The Cao Dai Religion vs. its Impostor

The Impersonator: The government-created “1997 Sect”

Cao Daiism is an endogenous syncretic religion founded in 1926 in Vietnam. Estimated number of Cao Dai followers varies between 2.5 and 5 million.

In 1983, the government practically abolished the Cao Dai Church and installed a Governing (Managing) Council that it controlled. This Governing Council failed to impose controls on Cao Dai followers at the grassroots level. In 1997, by a directive of the Vietnamese Communist Party, the government worked with key members of this Governing Council to establish a new religious sect hereinafter referred to as the “1997 Sect”. It was fundamentally different from the Cao Dai Religion in name, in legal status, in organizational structure and in doctrines. The Government transferred possession of the “Tay Ninh Holy See” of Cao Dai Religion, seated in Tay Ninh Province, to the new sect. The government maintains tight control of how the 1997 Sect operates.

Facing mounting international criticisms, the Vietnamese Communist Party (VCP) adopted a new strategy: to force Cao Dai Religion adherents to join a new religious organization that they would create and control. The Secretariat of the VPC’s Central Committee on November 14, 1992 issued Announcement No. 34-TB/TW, marked as “Secret” and titled “Opinions of the Secretariat regarding Undertaking and Tasks towards the Cao Dai Religion.” This document laid down the VCP’s policy of dividing and isolating Cao Dai communities: “Regarding its organization, we shall not allow the Cao Dai Religion to form an administrative structure that is similar to that of a government, and shall not allow the different Cao Dai Sects with national presence to unify under any form, even under the form of an ‘alliance’…”

Implementing this strategy, on May 27, 1996 the VCP’s Provincial Committee of Tay Ninh Province submitted its “Plan No. 01” (referred to in Mr. Amor’s report above) to the VCP’s Central Committee. This internal document acknowledged that the VCP’s strategy to “encircle the Cao Dai Religion and restrict it to Tay Ninh locality until its eventual death” had not succeeded, and proposed instead to turn the new Governing Council into a religious sect operating on the national scale. On May 29, 1996 the VCP’s Provincial Committee of Tay Ninh Province designated Communist party members to form a Steering Committee to oversee the formation of the new sect and ensure that:

It will be limited to being a sect;
Spiritist séances will be banned; and
Its Sacerdotal Council will have only two levels instead of the five administrative levels of the Cao Dai Religion.

On September 30, 1996 the Mass Mobilization Committee of VCP’s Central Executive Committee issued Announcement No. 319/TB.BDV, marked “Secret,” instructing the Fatherland Front, the Central Committee on Religious Affairs, and the Ministry of Interior that, in the process of forming the new religion, they must “[e]nsure the strict leadership of the VCP. Build core forces and positive elements to meet the need of forming the [political] base for the near and long terms… Guard against, fight off and deal with any manifestation of opportunism, division, or opposition by bad elements.” In a follow-up top secret directive, the Mass Mobilization Committee emphasized the importance of “screening, selecting and rallying the core forces, political bases and party members (including former party members) toward establishing core cells directly led by party committees at different levels… Should focus on the quality and give importance to the principle of secrecy, tight control in core tasks, particularly relating to the political bases.” Circular No. 31 HD/DVTW, dated February 16, 1998 and marked “Secret”

The Steering Committee set up by the VCP’s Provincial Committee of Tay Ninh Province oversaw the drafting of the new religion’s charter, which renounced spiritism, the theological core of the Cao Dai Religion; created an organizational structure with the Governing Council at the top; and allowed clergy members to be appointed or promoted without divine consent through spiritist séances as required by the Cao Dai Religion’s Holy Constitution and New Canonical Codes. The new sect was so different from the Cao Dai Religion that it would have constituted a different faith, except that its creators were committed atheists whose goal was to destroy a religion rather than to found one.

On May 9, 1997, by Decision No. 10/QD/TGCP the Government approved the charter of the new sect and accorded it legal status. Its official name as recognized by the government, “Dai Dao Tam Ky Pho Do Cao Dai Tay Ninh”, contained the attribute “Cao Dai Tay Ninh” to specify that it was a sect of the Cao Dai Religion. For ease of reference, the new sect we refer to this new entity as the 1997 Sect.

The 1997 Sect’s Governing Council was populated with individuals who were closely associated with the VCP or were members of the government:

Mr. Hồ Ngọc Thơ (aka Thượng Thơ Thanh), Chair of the Governing Council, was Vice Chair for 1989-1994 and a member for 1994-1999 and 1999-2004 of the Central Committee of the Fatherland Front of Tay Ninh Province, the same entity that issued the 1978 verdict against Cao Dai religious leaders, leading to the eventual abolition of the Cao Dai Church.
Nguyễn Thành Tám (aka Thượng Tám Thanh), Vice Chair of the Governing Council, was member of the Fatherland Front of Tay Ninh Province for 1994-1999, 2004-2009, 2009-2014, 2014-2019, and 2019-2024. In July 1997 he was selected by the VCP to be a member of the National Assembly. He later became the head of the 1997 Sect. Independent candidates running for elected offices without the VCP’s blessing often ended up in prison, such as in the recent cases of citizen journalists Le Trong Hung, Tran Quoc Khanh and Le Van Dung. See more comprehensive list of recent cases.
Mrs. Huỳnh Thị Nhìn (aka Hương Nhìn), Member of the Governing Council, was member of the Fatherland Front of Tay Ninh Province, for 1994-1999 and 2004-2009.

It is telling that the top three members of the Governing Council of the 1997 Sect belonged to the Fatherland Front of Tay Ninh Province, which in 1978 issued the verdict to abolish the Cao Dai Church’s leadership. Other members of the 1997 Sect’s Governing Council and those in other leadership positions were / are also members of the Fatherland Front of Tay Ninh.

Canh Quang Tran, presently a priest of the 1997 Sect and the first and former Chair of its Overseas Representative Committee, once condemned the aforementioned shift in the CPV’s policy towards the Cao Dai Religion: “This policy was manifested by granting legal status to the Cao Dai 1997 Sect, [and] approving its charter dated April 5, 1997, which was drafted by the Governing Council… under the command of the Government of Tay Ninh Province.” Declaration of Cao Dai Overseas Missionary, July 3, 2000

Deception tactics

In 2007, with the approval of the government, the 1997 Sect changed its name to “Dai Dao Tam Ky Pho Do (Cao Dai Toa Thanh Tay Ninh) [“Third Universal Amnesty Great Way of God (Cao Dai Holy See Tay Ninh)”], which is almost identical to the official name of the Cao Dai Religion. After this name change, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, then Vice Chair of the Governing Council of the 1997 Sect, declared himself Cardinal and appointed himself Chair of the Governing Council. Although it is a different organization, representing a different faith and bearing a different name, the Governing Council of the 1997 Sect deliberately uses the letterhead, seal, and other insignia of the Cao Dai Religion in all its official communications and publications. This was viewed by Cao Dai followers as the 1997 Sect’s attempt to deceive the public and the international community by passing itself to be the Cao Dai Religion. Because of this deception, the growth of the 1997 Sect has been incorrectly interpreted by some foreign observers as a sign of improved religious freedom for Cao Dai followers. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

As part of its impersonating scheme, in 2011 the 1997 Sect established its overseas presence by appointing Mr. Canh Quang Tran, who was an officer of the Cao Dai Religion’s Cao Dai Overseas Missionary, to be the 1997 Sect’s overseas representative. Working for the 1997 Sect, he soon established “Caodai Overseas Missionary” — with “Cao Dai” melted into one word — to impersonate his former employer. In 2014, Caodai Overseas Missionary registered as trademark the official name of the Cao Dai Religion: “Dai Dao Tam Ky Pho Do”.

