SW News: After a two-year gap, the number of pilgrims visiting the Marian shrine of La Vang in Vietnam has increased by leaps and bounds. On the Feast of the Assumption not less than 50,000 people thronged the sanctuary which is located 50 km north of the city of Hue in the central region.

During the solemnity of the Assumption every year, a special event is hosted at the shrine, which is built on the spot where the Blessed Mother appeared in August 1798 to save Catholics from the cruel persecution of the government. In commemoration of Our Lady’s succor to the believers who hid in the forest, pilgrims from all parts of the country visit La Vang. They set up tents on the premises of the sanctuary and attend prayers and Holy Masses.

The Archdiocese of Hue had deployed a large number of volunteers to assist the pilgrims. They were also provided with essential services, including water and electricity. Believers representing parishes from around the nation laid wreaths in the shrine. They also prayed the Rosary to show their unity with the Universal Church. In his message to believers, Archbishop Joseph Nguyen Chi Linh of Hue urged them to “turn their hearts together to the Mother of La Vang to unite all hearts”. He said Vietnam’s society is moving more and more towards synodality and it is the desire of the nation to unite all elements.

In the shrine of La Vang, the statue depicts Our Lady dressed in a traditional Vietnamese dress and carrying the Infant Jesus. In 1798, the apparition was witnessed on the branch of a tree. As the Christians were suffering from several ailments, the Blessed Virgin directed them to boil certain leaves and drink the water as a panacea. The story of the Marian vision began to spread in 1802 when the believers went back to their villages after persecution died out. In 1820, a chapel was built on the spot. But it was destroyed during the heights of persecution between 1830 and 1885. The following year, the construction of a new chapel was started. It was renovated in 1924 and 1959. The bishops declared it a National Marian Pilgrim Center in 1961.