Turning off the main road about twelve kilometers east of old Rạch Giá as the crow flies, you enter the orchards and fields of former Mong Thọ Commune. Between garden beds and canal banks, a multi-tiered roof rises into view, and right beside it stands a smaller sanctuary dedicated to the Divine Mother (Đức Phật Mẫu). The main sanctuary is Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh (Ngọc Kinh Holy Seat), the central seat of Hội Thánh Cao Đài Bạch Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý (the Bạch Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý Cao Đài Holy See).
Anyone familiar with the Tây Ninh Holy See will pause at the innermost section of the sanctuary. In Tây Ninh, the Eight Trigrams Palace (Bát Quái Đài) houses a massive Celestial Globe (Quả Càn Khôn). Here, according to Cao Đài sources, the Eight Trigrams Palace has no Celestial Globe. That single detail tells you that you are standing in a branch with its own liturgical order, not a local temple under Tây Ninh.
IBạch Y, Ngọc Kinh, and a distinct Holy See
The name of this place has three layers. Bạch Y literally means white robe, the familiar liturgical garment of Cao Đài adherents. Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý (Union of Truth) forms the rest of the Holy See's full title, which official documents and practitioners usually shorten to Hội Thánh Cao Đài Bạch Y. Ngọc Kinh (Jade Capital) is the name of the central sanctuary.
The two words Ngọc Kinh evoke Bạch Ngọc Kinh (the White Jade Capital), the realm of the Supreme Being (Đức Chí Tôn) in Cao Đài scripture. Naming a central sanctuary after that celestial realm is a familiar practice in the religion. The library notes this as a literal reading of the characters, having not yet found an internal Bạch Y text explaining the name separately.
The official title in denominational sources is Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh (Holy Seat of Ngọc Kinh), reversing the word order of Tòa Thánh (Holy See). Outsiders still commonly call it Tòa Thánh Ngọc Kinh, and several sister denominations write it that way as well. Both names refer to the same place.
Like every Cao Đài Holy See, Bạch Y venerates Đức Chí Tôn (the Supreme Being) and Đức Phật Mẫu (the Divine Mother), the maternal principle in Cao Đài worship. The sanctuary of the Divine Mother here is named Diêu Trì Bửu Điện (Precious Palace of Jasper Pond) and stands right beside the Holy Seat.
A defining hallmark of the branch is its scripture Ngọc Đế Chơn Truyền Tân Ước Tri Nguyên (True Transmission of the Jade Emperor, New Covenant Returning to the Source), a 680-page volume reprinted by the Religion Publishing House in 2014 from two periods of spirit-writing revelations between 1936 and 1938 (65 messages) and between 1970 and 1973 (94 messages). According to a study by Huệ Khải on Nhịp Cầu Giáo Lý, the scripture turns traditional Vietnamese moral customs into binding precepts, requiring adherents to assist one another at weddings, funerals, and times of illness, treating a neighbor's household affairs as their own, and keeping funerals simple and unostentatious in plain white attire.
According to the same study, the Holy See's scripture emphasizes the harmony of the Three Teachings (Tam Giáo), viewing all people as children of one Supreme Being and regarding other religions as heaven-founded paths rather than rivals. That shared principle of Caodaism is written by Bạch Y into concrete rules for daily life.
Regarding the founding dates, two denominational sources record two complementary layers. Tạp chí Liên giao Cao Đài (the media organ of the Cao Đài Inter-Denominational Fellowship) records that Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh stands on the site of Mông Thọ Temple (Thánh thất Mông Thọ), founded in 1936 by Trương Minh Tòng and Tô Bửu Tài, and that Tô Bửu Tài was later ordained Ngọc Đầu Sư, Head of the Bạch Y Holy See. Meanwhile, the survey of Cao Đài Holy Sees on Nhịp Cầu Giáo Lý and Nhịp Cầu Tam Giáo records that Hội Thánh Bạch Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý was established in 1955, oversees 14 affiliated temples (thánh sở), and held the cornerstone-laying ceremony (lễ trí thạch) for Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh on the 15th day of the 2nd lunar month of Mậu Tuất (1958). The same source notes that the Eight Trigrams Palace has no Celestial Globe and that Diêu Trì Bửu Điện stands right beside the Holy Seat.
Nhịp Cầu Tam Giáo and Tạp chí Liên giao Cao Đài also record that the Holy See registered its religious operations under Decision No. 2363/1998/QĐ-UB on July 8, 1998 in former Kiên Giang Province, appearing as the sixth entry in the survey and holding the most compact network of temples (14 temples, ninth in count) among the nine Cao Đài Holy Sees listed.