The 1997 Sect did not hide the fact that it was acting on behalf of the VCP and the government: “… overseas believers have begun to automatically submit themselves to the Church [the 1997 Sect], while the State of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, through the Government Committee for Religious Affairs, can be considered to have successfully implemented Resolution 36.” Resolution 36/NQ-TW of the VCP’s Politburo essentially to pacify the Vietnamese diaspora.

Reports from UN Sepcial Rapporteurs on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB)

The Vietnamese Government twice invited the UN Special Rapporteur on FoRB to visit Vietnam: in 1998 and in 2014. At the first visit, then UN Special Rapporteur Abdelfattah Amor did not realize that he met with the Management Committee of the freshly created 1997 Sect, not the Cao Dai Church. At the second visit in 2014, then UN Special Rapporteur Heiner Bielefeldt referred to the government-established Administrative Council of the Cao Dai Chuch; he was unaware that it belonged to the 1997 Sect, a government-created organization different from the Cao Dai Church.

The 1998 visit: The 1997 Sect posed as the Cao Dai Church to meet with Mr. Abdelfattah Amor, the late UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief, during his visit to Vietnam from 19 to 28 October, 1998. A sect leader spoke on behalf of his Governing Counc il but did not specify that it’s the Governing Council of the 1997 Sect, not of the Cao Dai Church:

“The Special Rapporteur was received at the Cao Dai Holy See in Tay Ninh by some 30 Cao Dai officials, including the most senior religious official. However, only one of them spoke, introducing himself as a member of the Management Committee of the Holy See and representing the whole group; no one else spoke, not even the most senior religious official. A number of people
took notes on the meeting, which was also taped and filmed. When the Special Rapporteur attempted to initiate a discussion with other persons, the Committee member representing the group stated that there was no more to be said and politely ended the meeting.

“The representative considered the Cao Dai community’s situation to be satisfactory and said that it was characterized by complete freedom of religion and an expansion of Cao Daism, as shown in particular by the building and renovation of places of worship and by religious events involving thousands of believers.

“In reply to a question from the Special Rapporteur concerning complaints by Cao Daists about interference from the authorities in Cao Daism, the use of the Cao Dai Association by the authorities and the arrest of religious officials (see para. 83), the Management Committee representative said that the Cao Dai Association represented 99 per cent of believers and that only an insignificant handful of believers was not content. He added that some Cao Dais had violated the principles of Cao Daism, which had led to ‘their removal from the religion’. It was also pointed out that some Cao Dais had been condemned for reasons unconnected with religious activities. Lastly, the Management Committee representative stated that the Holy See alone had the power to authorize the practice of Cao Daism and that its officials had been chosen by the Cao Dai faithful.”

Mr. Amor also summed up the government’s evolving policy towards Cao Dai Religion:

“A number of non-governmental sources, including Cao Dai sources, said the authorities had followed a policy of interference that was extremely harmful to the Cao Dai religion. The main stages of this policy are summarized below in order to make it easier to understand the current situation:

“(a) 1975-1979: Decree No. 297, of 11 November 1977, placing the Cao Dai Church under the control of the Patriotic Front; confiscation of all religious properties; prior authorization by the authorities of any religious activity; arrest of clergy; Tay Ninh Patriotic Front judgement of 20 September 1978 condemning any Cao Daist religious activities deemed to be counter-revolutionary.
“(b) 1979-1996: Decree No. 01/HTDL of 1 March 1979 signed – on the order of, and under pressure from, the Tay Ninh provincial government – by the Council of Priests, terminating its own existence and announcing the dissolution of all the religious bodies and the establishment of a Management Committee with full powers. The statutes of Cao Daism, drawn up in 1926, make no provision for this Committee, which is completely controlled by the authorities; it is therefore a flagrant violation of the statutes. This period was also marked by the arrest, detention and house arrest of Cao Daist clergy.
“(c) 1996 to date: implementation plan No. 01-HK/TV of 27 May 1996, of the Tay Ninh Communist Party Executive Committee, aiming at the dismantling of the Tay Ninh Cao Dai Church between June and September 1996, its replacement by a State Cao Dai Church and the exclusion of clergy described as ‘bad and extremist elements’. Issue on 5 May 1997 of a new charter conflicting with the Constitutional Charter of Cao Daism. Two distinct groups are now associated with Cao Daism: a Management Committee, comprising a few church officials controlled by the authorities, and a majority of independent church officials opposed to the Committee.”

At the time, Mr. Amor apparently was not aware of the newly created1997 Sect.

The 2014 visit: During his country visit, Mr. Heiner Bielefeldt met with both members of the 1997 Sect and Cao Dai followers who refuse to submit themselves to it. His observations included in a report to the UN Human Rights Council reflect the

“As in the case of Buddhism, Cao Dai followers are divided between those who are part of the Government-established Cao Dai Administrative Council and those who insist on their independent religious practice. The relationship between the two groups seems to be tense. Whereas the officially recognized organizations of Cao Dai accuse dissenting groups of having a “separatist mind” and creating “confusion” among the people, the independent Cao Dai followers see the authenticity of their tradition jeopardized by Government interference, which, they claim, has led to some imposed changes of the Cao Dai religion.

“While the Special Rapporteur is not in a position to assess the theological details of this conflict, he would expect that the Government ensure the free functioning of independent Cao Dai communities and facilitate their development in a way that they themselves see fit. The current situation of independent Cao Dai groups is certainly not in line with freedom of religion or belief, since the communities lack appropriate facilities for worship and teaching and allegedly face pressure to join the official organizations.

“None of the practices of the independent Cao Dai religion have been authorized, and the religion itself is considered illegal. Followers of Cao Dai encounter difficulties even to practise at home. Like other independent communities, they have been pressured, harassed and attacked physically. Their ritual ceremonies, including funerals, have often been monitored and disrupted. Moreover, they constantly fear losing their jobs and being discriminated against in administrative procedures. Some of their children have also faced difficulty at school.”

Instrument of religious repression and deception

The 1997 Sect has proceeded to seize the vast majority of Cao Dai temples and force Cao Dai followers to submit themselves to the sect. Sect clergy members and followers have committed gross violations of human rights against Cao Daiists who resisted, resorting to beatings and torture, destroying property and religious icons, interrupting religious ceremonies, trespassing private homes, desecrating tombs, blocking processions… They receive the backing of local police and government authorities. A report and several documentary videos have been produced by BPSOS, an international human rights organization, on the 1997 Sect’s true nature: an instrument to control Cao Dai followers and suppress those who resist government control. The Sect also serves as a decoy to make the international community believe that the Cao Dai Religion is thriving in communist Vietnam.

