Driving along Trần Phú Road at the foot of Núi Lớn (Big Mountain) with the sea on one side, visitors can look up the wooded slope to see a white statue rising amid the green canopy, depicting the Virgin Mary holding the Child Jesus and facing out toward the bay. From the gate at the foot of the mountain, a winding uphill path leads past larger-than-life sculpture groups spaced every few dozen paces, where pilgrims pause to pray.
This is Our Lady of Bãi Dâu Shrine (Trung tâm hành hương Đức Mẹ Bãi Dâu), the Marian pilgrimage center of the Diocese of Bà Rịa. The site began with a family stone chapel in 1926 and a seven-meter Marian statue in 1963. Pilgrims come here not merely to attend a single Mass, but to walk the entire mountain path, and it is that prayer path that sets Bãi Dâu apart from an ordinary parish church.
IHow a pilgrimage center differs from a parish church
A parish church has its own parishioners, namely the families living within the parish boundaries who attend weekly Mass and celebrate baptisms, weddings, and funerals there. A pilgrimage center has no such territorial boundary. Most people who come to Bãi Dâu do not live in Bãi Dâu. They travel from parishes across the Diocese of Bà Rịa, from Saigon, and from neighboring southeastern provinces, arriving in organized groups or on their own to pray at a place set apart for that purpose before returning home.
In Catholicism, pilgrimage is a longstanding devotional practice in which believers leave their familiar surroundings to journey to a sacred place, treating the journey itself as an act of prayer. Designating a site as a diocesan pilgrimage center belongs to the authority of the diocesan bishop. Once designated, the site takes on responsibilities that an ordinary parish church does not carry, including welcoming distant groups, maintaining a steady annual pilgrimage calendar so parishes can plan their visits, and providing outdoor prayer stations such as the Way of the Cross and the Mysteries of the Rosary so pilgrims can pray along the entire ascent.
According to the Diocese of Bà Rịa website, after the Diocese of Xuân Lộc was erected in 1965, Bishop Joseph Lê Văn Ấn proclaimed Bãi Dâu the Marian pilgrimage center of the diocese (with Our Lady of Bãi Dâu Shrine officially established on May 15, 1969), and organized pilgrimages to the site grew steadily each year. When the Diocese of Bà Rịa was erected in 2005, separated from Xuân Lộc, Bãi Dâu passed to the new diocese (whose mother church is Bà Rịa Cathedral) and retained that role. These two layers of episcopal designation show that Bãi Dâu is a diocesan pilgrimage center rather than the national Marian center, a role the bishops of Vietnam have entrusted to La Vang.
The most common misconception is that Bãi Dâu is a site of a Marian apparition, like La Vang in Vietnamese tradition or Fatima in Portugal. Diocesan records recount no apparition here. Bãi Dâu is a place of Marian veneration that grew out of the devotion of a lay family and the initiative of a parish priest, and was later chosen by the bishop as a place of pilgrimage. Among churchgoers and seafarers in the region, stories circulate of favors received after praying here. Those are personal accounts shared among the faithful, as the Church has issued no official judgment on them, and the library records them strictly as such.
IIFrom a family stone chapel to the shrine church
The history of Bãi Dâu is a sequence of architectural layers added onto the same mountain slope, beginning with a small stone chapel, then a statue, then a much larger statue, and finally a shrine church. Each new layer expanded the complex without erasing what came before.
- 1926-1927Stone chapel and the name Bãi DâuAccording to Diocese of Bà Rịa records, in 1926 Mr. and Mrs. Michael Nguyễn Hồng Ân (Vệ Ân) built a small stone chapel on the slope of Núi Lớn (then called Vũng Mây). On December 1, 1927, they donated the roughly 10-hectare tract and chapel to the Paris Foreign Missions Society, whose priests planted mulberry trees (dâu) to raise silkworms, giving rise to the name Bãi Dâu (Mulberry Beach).
- 1962-1963Statue of Our Lady of GracesFather Paul Nguyễn Minh Tri, pastor of Vũng Tàu, began building a 7-meter statue of Our Lady of Graces on the western slope of Núi Lớn in 1962. Archbishop Paul Nguyễn Văn Bình blessed and inaugurated it on August 11, 1963.
- 1965-1969Diocesan pilgrimage centerAfter the Diocese of Xuân Lộc was erected (1965), Bishop Joseph Lê Văn Ấn proclaimed Bãi Dâu the Marian center of the diocese and on May 15, 1969 officially established Our Lady of Bãi Dâu Shrine.
- 1992Groundbreaking of the large statueOn January 1, the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, Bishop Paul Marie Nguyễn Minh Nhật blessed the cornerstone to begin building the monumental statue of Mary, Mother of God holding the Child Jesus.
- 1994Inauguration of the large statueThe monumental statue was inaugurated on December 31. Earlier that same year, on March 19, construction began on the new shrine church.
- 1995Dedication of the shrine churchThe shrine church dedicated to Mary, Mother of God, measuring 46 meters long and 26 meters wide with 1,000 seats, was inaugurated and dedicated on July 22.
- 2005Part of the Diocese of Bà RịaThe Diocese of Bà Rịa was erected on November 22, 2005, separated from the Diocese of Xuân Lộc. Bãi Dâu became the Marian pilgrimage center of the new diocese.
Two discrepancies between sources should be stated plainly.
Height of the main statue. The official website of the Diocese of Bà Rịa records that the statue of Mary, Mother of God is 32 meters tall. A local tourism portal, however, gives the statue height as about 25 meters, built of stone and weighing roughly 500 tons. The two figures differ by seven meters, and neither source explains the difference. One figure may include the pedestal while the other measures only the statue figure, though that remains conjecture. This article follows the diocesan figure while noting both.
