Under the communists

Communism had appeared in Vietnam at about the same time as Caodaism, and the two had shared a very antagonistic history despite the fact that at times the two groups appealed to each other for support. By 1975 the lines of division were clear, as Blagov writes, after the fall of Saigon in 1975, …the Hanoi authorities were keen to reorganise all religious communities in Southern Vietnam in such a way as to destroy them as autonomous social organizations.

Several dignitaries were killed and a good deal of Caodaist property was seized by the state. Some temples were turned into factories or warehouses, while for a time the Great Divine Temple was closed. Caodaists who I spoke with in Tay Ninh told me of how they moved in and re-opened the Temple during these dark days. Despite the threat of arrest and even death, communists flags were repeatedly pulled off temples by brave adepts. One strange policy of the communists was to belittle and trivialise the religious life of Vietnam. Under this policy during the late seventies and eighties, religious areas were turned into fun parks. One such park was built within the grounds of the Holy See where the religion’s library once stood. Here toy trains, slippery-dips and swings served as paltry thrills to tempt people away from the Temple on festival days. Those who persisted in worshipping were bombarded with popular music, for example, love songs which would blare out of huge speakers trained on the Great Divine Temple.

Perhaps the most destructive policy of the communists was their prohibition of official séance. Although Caodaism uses the ballot box to elect members to the Cuu Trung Dai, each name thus elected must be put beneath the divine pen in a seance to ensure holy ratification. Without a chance to do this, no new members can be elevated into positions of leadership. Because of this the number of pre-1975 office-holders are fast dying out. Already most of the high positions remain empty. For the day-to-day administration of the faith, the communists have appointed a management committee. This committee consists of a number of the faithful, but the majority of its members remain more faithful to the communists. In the last year or so it seems that small concessions are being made to the running of the religion. Members of the lower hierarchy are being elevated and new elections are being held, but the original constitution of the religion is still being overridden. The decisions of the management council continue to be widely recognised as illegitimate.

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Od dawna jej już nie mam, ale z grubszych rzeczy pamiętam komentarz autora po opisie bitwy pod Ia Drang, że opisy bitwy po stronie wietnamskiej to czysta propagandowa fanaberia komunistycznych generałów, więc nie zasługujące na uwagę, coś w ten deseń. Mógł się starać o bardziej zawoalowaną prezentację swojej agendy.