Blocking access to Cao Dai Religion’s Tay Ninh Holy See: The government has backed the 1997 Sect in suppressing Cao Dai followers’ attempts to reclaim usage of their temples seized by the 1997 Sect.

The Tay Ninh Holy See 2008 incident: In early 2008 a group of Cao Dai followers announced their plan to convene a gathering of members on March 17 near the “Pagoda Tree”, a usual gathering place for Cao Dai followers on the grounds of their Tay Ninh Holy See. Their intention was to request publicly that the 1997 Sect stop presenting itself as the Cao Dai Religion, give Cao Dai followers access to their religious facilities, and return the Tay Ninh Holy See to the Cao Dai Religion. Six days before the event, the 1997 Sect issued Announcement No. 01/83-HDCQ.TT to condemn these Cao Dai followers for “inciting chaos, causing disunity within the religion, intentionally using deceiving words, tricking the faithful to go down a sinful path in regard to the religion, [and] violating the law.” On March 14, the public security police surrounded the house of Mr. Duong Xuan Luong, suspected of being the mastermind behind the planned event, to arrest him, but he was not home. The public security issued an arrest and search warrant against him. Mr. Luong had to live in hiding until his escape to Thailand in 2016; he arrived in the United States in April 2017 after more than nine years on the run. On the set date, some 120 Cao Dai followers gathered on the grounds of their Tay Ninh Holy See. At 8:00 am they entered the Holy Shrine to pray, but soon the Sect’s security personnel trailed each and every one of them and blocked them from coming near the Pagoda Tree, around which a new fence had been erected. The few who succeeded to approach the Pagoda Tree were immediately dragged away. On the following days, Tay Ninh Newspaper, the official organ of the VCP’s Provincial Committee, published three back-to-back articles denouncing the involved Cao Dai followers to be unlawful and disrespectful of God.
The Tay Ninh Holy See 2015 incident: The same group of Cao Dai followers made their second attempt to gather on the grounds of their Tay Ninh Holy See on May 27, 2015 so as to elect their religious leaders according to Cao Dai traditions. On May 5, 2015 they sent a twelve-member delegation to meet with officials of the Central Committee on Religious Affairs and the Fatherland Front in Hanoi and present their plan for the gathering. The 1997 Sect immediately wrote to the Government, asking that they intervene and block such activity; it then issued Announcement No. 01/90 dated May 8, 2015, denouncing the planned gathering to be illegal and subversive. In its letter No. 27/90 dated May 11, 2015, the 1997 Sect requested intervention by the local authorities. In response, local authorities in many provinces sent public security agents or government officials to the homes of Cao Dai followers to dissuade and/or block them from participating in the planned event. On the preset date, some 200 Cao Dai followers who had successfully eluded surveillance by the local police arrived at their Tay Ninh Holy See from different parts of the country. They found themselves surrounded by public security police, militia members, traffic cops, plainclothes police, and some 20 members of 1997 Sect’s security unit wearing red armbands. These security members showed the Cao Dai followers the printed order of the 1997 Sect’s Governing Council and then attacked them with batons and spray paint; at the same time the police dispersed Cao Dai followers as they arrived, using water cannons from fire trucks parked nearby. About ten members of the 1997 Sect’s security unit physically assaulted Mr. Tran Van Hap, Deputy Administrator of a Cao Dai congregation located near the Tay Ninh Holy See. They wrestled him to the ground, kicked his face and groin, and beat him on his head and stomach with batons. They then dragged him on the ground for about 20 meters, tied his hands with a rope, and delivered him to 12 public security officers waiting in a nearby building. These public security officers forced him to sign a statement that they dictated before setting him free. As he walked out, three female Cao Dai followers ran to his assistance; they were wrestled to the ground and brutally beaten by the 1997 Sect security members in the presence of the public security police.

Forced seizure of Cao Dai temples: The local police often aided Sect members to seize Cao Dai temples, which at times involved the use of violence. Practically all 300 Cao Dai temples have been seized by the 1997 Sect. Some dozen temples are still in the possession of Cao Dai followers but face constant threat of being seized.

