From baguette sandwiches to Roman Catholic architecture, colonial heritage is everywhere in Vietnam

One of the indelible legacies the pandemic has given me—in addition to an increased sense of anxiety and a borderline pathological hygiene OCD—is a mild gluten intolerance. , Anathema for a traveling foodie and travel writer“one might say. A loud one” no big deal“That’s what I’ve been known to shoot down these days. There is a gluten-free alternative to just about anything edible. Yes, good old beer too!

But before the culinary world sought out such gentle alternatives to satisfy us gluten-challenged souls, Vietnamese had a number of other reasons up their sleeves. But about that a little later.

I find myself in Vietnam these days. This is one of the first destinations in my ‘Badla Yatra’ series that I have planned for the next few months. A place with a certain French flair like no other.

As one knows, from 1887 until the Geneva Accords of 1954, Vietnam was part of the French ‘Indochine’, a vast colonial stronghold that also included Laos and Cambodia. Even now, nearly 70 years later, it is easy to find French influence throughout the region, albeit with a few twists.

For example, my Quotidian breakfast staple is a delicious, toasted bun meal sandwich. A mini baguette-like sandwich stuffed with a French filling and a curious assortment of condiments such as roast pork, pork pâté, and mayonnaise, commonly paired with Asians such as sweet chili sauce and fresh coriander fronds.

airy and porous

But it’s the crusty baguette that puts it in better perspective for me. What began as a regular-sized French baguette made from wheat flour at the beginning of colonial rule has morphed into a mini gluten-free Vietnamese-style bread made using rice flour (a Southeast Asian staple) – Providing bread with a more airy and porous texture like never before.

There are French-style bakeries throughout Vietnam that serve banh mi, not only in their various permutations and combinations, but also in the beloved French coffee. Another surprise in the tea-crazy continent.

Also distinct from its other, immediate Southeast Asian neighbor is the modern Vietnamese script. Its basis in Roman script was promoted by the French colonial authorities after being created by the Jesuit missionary Alexandre de Rhodes.

Saigon’s Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica is architecturally based on the holy Notre Dame of Paris. , photo credit: WikiCommons

Religion too – and Roman Catholic architecture in particular – is another relic of the French past. With its tall arches, opera house-like balconies and imposing columns, the country’s capital Hanoi and its commercial capital Ho Chi Minh City have churches among some of the most beautiful buildings I’ve found. Joseph’s Cathedral in Hanoi to Saigon’s Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica, both are architecturally based on the holy Notre Dame of Paris.

But Catholicism is not the only organized form of religion that the Vietnamese co-opted from the French. I am talking about perhaps the least known religion in the world. There’s one called Kaodavad that I chance upon while traveling south along this narrow strip of a country.

Founded in 1926 in southern Vietnam, Caodaism is a monotheistic religion that is a curious amalgamation of different philosophies. with the word chief accounts officer“meaning” higher “and” MidwifeMeaning “peace”, its basis is a fusion of the secular and religious philosophies of the East and the West. Interestingly, its doctrines are also based on certain codes, which are believed to be the founders of the religion, Ngo Van Chiu, who The French administration in Vietnam had a district head, was revealed through a series of sans messages beginning in 1921.

Worshipers at a Cao Dai temple in Tai Ninh province, southern Vietnam, known as the birthplace of Caodaism. , photo credit: Getty Images

More than 4.4 million are said to practice Caodaists, making it the third largest religion in Vietnam after Buddhism and Roman Catholicism. What is really novel about Caodaism is that it combines elements from many of the world’s major religions, including Buddhism, Confucianism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, as well as Jainism!

historical figure

Another fascinating aspect of Caoism is that in its cult of saints, historical figures (mostly French, no wonder!) such as Joan of Arc and Louis Pasteur also have a firm footing. But the most prominent and revered of them all is Victor Hugo because he gave many teachings as well as recited many important prayers to Caoism.

In fact, it is said that he even predicted that he would become the prophet of a new religion to merge European and Asian mysticism. Philosophical foresight at its best, no?

The Mumbai-based writer and restaurant critic has a passion for food, travel and luxury, not necessarily in that order.