PHOENIX ISLAND

PHOENIX ISLAND

Until his imprisonment for antigovernment activities and the consequent dispersion of his flock, the Coconut Monk (Dao Dua) led a small community on Phoenix Island (Con Phung), a few kilometres from My Tho. In its heyday the island was dominated by a somewhat trippy open-air sanctuary. The dragon-emblazoned columns and the quirky tower, with its huge metal globe, must have once been brightly painted but these days the whole place has become faded, rickety and silent. Nevertheless, it is seriously kitsch, with a model of the Apollo rocket set among the Buddhist statues. With some imagination you can almost picture how it all must have appeared as the Coconut Monk presided over his congregation, flanked by enormous elephant tusks and seated on a richly ornamented throne.

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