Ninh Thuan Cao Dai Temple: According to the 2010 International Religious Freedom Report of the US Department of State, “a Cao Dai temple in Ninh Thuan Province was demolished in April 2010 to accommodate a new nursery school. The temple was built in 1950 and was closed by the government in 1987. It had been used as a temporary government office building for two years before being abandoned. The local Cao Dai had repeatedly petitioned provincial officials to return the property without success.”
Saigon Cao Dai Temple: In 1949, Pope Pham Cong Tac, founder of the Cao Dai Religion, bought a French villa in District 5, Saigon to serve as a temporary office where he and Cao Dai clergy members worked and rested whenever they visited the national capital of South Vietnam. In 1999, Cao Dai followers pooled their money, equivalent to US $95,000 in 1997 dollars, or about $147,000 in 2018 dollars, to convert this villa into a temple. In July 2001, as the temple was about to be inaugurated, the 1997 Sect dispatched one of its clergy members from Tay Ninh Province to Saigon to claim it as the sect’s property. Cao Dai followers resisted the takeover. On April 14, 2005, escorted by officials of the local Committee on Religious Affairs, members of the local Fatherland Front, officials of the District 5 government, and public security agents, clergy members of the 1997 Sect expelled Cao Dai followers from their temple. Affected Cao Dai followers had to hold their bi-monthly religious services on the pavement outside of their own temple for eight and a half years before they could afford to build a makeshift place of worship in 2013.
Dinh Quan Cao Dai Temple: Founded in 1970, this temple served 500 Cao Dai followers in Dinh Quan District, Dong Nai Province. On November 19, 2008, the 1997 Sect sent its representatives to take over the temple; they were met with strong resistance by the Cao Dai followers. The temple’s Administrative Office explained to the intruders that the temple belonged to the Cao Dai Religion, not the 1997 Sect. On Sunday December 27, 2009, members of the 1997 Sect returned, this time escorted by government officials. They attacked the Cao Dai followers at the temple but failed to take over the temple. The following day they came back, escorted by thugs, public security agents, military personnel, and local government officials. They punched, kicked, and beat all Cao Dai followers who happened to be present at the temple. They also damaged parts of the temple. Overwhelmed by this brutality, the Cao Dai followers had to flee from their temple. Members of the 1997 Sect moved in and occupied it. In 2017, they demolished the Dinh Quan Cao Dai Temple. On January 13, 2018, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, Chair of the Governing Council of the 1997 Sect, attended the groundbreaking ceremony for a new temple of the 1997 Sect to be built on the grounds of the old Cao Dai temple.
Phu My Cao Dai Temple: At 8 am on September 16, 2012, the Day of Worshipping God in Heaven according to Cao Dai traditions, ten Cao Dai followers were conducting an outdoor religious ceremony when a mob of some 30 individuals surrounded their temple in Phu My District, Binh Dinh Province. Local government officials were seen commanding the public security police, thugs, and members of the 1997 Sect. Chief Administrator Nguyen Huu Khanh announced the suspension of the religious ceremony as the situation became tense. For a while the attackers could not enter the temple because its gate was locked. They finally broke the locks, threw open the gate and invaded the temple. The Cao Dai followers ran into the temple but were pursued by the raucous mob. The intruders beat up all those in their sight. Deputy Administrator Nguyen Cong Tru, already seriously injured, was caught by Mr. Truong Tu, leader of the 1997 Sect mob. He poured petroleum over Mr. Tru’s body and was about to set the latter on fire when other members of the 1997 Sect stopped him. Calls for help by Cao Dai followers placed to the local authorities were either dismissed or not answered. The attackers succeeded in taking over the temple.
Long Bình Cao Dai Temple: On July 3, 2013, about 20 Cao Dai followers and clergy members gathered for a religious ceremony at the Long Binh Temple in Go Cong Tay District, Tien Giang Province. The public security police used a truck to knock down the front gate of the temple. They rushed in, accompanied by thugs and local members of the 1997 Sect, and used batons, clubs, and rocks to assault the faithful who defended their temple. Many Cao Dai followers were injured; most severely were Mr. Nguyen Van Em and Deputy Administrator Mrs. Le Thi Ket. The public security police arrested six Cao Dai followers, including Chief Administrator Le Van Ngoc Diep, who was in charge of the temple. He was tied up and taken by members of the 1997 Sect to the Vinh Binh Cao Dai Temple, which had already been taken over by the 1997 Sect. There he was told to submit himself to the 1997 Sect, which he refused. The injured victims filed complaints with the local government but have never received a response. The Long Binh Cao Dai Temple has since remained in the hands of the 1997 Sect.
The Bầu Năng Hamlet incident: On Sept. 12, 2013, Cao Dai followers and clergy members gathered for a ceremony to establish an altar at the home of Ms. Ta Thi Thu Nga at ap Ninh An, xa Bau Nang, huyen Duong Minh Chau, Tinh Tay Ninh following their religious tradition but in defiance of the People’s Committee’s ban. They were beaten up by hundreds of “thugs” in the presence of the public security police who surrounded Ms. Ta Thi Thu Nga’s home.
An Ninh Tây Temple: On March 24, 2016, at 1:50 pm, Mr. Vo Van Bon, Deputy Chief of Public Security of An Hoa Hamlet, Duc Hoa District, Long An Province, commanded a large contingent of public security agents, thugs, and members of the 1997 Sect to mount a surprise attack on An Ninh Tay Temple. Facing the fierce mob, the temple’s Chief Administrator Le Minh Chau and his deputy Phan Trong Huu tried to escape but found that both the temple’s front and rear gates had been locked by the police. They sounded the alarm; local Cao Dai followers and local residents rapidly convened and surrounded the attackers. Facing a growing and restive crowd, Mr. Bon pulled his people out. This Cao Dai temple remains a target of the 1997 Sect.
Phú Thạnh A Cao Dai Temple: On March 20, 2017, the People’s Committee of Phú Thạnh A Hamlet, Tam Nông District, Đồng Tháp Province summoned Chief Administrator Duong Ngoc Re to its office. He was ordered by the People’s Committee Chair Nguyen Hong Van, the Chair of the local Fatherland Front Nguyen Van Mai, and a public security officer of the Tam Nong District by the name of Dung to deliver his temple to the 1997 Sect. He refused. Immediately six government and public security officials headed to the temple; they were accompanied by three members of the 1997 Sect (Mr. Nguyen Van Thao, Mr. Nguyen Van Sang, and Mrs. Duong Thi Le) and a number of thugs. They cut the lock at the gate, entered the temple, and summarily occupied it. The following day, in the presence of government officials, the 1997 Sect announced one of its members, Mr. Nguyen Van Thac, to be the new Administrator of Phu Thanh A Temple. According to Report No. 372/BC.CAH.AN dated August 1, 2016, stamped “top secret” and signed by Colonel Duong Hieu Nghia, Head of the Public Security of Tam Nong District, the government had planned the attack very thoroughly for at least a year in advance.
Nam Hoai Nhon Temple: On July 23, 2017, as Cao Dai followers were preparing to conduct religious rites, a group of government representatives and members of the 1997 Sect entered the temple without asking permission. The group included Mr. Vo Xuan Phong, Deputy Chair of the People’s Committee of Hoai Tan Hamlet; Mr. Ngo Tu, Chair of the Fatherland Front of Hoai Tan Hamlet; four plain-clothed public security agents; and three representatives of the 1997 Sect (Messrs. Nguyen Hop, Ho Tan Thu, and Vo Van Dong). Mr. Hop read the 1997 Sect’s order of eviction against Cao Dai Student Priest Mrs. Phan Thi Sanh, who managed the Nam Hoai Nhon Temple. Seeing the strong determination of Cao Dai followers to defend their temples, the government officials left. Members of the 1997 Sect, finding themselves abandoned, also left shortly thereafter. The 1997 Sect continues to pressure Cao Dai followers to deliver their temple to the sect.

The 1997 Sect, with the support of the government, continues its attempts to seize the few temples still in the possession of Cao Dai followers. The latest incident reported by the US Department of State’s 2020 annual report involved the Hiếu Xương Temple in Phú Yên Province:

“In June, a crowd of approximately 60 members of the government-organized Cao Dai 1997, supported by Phu Yen provincial authorities, confronted members of the unregistered Hieu Xuong Cao Dai (1926) Temple and attempted to breach the building to force the congregants out of the temple and take control of the property. Hieu Xuong Cao Dai members reported they were able to prevent the mob from occupying the temple but that the crowd threatened to return and try again.”

Disrupting religious activities: On October 8, 2015, the 1997 Sect’s leadership, via Circular No. 42/90, ordered all its 75 local branches to not allow Cao Dai followers to practice their religion even in private settings and called on the police, government authorities and the Fatherland Front to “assist” in the implementation of the order. The police often escorted Sect members in disrupting religious ceremonies conducted at the private homes of Cao Dai followers; at the same time, local government authorities colluded with Sect members to force independent Cao Dai followers to join the 1997 Sect.