On the administrative address, sources differ slightly and the library states this plainly. Older Cao Đài articles write Mông Thọ B Commune, Châu Thành District. The website of the Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See, reporting on a conference held here, writes Mong Thọ Commune. Administrative gazetteers place Hòa An Hamlet in Mong Thọ Commune. After the 2025 reorganization, Mong Thọ, Mong Thọ A, Mong Thọ B, and Thạnh Lộc merged into Thạnh Lộc Commune in the new An Giang Province, resolving the earlier discrepancy.
First, this is not a facility of the Tây Ninh Holy See. Bạch Y is an independent Holy See with its own central seat, its own scripture, and its own arrangement of the Eight Trigrams Palace. The mother sanctuary of the religion has its own page at Tây Ninh Holy See.
Second, this is not the Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See in Mỹ Tho, even though both names share the words Chơn Lý (Truth). The Chơn Lý Holy See is centered at Định Tường Holy See in Mỹ Phong, with its Tâm Hòa Nhãn sacred emblem and four-palace layout. Bạch Y is centered at Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh in the Châu Thành countryside. In 2011, the Chơn Lý Holy See's own website reported sending a delegation to attend a fellowship conference hosted by the Bạch Y Holy See at Ngọc Kinh, showing that both regard each other as sister denominations rather than a single body.
Third, the four Chinese characters at the top of the page are a character rendering of the Holy Seat's name reconstructed by the library for readers familiar with Sinitic script, not copied from a horizontal plaque inside the sanctuary.
IIFrom the 1936 temple to the Holy Seat
This site began as a local temple in 1936 and took shape as a distinct Holy See in 1955. The library records only milestones belonging to the founding of the Holy See, construction, and religious life.
- 1926Inauguration of CaodaismThe opening declaration of Đại Đạo Tam Kỳ Phổ Độ in southern Vietnam, establishing the shared foundation recognized by all later Cao Đài Holy Sees.
- 1936Founding of Mông Thọ TempleAccording to Tạp chí Liên giao Cao Đài, Trương Minh Tòng and Tô Bửu Tài founded Mông Thọ Temple in the old Rạch Giá area, the precursor of Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh. The years 1936 to 1938 also mark the first period of spirit-writing revelations in Ngọc Đế Chơn Truyền.
- 1955Formation of the Bạch Y Holy SeeHội Thánh Cao Đài Bạch Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý took shape in the Châu Thành area of old Rạch Giá, according to the survey of Cao Đài Holy Sees on Nhịp Cầu Giáo Lý and Nhịp Cầu Tam Giáo.
- Full moon of the 2nd lunar month, Mậu Tuất 1958Cornerstone ceremony of the Holy SeatThe cornerstone-laying ceremony (lễ trí thạch) to build Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh on the 15th day of the 2nd lunar month of Mậu Tuất. The library has not yet found a reliable record of the completion date.
- 1998Legal registration of the Holy SeeThe Holy See registered its operations under Decision No. 2363/1998/QĐ-UB dated July 8, 1998 in former Kiên Giang Province, according to Nhịp Cầu Tam Giáo and Tạp chí Liên giao Cao Đài.
- 2nd lunar month, Tân Mão 2011Inter-denominational conference at Ngọc KinhOn the 13th and 14th days of the 2nd lunar month of Tân Mão (March 17 and 18, 2011), the Bạch Y Holy See hosted the fourth fellowship conference of Cao Đài Holy Sees and organizations at the Holy Seat, right before the anniversary of the cornerstone ceremony.
- 2014Reprinting of the denominational scriptureThe 680-page scripture Ngọc Đế Chơn Truyền Tân Ước Tri Nguyên was reprinted by the Religion Publishing House, according to the review on Nhịp Cầu Giáo Lý.
- 2025Administrative boundary mergerMong Thọ, Mong Thọ A, Mong Thọ B, and Thạnh Lộc communes merged into Thạnh Lộc Commune, An Giang Province, under Resolution 1654/NQ-UBTVQH15.
One point should be stated clearly. The sources consulted by the library record the cornerstone ceremony but not the inauguration date. The library does not guess the year of completion. If you visit in person, that is a worthwhile question to ask the management board of the Holy Seat, as practitioners within the tradition preserve that milestone more reliably than secondary surveys.
