 15th of the 8th lunar month | Festival of the Divine Mother (Vía Đức Phật Mẫu) | Grand offering to the Divine Mother, held at the Diêu Trì Bửu Điện beside the Holy See. |
| 15th of the 10th lunar month | Lower Nguơn Festival (Lễ Hạ Nguơn) | The final Nguơn festival, closing the annual liturgical cycle. |
| Four times daily | Four daily services (Cúng tứ thời) | Liturgical services held at the four hours of Tý, Ngọ, Mẹo and Dậu spaced evenly across day and night, observed at the Holy See and affiliated temples. |
During major festivals, dignitaries wear ceremonial vestments according to rank, while lay followers wear white tunic robes (áo dài trắng). Standing positions inside Cửu Trùng Đài are ordered by rank and gender, men on one side and women on the other, following the standard practice of the exoteric path. This is also the most visible way to distinguish an ecclesiastical Holy See from a secluded ancestral hall, where there are neither ceremonial vestments nor rows ordered by clerical rank.
Regarding personnel and membership, a 2010 report in Nhân Dân Newspaper recorded that the Holy See then had eighteen ordained dignitaries and five thousand two hundred and twelve adherents (including two thousand six hundred and three women). Meanwhile, reference publications from the Tây Ninh Department of Ethnic and Religious Affairs and the Cao Đài Inter-branch Review record more than one hundred dignitaries, two hundred sub-dignitaries (chức việc) and roughly three thousand adherents. This difference reflects different reporting dates and whether celestially ordained dignitaries are counted separately from local sub-dignitaries and board members across congregations.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Ấp Thạnh Lợi A, xã Thạnh Xuân (huyện Châu Thành A tỉnh Hậu Giang cũ), thành phố Cần Thơ
- Getting there
- The Holy See is located in Thạnh Lợi A Hamlet, Thạnh Xuân Commune, Cần Thơ City (formerly Châu Thành A District, Hậu Giang Province). The access road turns off the main highway onto a rural lane, so visitors should ask for directions locally as the road signs are modest.
- Coordinates
- 9.9464, 105.7216
This is an active place of worship rather than a tourist attraction, so visitors should observe local rules. A few points are regularly noted, including dressing modestly, removing shoes before entering the sanctuary, using the men's or women's entrances as directed on site, walking quietly and refraining from conversation during services. Non-adherents are welcome to observe, but should stand in the visitor area rather than mixing into the worshipping rows. Because reconstruction of the three-hall temple began in June 2025, visitors should check with the attendant on duty before entering active construction zones.
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?Quick Questions
Which Cao Đài branch does Long Châu Holy See belong to
It is the central Holy See of the Cao Đài Chiếu Minh Long Châu Holy See, one of the Cao Đài Holy Sees organized with an ecclesiastical structure. It combines both exoteric missionary work (phổ độ) and selective inner cultivation (tuyển độ, nội giáo tâm truyền) under the Ngọc Đế Chơn Truyền code, with clerical ranks and affiliated temples concentrated in Cần Thơ and former Hậu Giang.
How does Chiếu Minh Long Châu differ from Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi
They differ in organizational nature. Chiếu Minh Long Châu is a Holy See organized with two palaces and two divisions, a central Holy See temple, clerical ranks and vestments, combining exoteric salvation with inner cultivation. Chiếu Minh Tam Thanh Vô Vi is a secluded practice lineage (pháp môn) that establishes no Holy See and holds no clerical ranks, where practitioners venerate the Divine Eye at home and keep lifelong vegetarianism, with its ancestral seat at Thánh Đức Ancestral Hall in Tân An Ward (formerly Hưng Lợi Ward). Both share the root name Chiếu Minh but are two distinct organizations.
When was Long Châu Holy See built
The three-hall temple (Tam Đài) was built and inaugurated in 1956, the same year the Holy See was formally organized. Earlier, its initial precursor was the Thạnh Mỹ altar house opened in 1928 at Rạch Sỏi (called Chiếu Minh Tự in some sources). On June 11, 2025, the Holy See held the foundation-stone ceremony (lễ Trí Thạch) to rebuild the three-hall temple after the old structure deteriorated.
Does Long Châu Holy See have a Celestial Globe inside
No. The Bát Quái Đài here venerates the Divine Eye (Thiên Nhãn) without a Celestial Globe (quả Càn Khôn). The Celestial Globe is the specific liturgical arrangement of the Tây Ninh Holy See. Cao Đài Holy Sees differ in several details of altar arrangement and ritual while sharing a common doctrinal system.
Where is Long Châu Holy See located
In Thạnh Lợi A Hamlet, Thạnh Xuân Commune, Cần Thơ City, within the area of former Châu Thành A District, Hậu Giang Province. Some older surveys record it in nearby Tân Phú Thạnh Commune, so readers may encounter both addresses when consulting reference works.