City of Vinh Long incident: On January 5, 2014, family members of the deceased Cao Dai follower Mrs. (Co Tanh) Ngo Thi Thanh Dao, 42 years, held the 5th memorial service for her. At noon, the People’s Committee, the police and the Fatherland Front officials barged in without asking for permission. They went upstairs where the God’s altar was installed and stopped the ceremony. They told mourners that the ceremony must be approved and officiated by the 1997 Sect. Then on January 14, the government, police and Fatherland Front officials came again to disrupt the 6th memorial service for the deceased. They forced the mourners to secure the written approval of the state-controlled 1997 Sect with their sign and seal in order toconduct the memorial service.
Hảo Đước incident: On August 13, 2014, Mr. Võ Văn Đàm invited a Cao Dai student priest to perform the rite of installing the Divine Eye banner at his home’s altar. When on August 9 he pre-notified the local government of the event, he was told to go with a clergy member of the 1997 Sect. Mr. Đam proceeded with the priest of the Cao Dai Religion. As the ceremony started, the public security police, 1997 Sect members, and hired thugs surrounded his house, threw stones and bags containing rotten eggs and other foodstuff over the fence. The projectiles landed in the courtyard, hit the roof, or landed near the altar. The assailants deflated the tires of cars and motorcycles belonging to the participants, and threw garbage and stones at the windshields of participants’ cars. Thugs even waited until the rite ended and ran after those who were leaving to throw garbage at the vehicles and their passengers.
An Quới Hamlet incident: On July 15, 2015, as Cao Dai followers gathered at the home of Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Kim Thôi to attend the rite of installing the Divine Eye portrait at her home’s altar, the police in the company of Sect 1997 members and thugs entered her home, beat the participants, snatched their cameras, smashed furniture and glasses, and disrupted the worshiping service. They also took away the Divine Eye Portrait, altar bowl bell, and wooden fish drum. Mrs. Thôi was pulled at her hair by the thugs. Her son was beaten, his arm twisted and sprained. The rite could not proceed because the government officials took away the Divine Eye Portrait, the altar bell, wooden drum, and the petitionary ritual script used in the rite.
Cẩm Bình Hamlet incident: On November 11, 2015, Mrs. Cao Thị Chinh invited fellow Cao Dai followers to attend the ceremony of “Installing the Divine Eye Banner on the Altar”. As the ceremonty started, clerics and members of the 1997 Sect came uninvited, accompanied by thugs and police officers. Mrs. Chinh’s family members and invited guests determined to stop them from coming inside the house. The family members and invited guests, who were surrounded by the Cao Dai Branch 1997 members, managed to block the intruders from coming into the house and proceeded with the ceremony. The public security officers, present at the scene, did not arrest those violating the law but forced the homeowner to follow them to their office for investigation. The public security officers stopped Cao Dai established 1926 adherents from recording the events for evidence and confiscated their cameras.
Trường Cửu Hamlet incident: On November 13, 2015, Mrs. Phạm Kim Ánh hosted at her home a memorial service known as the Great Acknowledgment ceremony for her 89-years old mother who recently passed away. The day before, the Vice Chair of Trường Hoà Commune, the Chair of the Fatherland Front of the Trường Hoà commune, the Trường Cửu hamlet chief, and the Head of the local branch of the 1997 Sect already warned her to invite a 1997 Sect priest instead. Nevertheless, per her late mother’s will, she conducted the ceremony according to Cao Dai rituals and invited Cao Dai followers to attend. The 1997 Sect sent members to the site. They surrounded Mrs. Ánh’s home and used handheld speakers ordering Cao Dai worshippers present onsite to leave the ceremony area; Otherwise, the Sect members would take action. Soon, a 1997 Sect priest led 80 of his followers to burst into the home of Mrs. Ánh. They overturned the tables where the worshippers were having their meals, destroyed tables and chairs, and attacked Cao Dai believers attending the ceremony. The local 1997 Sect priest called the head of the commune Fatherland Front for reinforcement; the Deputy Chief of the commune public security forces showed up with a number of uniformed male and female public security officers, six of them with police batons. The worshippers successfully pushed the intruders out and proceeded with the ceremony. The public security officers did not arrest the perpetrators but took five worshippers to the commune government’s office for interrorgation. They were released, at 8:30pm, only after family members of Mrs. Ánh made a big scene in front of the commune government’s office.
Hưng Quới Village incident: On August 10, 2019, the government-created 1997 Sect, the government of Hưng Thạnh Commune, and the police of Tân Phước District (all are in Tiền Giang Province) harassed Mr. Phan Văn Dũng and at least 50 other adherents of the authentic Cao Dai Church (“1926 Cao Dai”) when the authentic group participated in the ceremony “Ninth-Day Cycle Rite for the deceased” at the home of Mr. Dũng. The government wants to prevent independent Cao Dai adherents from practicing their faith by allowing rituals only after independent adherents agree to join the 1997 Sect. The government representative said that the ritual would have been authorized if it had been performed under the 1997 Sect’s purview in the government-approved Cao Dai temple. This official also prepared a report on the incident in which the owner of the house, Mr. Phan Văn Dũng, wrote his reason for not having the ritual performed at the local temple (which is run by the 1997 Sect): the 1926 Cao Dai Church is not the same religion as the 1997 Sect.
Long Phi Hamlet incident: On September 11, 2020, a family of adherents of the authentic Cao Dai Church invited fellow adherents to their home to perform an important Cao Dai rite. The local police and adherents of the state-controlled 1997 Sect intruded to intimidate and stop the ongoing religious rite because the Communists wanted their 1997 Sect to suppress all independent Cao Dai groups.
Bến Cầu City, Tây Ninh incident: On January 6, 2021, a Cao Dai adherent had more than 2 dozen fellow adherents perform an important Cao Dai rite at his home. The police and state-controlled Cao Dai Sect members came to stop the rite on the ground that only state-approvied religious groups may conduct activities, even in private homes.
Long Thuận Commune incident: On January 10, 2022, Sect members entered the home of Ho Quoc Khanh, a follower of the Cao Dai Religion, while a group of Cao Dai adherents were performing an important Cao Dai ritual, Installation of the Divine Eye Banner at the altar of the homeowners (wife’s name: Trần Thị Đẹt). The sect members used force to stop the ritual because the homeowner did not rely on sect members to conduct the ritual. One of the participating authentic Cao Dai adherents, Mr. Trần Văn Đực, submitted a complaint to the People’s Committee of Bến Cầu District, Tây Ninh Province, but the government failed to reply.
Another Long Thuận Commune incident: On October 25, 2022, the Bến Cầu District government supported the 1997 Sect members after they prevented three authentic Cao Dai adherents from trying to use a Cao Dai temple on an important religious feast day. The victims could not enter the temple. Ms. Trần Thị Điệp used her phone to take video of the scene. The police said that she broke the law when spreading libelous information. Later, on 27 November 2022, the police interrogated the three victims at their police station and fined one of them for “using Facebook to spread falsehood, distort the truth, and harming personal reputation”. On September 27, 2023, Ms. Điệp and four of her fellow Cao Dai followers were summoned to the police station again, where they were pressured to join the 1997 Sect.
The Long Chu incident: On 28 January 2024, at around 12:30 pm, police officers and members of the 1997 Sect in Long Chữ Commune, Bến Cầu District, Tây Ninh Province came to the home of Mr. Lê Hoàng Thọ and used violence to stop the ceremony of Installation of the Divine Eye Banner. A member of the 1997 sect struck Ms. Nguyễn Thị Mai (the host’s relative). The intruders and the family members and guests had a big argument. All the victims (traditional Cao Dai Church) had to come to the commune police station to be interrogated.

Excommunicating Cao Dai followers from their religion: While the 1997 Sect is a different legal entity from the Cao Dai Church altogether, its leaders have issued orders to expell Cao Dai followers from the Cao Dai Religion. This not only violated Article 18 of the ICCPR but also disregarded Article 5 of Vietnam’s Law on Belief and Religion (Article 5. Prohibited acts: 1. Discriminating and stigmatizing people for beliefs or religions. 2. Forcing others to follow or not to follow, bribing others into following or not following, or hindering others in following or not following a belief or religion.)