IIIThe Holy Seat, Eight Trigrams Palace, and Diêu Trì Bửu Điện
The library has not yet located a detailed architectural survey of Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh with exact dimensions and roof-tier counts. This section therefore records only what Cao Đài sources have documented and notes how those features relate to the broader tradition.
The central sanctuary where the Holy See conducts major liturgies and assemblies. Its official name in denominational sources is Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh.
The distinctive feature noted across Cao Đài sources. At the Tây Ninh Holy See, the Eight Trigrams Palace houses a Celestial Globe painted with the Divine Eye. At Ngọc Kinh, no such sphere is installed.
The sanctuary of the Divine Mother (Đức Phật Mẫu), standing right beside the Holy Seat. Venerating the Divine Father and Divine Mother in two adjacent structures is a shared pattern across many Cao Đài Holy Sees.
The Holy Seat sits amid the orchards and rice fields of the old Châu Thành countryside rather than inside an urban market town.
The most thought-provoking detail is the Eight Trigrams Palace left without a globe. In a Cao Đài sanctuary, the Eight Trigrams Palace is the innermost sacred zone where the Supreme Being is represented. Tây Ninh represents the cosmos with a great sphere, while Chơn Lý places an eye inside a heart. Bạch Y installs no sphere. Each Holy See defines its own liturgical form while venerating the same Supreme Being. This is a clear illustration of how Cao Đài branches differ in form and regulation rather than in the deity worshiped.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
First comes what Caodaism itself teaches about orientation. Denominational texts explaining the Tây Ninh Holy See state that its main facade faces west while the Eight Trigrams Palace, where the Supreme Being is venerated, lies at the east. Expositors link the east to the Chấn (Zhen) trigram in the Eight Trigrams, the trigram of the first movement of thunder, reading it as the origin of the cosmos. That is a doctrinal orientation that precedes any geomantic reading.
Bạch Y is an independent Holy See, and the library has not found any text of the Bạch Y Holy See prescribing a compass orientation for Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh, nor has it verified the exact compass bearing of its main facade. Accordingly, the library does not project Tây Ninh's rule onto this site and does not read compass directions here. The lines below offer the library's reading of the lie of the land through traditional geomancy, not a teaching from the Holy See's scriptures.
First is the flat delta terrain. The old Châu Thành countryside is alluvial plain west of the Hậu River, flat, without hills or mounds, crisscrossed by canals draining toward Rạch Giá Bay. Where there are no mountains, classical manuals take water as the dragon vein (long mạch), a formation called a water configuration (thủy cục). A sanctuary set amid orchards and fields, with a canal nearby and trees around it, follows the logic of a water configuration, where water channels qi toward the site and surrounding orchard trees act as a screen (bình phong) that holds the qi in place.
Second is the pairing of the Holy Seat and Diêu Trì Bửu Điện. One sanctuary venerates the Divine Father, the other venerates the Divine Mother, standing side by side. Traditional geomancy reads this pair as yin and yang in conjunction (âm dương tương hội), with yang in the larger hall and yin in the smaller hall, sharing one compound so that qi does not tilt to one side. Remember that the Holy See built the two halls according to its doctrine of venerating Father and Mother, not from geomantic manuals.
Third is the Eight Trigrams Palace without the Celestial Globe. Traditional practice views the deepest chamber of a sanctuary as the spot where qi comes to rest. Tây Ninh places a massive sphere there, a full form. Ngọc Kinh leaves that space without a sphere, an empty form. Read in classical terms, emptiness at the deepest point is not a lack, but an open chamber allowing qi to gather (tụ khí) without being occupied by a physical mass, much as the central bay of a traditional house is kept clear. This is the library's interpretation, not a sermon of the Holy See.
Finally, to state it plainly once more, because there is no verified record of the main facade's compass bearing, the library does not judge directional auspicies here, avoiding interpretations built on guesswork.