Excommunicating Sub-dignitary Húa Phi: On June 5, 2014, as Cao Dai followers gathered at the home of Sub-dignitary Nguyễn Kim Lân in Ward 4, Vinh Long City, Vinh Long Province to discuss religious topics with Sub-dignitary Hứa Phi, who was visiting from Lâm Đồng Province. Government officials, police officers and two members of the 1997 Sect came and ordered that the gathering was not approved by the 1997 Sect. While the two sides were arguing, a government official came with a letter of Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam (Cardinal of the 1997 Sect) excommunicating Sub-dignitary Hứa Phi.
Excommunicating Sub-dignitary Trần Ngọc Sương: On April 2, 2020, Mr. Nguyễn Thành Tám, Head of the 1997 Sect, issued an order to expel Mr. Trần Ngọc Sương from his Cao Dai Religion and publicly announced the expulsion to defame Mr. Sương. Ironically, Mr. Sương became a Cao Dai disciple in 197_, decades before the creation of the 1997 Sect. This is in violation of Vietnam’s Law on Belief and Religion because the 1997 Sect is not the Cao Dai Church. Furthermore, the 1997 Sect has been ruled a criminal organization by a Texas Court in August 2023.
Excommunicating Mr. Nguyễn Văn Thiệt: On July 25, 2015, Mr. Nguyễn Thành Tám, Head of the 1997 Sect, issued an order to expel Mr. Thiệt from the Cao Dai Religion even though the 1997 Sect is not the Cao Dai Church, of which Mr. Thiệt has been a member. Like Mr. Tran Ngoc Suong, Mr. Thiệt attended the first Southeast Asia Freedom of Religion or Belief (SEAFORB) Conference in Thailand in 2015, where he reported the violations of the 1997 Sect. He was barred from travel to Thailand in 2019 for the fifth SEAFORB Conference.
Excommunicating Mr. Trần Văn Đực and 13 other Cao Dai followers: On November 3, 2023, Mr. Nguyễn Thành Tám, Head of the 1997 Sect, issued his order to excommunicate these 14 Cao Dai followers from their own religion, in gross violation of ICCPR’s Article 18 and also Article 5 of Vietnam’s Law on Belief and Religion.

In early March 2024, eight of the above jointly requested that Mr. Nguyễn Thành Tám, head of the 1997 Sect, to withdraw his excommunication orders and issue a formal apology, absent of which the signatories would file a lawsuit agasint him and the 1997 Sect and demand a criminal investigation.

Interfering with funerals and burials: The 1997 Sect punishes followers of the 1926 Cao Dai Religion posthumously by interfering with their funerals, burials, and/or memorial services. The Cao Dai Church established the Cuc Lac Thai Binh Cemetery to accommodate the wishes of followers to be buried on the sacred grounds of their Holy See. Every Cao Dai follower has the right to be burried at this cemetery. In 1997, the government transferred possession of this cemetery to the 1997 Sect, which has since required membership in the Sect as precondition for access to this cemetery.

The Cực Lạc Thái Bình incident: On April 18, 2015, members of the 1997 Sect prevented the burial of Student Priest Thai Hai Thanh in the Cuc Lac Thai Binh Cemetery,
The Truong Cuu Hamlet incident: On November 12 and 13, 2015, members of the 1997 Sect attacked participants and destroyed furniture at the home of Mrs. Pham Kim Anh during the 300-day memorial service for her deceased mother in Truong Cuu Hamlet, Truong Hoa Village, Hoa Thanh District, Tay Ninh Province. On November 12, 2015, Mrs. Pham Kim Anh, a resident of Truong Cuu Hamlet, Truong Hoa Commune, Hoa Thanh District, Tay Ninh Province, was ordered by the Vice Chair of Truong Hoa Commune, Mr. Vo Van Hanh, the Chair of the local Fatherland Front, Mr. Tran Trong Nghia, and the head of the local 1997 Sect, Nguyen Van Kieng, to invite clergy members of the 1997 Sect to the mourning ceremonies for her 89-years old mother who had just passed away. Mrs. Anh balked at their order, explaining to them that her mother’s last wish was to have clergy members of the Cao Dai Religion conduct the ceremonies. On the following day, as clergy members of the Cao Dai Religion started the mourning ceremonies at Mrs. Anh’s home, representatives of the government and members of the 1997 Sect used a loudspeaker to order all mourners to leave. Then 1997 Sect clergy member Thuong Hung Thanh led about 80 sect members and thugs to break into Mrs. Anh’s home and attacked the mourners; they kicked over the tables where mourners were having lunch. Mr. Pham Van Quy, a key member of the commune Fatherland Front, brought reinforcements. The Deputy Chief of the commune public security forces also came with a number of uniformed male and female public security officers, six of them carrying police batons, and a number of plainclothes officers. After the incident, the authorities detained Mrs. Anh and many of her guests (Mr. Pham Van Kiet, Ms. Pham Kim Thu, Mr. Tran Quoc My, and Ms. Lai) and did not release them until 8:30pm.
The Truong Thien Hamlet incident: On November 22, 2015, members of the 1997 Sect, with the support of the public security police and thugs, attacked the 100-day memorial service that Mrs. Nguyen Thi Nguyet conducted for her deceased mother in Truong Thien Hamlet, Truong Luu Village, Hoa Thanh District, Tay Ninh Province.
Seizing the remains of Enlightened Lady Thất Nương Diêu Trì Cung Vương Thị Lệ and those of 12 of her relatives: On April 6, 2016…
The Ninh Phước Hamlet incident: On January 7, 2018, Cao Dai Religion follower Le Van Nha, a 78 year-old resident of Ninh Phuoc Hamlet, Ninh Thanh Village, Chau Thanh District, Tay Ninh Province, passed away; his family invited clergy members of the Cao Dai Religion to conduct funeral services according to his last wish. On January 10, as his family members and mourners proceeded to the Cuc Lac Thai Binh Cemetery, members of the 1997 Sect parked a truck blocking the only road to the burial site, and government officials asked family members to bury him at a different location. Intent to fulfil the deceased’s last wish, his family members had to leave the coffin unburied and unattended on the cemetery’s ground overnight. After more than a day of confrontation, the 1997 Sect relented and let the mourning family members bury their dead but without the presence of Cao Dai clergy members.
The second Truong Cuu Hamlet incident: On January 15, 2018, as Mrs. Pham Kim Anh conducted the ninth-day posthumous rite for her deceased husband according to Cao Dai traditions, at her home in Ninh Phuoc Village, Ninh Thanh Ward, Tay Ninh City. The 1997 Sect sent its members to obstruct the planned ceremony, insisting that it could resume only if officiated by clergy members of the 1997 Sect.

Desecrating graves of Cao Dai followers: In 2018, the 1997 Sect demolished at least 15 graves of Cao Dai followers whose families refused to join the 1997 Sect, and has stored the unearthed remains at an unknown location. These graves were located at the periphery of Cuc Lac Thai Binh Cemetery of the Cao Dai Religion. Documents obtained show that the desecration of these graves was approved by Mr. Nguyễn Thành Tám, Head of the 1997 Sect. The demolition continued despite the objections of the families of the deceased.

Impunity for Sect members: The government has shielded its creation, the 1997 Sect, from justice. Lawsuits and requests for criminal investigation filed by Cao Dai followers against Sect members and leaders have been blocked or ignored by both law enforcement and the judiciary. A few cases in point:

On 18 June, 2020, Mr. Trần Ngọc Sương, who resides in Gò Công Town, Tiền Giang Province, filed a defamation lawsuit against the 1997 Sect and its head, Mr. Nguyễn Thành Tám, for issuing an order to expel Mr. Sương from the Cao Dai Religion even though he had joined the Cao Dai Religion more than three decades before the creation of the 1997 Sect. The People’s Court of Hoa Thanh Town, the Chief Justice of the People’s Court of Tây Ninh Province, and the Chief Justice of the People’s Supreme Court have all skirted this lawsuit. On 11 December, 2020, the People’s Court of Hoa Thanh Town notified him that it lacked jurisdiction without specifying which other court has jurisdiction. Meanwhile, Mr. Sương was placed under a travel ban by Vietnam’s Ministry of Public Security.
July 20, 2020, Mr. Nguyễn Văn Thiệt, a Cao Dai follower in Thuận An Town, Bình Dương Province, filed a defamation lawsuit with the People’s Court of Hoa Thanh Town, Tay Ninh Province against Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam and the 1997 Sect for issuing an Order to expel Mr. Thiệt from the Cao Dai religion even though the two parties are of different religions. On October 20, 2020, the People’s Court of Hoa Thanh Town notified Mr. Thiet that his lawsuit was rejected for lack of jurisdiction. On October 29, 2020, Mr. Thiệt filed a complaint against that decision. On December 05, 2020, Mr. Thiet submitted a request with the Chief Justice of the People’s Court of Hoa Thanh Town, and the Chief Justice of the People’s Supreme Court of Tay Ninh Province to resolve the issue but has thus far not received any response.
Founded in 1970, the Cao Dai Temple in Định Quán District, Dong Nai Province served some 500 local Cao Dai followers. On November 19, 2008, the 1997 Sect sent its members to take over the temple; they were met with strong resistance by Cao Dai followers. On Sunday December 27, 2009, escorted by government officials, sect members attacked Cao Dai followers at the temple but failed to take over the temple. The following day, escorted by a large contingent of thugs, public security agents, military personnel, and local government officials, Sect members succeeded in taking over the temple using force and violence. On December 30, 2009, Cao Dai followers filed a report with the police and requested investigation, which were completely ignored by the police. In 2017, the 1997 Sect demolished the Dinh Quan Cao Dai Temple to build its own new temple. On May 18, 2020, with the help of a lawyer, the victims filed a complaint with the district government for its failure to initiate an investigation into the 2009 violent incident. The district government met with the plaintiffs and advised them to drop the case.
Phù Mỹ Cao Dai Temple: Following the attack by Sect members on September 16, 2012, the temple’s Chief Administrator Nguyễn Hữu Khanh and other victims of the attack filed requests for criminal investigation of the attackers with the court, procuracy and police. On February 12, 2020, the procuracy announced its decision: no prosecution.
On March 14, 2009, a number of Cao Dai followers filed a lawsuit with the People’s Court of Tay Ninh Province challenging the 1997 Sect’s use of the Cao Dai Religion’s name and identity and its occupation of the Cao Dai Religion’s Tay Ninh Holy See. This lawsuit aimed to expose the 1997 Sect’s true nature as an impostor whose mission was to impersonate the Cao Dai Church. The court took no action and did not respond to the plaintiffs’ multiple queries. Instead, on August 28, 2009, the Public Security of Hoa Thanh District, Tay Ninh Province issued an arrest and search warrant against Mr. Dương Xuân Lương, a Cao Dai follower suspected of being the mastermind behind the lawsuit, on the charge of “abusing freedom and democratic rights to infringe on national interests and the legal rights and interests of organizations [and] citizens.”

Direct interventions by the government: When the 1997 Sect failed to exert controls over followers of the Cao Dai Religion, the government would step in. Following are a few cases in point.

Arrest warrant against Duong Xuan Luong: In early 2008 the Popular Council of the Cao Dai Religion, a network of followers fighting to preserve their faith, announced their plan to convene a gathering of members on March 17 near the “Pagoda Tree” on the grounds of their Tay Ninh Holy See. Their intention was to make a public request that the 1997 Sect stop presenting itself as the Cao Dai Religion, give Cao Dai followers access to facilities at their Holy See, and return the Holy See to the Cao Dai Religion. Six days before the event, the 1997 Sect’s Governing Council issued Announcement No. 01/83-HDCQ.TT to condemn the Popular Council of the Cao Dai Religion for “inciting chaos, causing disunity within the religion, intentionally using deceiving words, tricking the faithful to go down a sinful path in regard to the religion, [and] violating the law.” It called for intervention by the police. On March 14, the public security police surrounded the house of Mr. Duong Xuan Luong, suspected of being the mastermind behind the planned event, to arrest him, but he was not at home. The public security then issued an arrest warrant against him. Mr. Luong had to live in hiding until his escape to Thailand in 2016; he arrived in the United States in April 2017 after more than nine years on the run.
Punished for taking part in the 1998 gathering at the Tay Ninh Holy See: Despite threats from the 1997 Sect and intervention by the police, some 120 Cao Dai followers proceeded with their plan to gather at their Tay Ninh Holy See on March 17. According to the U.S. Department of State’s 2010 International Religious Freedom Report, in May 2010 a priest with the unrecognized Cao Dai faith in Tay Ninh was convicted for “slandering an on-duty official” according to the MPS-affiliated People’s Police newspaper. The priest was arrested in November 2009 after criticizing several police officers for actions against religious followers of the unrecognized Cao Dai faith. The priest in 2008 had led a protest of over 300 followers of the unrecognized Cao Dai faith to the Cao Dai Holy See in order to denounce the current leader of the official organization and demand the officially recognized church return properties, including the Cao Dai Holy See, to the unrecognized church.
Facilitaing physical assault of Cao Dai followers by 1997 Sect members: On May 27, 2015, Cao Dai followers gathered on the grounds of their Tay Ninh Holy See. A few days before, the 1997 Sect immediately requested government intervention. On the preset date, some 200 Cao Dai followers who had successfully made it to their Tay Ninh Holy See found themselves surrounded by public security police, militia members, traffic cops, and plainclothes police. They were attacked by Sect members wearing red armbands with batons and spray paint; at the same time the police dispersed other Cao Dai followers as they arrived, using water cannons from fire trucks parked nearby. About ten members of the 1997 Sect’s security unit physically assaulted Mr. Trần Văn Hạp, Deputy Administrator of a Cao Dai congregation located near the Tay Ninh Holy See. Nguyễn Quốc Dũng, a Sect member, was seen within the police contingent apparently informing them which Cao Dai followers to target. After resettling to the United States, Nguyễn Quốc Dũng continued to threaten Cao Dai followers who challenged the 1997 Sect, He was a defendant in the RICO lawsuit against the 1997 Sect and its head, Mr. Nguyễn Thành Tám. On August 16, 2023, the Texas court in Dallas County ordered that he pay two Cao Dai followers and a Cao Dai temple the total of $3.6 million for causing damages and emotional distress.
Banning Mr. Tran Ngoc Suong from attending religious activities: On January 26, 2021, Mr. Phan Văn Hoà, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Bến Cầu District, Tay Ninh Province, issued a communication branding Mr. Suong as an agent causing harm to security and disrupting public order: “Recently, in Bến Cầu District, Trần Ngọc Sương has been the organizer of Ceremonies of Installation of Divine Eye Banners and Praying for Peace performed by a group of individuals calling themselves ‘“‘Adherents of the Authentic 1926 Church‘”‘. This group has been working to entice Cao Dai adherents to join ‘Adherents of the Authentic1926 Church’ as they take advantage of the policy on religious freedom to harm security and disrupt public order in Bến Cầu District.” The communication ordered local Congregation Governing Committees of the 1997 Sect to disrupt such religious activities, and, if that does not work, local government authorities to punish Mr. Suong and his fellow Cao Dai adherents for conducting religious activities:
“…When finding out that the subjects that we target come to our district to conduct Ceremonies of Installation of Divine Eye Banners and Praying for Peace, the chairpersons of People’s Committees of affected communes and towns shall tell local Congregation Governing Committees to request such subjects to cease and leave. If security and public order cannot be maintained when you take these measures to resolve the issue, the police forces of affected communes and towns shall:
– Go to the sites to pacify and prevent complications;
– Request the involved subjects to come to your facilities for interrogation;
– And, proportionately to the severity of each violation, propose to the Chairs of People’s Committees of communes and towns that they punish the subjects pursuant to legal provisions related to security and public order.”
The People’s Committee then posted this communication at different Cao Dai facilities. When several Cao Dai adherents sought to meet with Mr. Phan Văn Hoà for clarification, they were summarily dismissed.
Imposing travel ban on Cao Dai followers: Followers of the Cao Dai Religion who reported rights violations to UN Special Procedures have been barred from traveling to Thailand to attend the 2019 Southeast Asia Freedom of Religion or Belief (SEAFORB) Conference, the International Religious Freedom Summit in Washington DC in 2023 and 2024, and the International Religious Freedom Alliance Ministerial in Prague, Czech Republic in 2023. The UN Secretary General has expressed concern over the intimidation and reprisals faced by Cao Dai followers for exposing the 1997 Sect: “Ms. Nguyen Xuan Mai, Mr. Pham Tan Hoang Hai, Mr. Nguyen Van Thiet, Mr. Tran Ngoc Suong and Ms. Luong Thi No participated in the previous conferences. Between 28 October 2019 and 1 November 2019, they were individually banned from travelling to the conference in Bangkok either under the order of the Ministry of Public Security of Viet Nam or local police authorities. Mr. Nguyen Anh Phụng (independent member of the Cao Dai religious group), who had initially planned to attend the conference, was interrogated at home for additional information on the conference even though he ultimately did not attend.”