VFestivals and religious practice
The library has not yet found a separate liturgical calendar published by the Bạch Y Holy See. The table below lists the shared annual observances of Caodaism kept across Holy Sees, together with the Holy Seat's own documented milestone. Visitors should ask the management board of the Holy Seat which festival is celebrated on the largest scale each year.
| Lunar date | Observance | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 9th day of the 1st lunar month | Grand Festival of the Supreme Being (Vía Đức Chí Tôn) | The shared New Year observance of Caodaism offered to the Supreme Being. |
| Full moon of the 1st lunar month | Upper Prime Festival (Lễ Thượng Nguơn) | The first of the three Prime (Tam Nguơn) observances of the liturgical year. |
| Full moon of the 2nd lunar month | Cornerstone Anniversary of the Holy Seat | Ngọc Kinh's own milestone from the Mậu Tuất year (1958). The 2011 inter-denominational conference was also held right before this date. |
| Full moon of the 7th lunar month | Middle Prime Festival (Lễ Trung Nguơn) | The mid-year Prime observance, associated with prayers for deliverance and filial piety. |
| Full moon of the 8th lunar month | Festival of the Divine Mother (Vía Đức Phật Mẫu) | Observance offered to the Divine Mother, centered on Diêu Trì Bửu Điện. |
| Full moon of the 10th lunar month | Lower Prime Festival (Lễ Hạ Nguơn) | The final Prime observance closing the annual liturgical cycle. |
The religious practice most strongly emphasized by Bạch Y is mutual aid. According to the Holy See's own scripture, adherents must be present when a fellow believer's household holds a wedding or funeral or has someone ill, and attending community gatherings is a duty rather than an optional courtesy. Funerals follow a simple, unostentatious custom dressed in white.
The name Bạch Y (White Robe) is therefore more than a garment color. It expresses a way of living the faith that seeks to keep every affair in the religious community clean and unadorned, from days of joy to days of grief.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Ấp Hòa An, xã Thạnh Lộc (xã Mong Thọ cũ, huyện Châu Thành cũ, tỉnh Kiên Giang cũ), tỉnh An Giang
- Getting there
- The Holy Seat is in Hòa An Hamlet, Thạnh Lộc Commune, An Giang Province, formerly Mong Thọ Commune of Châu Thành District in old Kiên Giang Province, about twelve kilometers east of old central Rạch Giá as the crow flies. The approach road passes through rural orchards and fields, so please ask locals for directions on arrival.
- Coordinates
- 10.0218, 105.1922
This is an active place of worship, and its rules are to be followed. Remove footwear before entering the main sanctuary, and dress modestly in muted colors. Men and women enter along separate sides as directed on site. Do not converse or walk about while a prayer session is in progress, and stand in the area designated for guests rather than mixing into the liturgical ranks. If you wish to take photographs inside the Holy Seat or Diêu Trì Bửu Điện, please ask the attendant on duty beforehand.
Nearby places in the library
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?Quick Questions
Where is Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh located?
It is in Hòa An Hamlet, Thạnh Lộc Commune, An Giang Province, formerly Mong Thọ Commune, Châu Thành District, old Kiên Giang Province. Older Cao Đài sources write Mông Thọ B Commune. Since the 2025 reorganization, all of those communes have merged into Thạnh Lộc Commune. Its official title in denominational sources is Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh.
What is Cao Đài Bạch Y?
It is Hội Thánh Cao Đài Bạch Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý (the White-Robe Union of Truth Cao Đài Holy See), a Cao Đài branch originating from Mông Thọ Temple in 1936 and organized as a Holy See in 1955, centered at Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh with 14 affiliated temples according to Cao Đài sources. The Holy See preserves its own scripture, Ngọc Đế Chơn Truyền, and emphasizes mutual aid at weddings, funerals, and times of illness.
Does Cao Đài Bạch Y belong to the Tây Ninh Holy See?
No. Bạch Y is an independent Holy See with its own central sanctuary, its own scripture, and its own arrangement of the Eight Trigrams Palace without the Celestial Globe used in Tây Ninh. Cao Đài Holy Sees venerate the same Supreme Being and Divine Mother, but each defines its own liturgical form and regulations.
Is Bạch Y Liên Đoàn Chơn Lý the same as Cao Đài Chơn Lý in Mỹ Tho?
No. The Cao Đài Chơn Lý Holy See is centered at Định Tường Holy See in Mỹ Phong, featuring the Tâm Hòa Nhãn sacred emblem. Bạch Y is centered at Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh in the Châu Thành countryside. The two names merely share the words Chơn Lý (Truth), and in 2011 the Chơn Lý Holy See sent a guest delegation to a conference at Ngọc Kinh.
When was Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh built?
Its precursor, Mông Thọ Temple, was founded in 1936 by Trương Minh Tòng and Tô Bửu Tài. The cornerstone-laying ceremony (lễ trí thạch) for Thánh Tòa Ngọc Kinh took place on the full moon of the second lunar month of Mậu Tuất (1958). The library has not yet found a reliable record of the sanctuary's completion date.