Foiling the impersonating plot

On May 18, 2018, the Cao Dai temple in Mountain View (Dallas, Texas) filed a petition to cancel the trademark registration that the USPTO had granted the 1997 Sect’s Caodai Overseas Missionary. On July 25, 2019, the trademark registration was cancelled. Essentially, by this cancellation the US Department of Commerce reckoned that the 1997 Sect is not the Cao Dai Religion that it claimed to be. Thanks to the submission of three dozen reports of gross human rights violations committed by the 1997 Sect, the international community has become increasingly aware that this creation of the Vietnamese Communist Party is not the Cao Dai Religion but an instrument of the communist regime to eliminate the Cao Dai Religion. On August 16, 2023, the Texas Court in Dallas County ruled that the 1997 Sect and its leader, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Tam, engaged in activities which affect interstate or foreign commerce, and directly conducted such enterprise’s affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1962(c), the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, which targets mafia-like organizations. The court ordered defendants to compensate plaintiffs the total of $200,000 plus postjudgment interest at the rate of 6% per annum.

“Of the more than 300 Cao Dai temples in Vietnam, all but approximately 15 have been seized by the government-sponsored 1997 Sect during the previous two decades. In November, authorities in Long An Province allegedly set fire to a storeroom on a farm owned by Sub-dignitary Hua Phi, which he believed was an act of retaliation for meeting with U.S. diplomats in Ho Chi Minh City. Between April 20 and June 30, the 1997 Sect demolished at least 15 graves at Cuc Lac Thai Binh Cemetery belonging to independent Cao Dai followers whose families refused to join the 1997 Sect.” US Commission on International Religious Freedom’s report for the year 2018 “On September 11 and 13, for example, members of the recognized Cao Dai Sect (Cao Dai 1997) disrupted the rite of unregistered Cao Dai members (Cao Dai 1926) at a private residence in Ben Cau District, Tay Ninh Province.” US State Department’s 2020 International Religious Freedom Report

Following the said ruling by the Texas court, the Vietnamese Communist Party, which ordered the creation of the 1997 Sect, had to acknowledge that its creation is not the same as the original Cao Dai Religion that was established in 1926:

“… the incident ‘1997 Cao Dai versus Traditional 1926 Cao Dai‘ that Nguyen Dinh Thang (the leader of BPSOS) repeatedly shared on social networks recently, is actually a conflict between the two. Cao Dai religious organizations in the United States. However, BPSOS slandered the Vietnamese State when it said that the 1997 Cao Dai sect (a branch of the Tay Ninh Holy See Cao Dai Church in the United States) was ‘established by the Vietnamese state’ to ‘exterminate the Cao Dai religion in Vietnam’ and ‘attack’ those who defend the traditional 1926 Cao Dai religion in the United States.”

Cao Dai followers in Vietnam and among the diaspora call on the international community to support their quest to regain access to their Tay Ninh Holy See and hundreds of local Cao Dai temples being occupied by the 1997 Sect, a criminal enterprise per definition of the U.S. RICO law.

Cao Dai followers’ campaign to get back their temples

The year 2025 will mark Cao Dai Religion’s centennial. Cao Dai followers inside Vietnam and around the world seek international support to regain access to their places of worship in time to commemorate this most important, once-in-a-lifetime occasion. Their central temple, known as the “Tay Ninh Holy See,” and practically all their 300 local temples are being occupied by the 1997 Sect, which has been ruled by a U.S. court to be a “racketeering enterprise”, essentially a criminal organization, under U.S. law.

A joint letter circulated by International Religious Freedom Roundtable to support this endeavor has collected over one hundred signatures.

Recommendations

The U.S. Government in particular and the international community in general should lay down benchmarks for the Vietnamese Government to demonstrate its good faith in respecting and protecting freedom of religion or belief, including:

To what extent has the Vietnamese Government prosecuted government officials and 1997 Sect members for forcing Cao Dai followers to convert to the 1997 Sect in violation of Article 5 of Vietnam’s Law on Belief and Religion?
To what extent has the Vietnamese Government prosecuted 1997 Sect members for illegal trespassing and expropriating of assets in violation of Vietnam’s Penal Code?
To what extent and how fairly has the Vietnamese court system resolved the lawsuits filed by Cao Dai followers against 1997 Sect members and government officials?
To what extent has the Vietnamese government facilitated access by Cao Dai followers to local Cao Dai temples and the Tay Ninh Holy See for religious activities, especially to mark the centennial of the Cao Dai Religion?