Elevation above sea level. The diocese records that the statue stands at an elevation of about 60 meters above sea level. The local tourism portal gives 28 meters. The library records both figures without adjudicating between them.
IIIThe statue, the shrine church, and the mountain path
Bãi Dâu is not a single building but an entire hillside organized as a processional route. At the foot of the mountain stand the main gate and pilgrim hospitality buildings. Midway up the slope stands the shrine church. Higher up stands the monumental statue. Connecting them all is a steep winding road lined with the Stations of the Cross and the Mysteries of the Rosary, turning the climb up the mountain into a step-by-step prayer.
Our Lady holding the Child Jesus, facing out toward the bay. Diocesan records give its height as 32 meters at an elevation of 60 meters above sea level, inaugurated on December 31, 1994. Seafarers can spot the white figure on the mountainside from afar.
The 7-meter statue erected by Father Paul Nguyễn Minh Tri and blessed on August 11, 1963. This was the founding monument of the entire center, predating the larger statue by thirty years.
Dedicated to Mary, Mother of God, shaped like a billowing sail facing the sea, 46 meters long and 26 meters wide with 1,000 seats, dedicated on July 22, 1995. According to the diocese, perpetual Eucharistic adoration is maintained here.
Fourteen stations leading up to the statue of the Risen Christ, each with 3-meter-tall statues recounting Jesus' passion, restored from the 1960s foundations and re-blessed on September 13, 2008.
Sculpture groups standing 2.5 meters tall along the path up to the main monument, each depicting one mystery of the Rosary. Walking the full path completes an entire Rosary.
The old stone chapel on the mountainside (now the Traditional Chapel of the Vietnamese Martyrs), which according to the diocese houses bone relics of 71 Vietnamese Martyr Saints.
What is notable is how the complex is arranged by elevation. The communal liturgical space, namely the shrine church, sits midway up the slope with seating for a thousand people. The panoramic focal point, the monumental statue, stands higher up in the open air. Pilgrims thus experience two distinct rhythms, a communal liturgy inside the church and a personal ascent along the mountain path to the statue. That is a classic layout of mountain pilgrimage sanctuaries, quite distinct from a parish church where everything takes place under a single roof.
IVThe lie of the land and orientation
A clear prefatory note is needed here. Catholicism does not teach feng shui. Traditional churches were oriented along a liturgical axis, governing the placement of the altar and sanctuary, whereas at Bãi Dâu the buildings follow the contours of the mountain slope and the desire for the statue to look out over the sea. What follows is a reading by the library through the lens of traditional Vietnamese geomancy, not something found in Church documents, offered solely as a cultural reference for readers familiar with traditional Vietnamese spatial reading.
First, backed by the mountain, facing the sea. The center rests on the western slope of Núi Lớn, with the mountain mass behind its back and the bay in front. Traditional geomancy calls this a textbook configuration of sitting on the mountain and facing the sea, with a solid backing behind and a wide expanse of water ahead where qi gathers. Few places of worship in the region display both features so clearly.
Second, placed mid-slope rather than on the summit. The statue does not stand on the exposed peak of Núi Lớn but midway up the slope. Classical geomantic manuals favor a mid-slope perch over a bare summit, because wind scatters qi at the peak whereas the mid-slope commands a wide view while remaining sheltered from behind by the mountain. The builders may not have reasoned in those terms, yet the outcome coincides.
Third, the road as a guiding axis. The uphill path with its evenly spaced stations reads in traditional terms as a guiding axis linking the foot of the mountain to the upper sanctuary, channeling movement in one direction and at a measured pace. Here that spatial rhythm matches the rhythm of prayer, as each sculptural station marks a pause.
Fourth, the gaze of the statue. The statue faces out toward the bay, looking toward seafarers. In the traditional mindset of coastal fishing villages, a figure set high above the shore looking out toward the sea passage serves as a beacon that boatmen look toward when setting out and when returning home. The library notes this observation as a traditional reading and leaves it there.
VWho comes and on what occasions
Bãi Dâu receives visitors year-round because Vũng Tàu is a popular weekend and holiday destination. Yet the true pilgrimage rhythm follows the liturgical calendar of Marian feasts and the center's own historical milestones. The table below lists fixed annual dates without Mass times.
| Date | Occasion | Who comes and what takes place |
|---|---|---|
| January 1 | Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God | Patronal and titular feast of the shrine, coinciding with New Year's Day, when many families climb the mountain to pray for blessings in the new year. |
| All of May | Month of Flowers (Marian month) | Parishes across the Diocese of Bà Rịa and neighboring regions organize pilgrimages to offer flowers and pray the Rosary along the mountain path. |
| July 22 | Anniversary of the dedication of the shrine church | The center's own milestone, marking the day the shrine church was dedicated in 1995. |
| August 15 | Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary | One of the largest Marian solemnities of the liturgical year, drawing numerous pilgrimage groups. |
| All of October | Month of the Rosary | Month dedicated to the Rosary, closely tied to the twenty Mystery sculpture groups along the hillside. |
| December 31 | Anniversary of the inauguration of the main statue | Anniversary of the 1994 inauguration of the Mary, Mother of God monument on New Year's Eve, when many faithful gather in thanksgiving. |
Visitors to Bãi Dâu fall into three groups. The first consists of organized parish pilgrimages accompanied by priests, who typically celebrate Mass in the shrine church before praying the Way of the Cross. The second consists of individual pilgrims, mostly from Saigon and the southeastern provinces, who climb the mountain to pray the Rosary and return home the same day. The third consists of non-Catholic tourists who stop by to view the monument and look out over the bay. The rules of conduct at the sanctuary apply equally to all three groups.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Sườn Núi Lớn bên đường Trần Phú, khu Bãi Dâu, phường Vũng Tàu (phường 5 cũ, thành phố Vũng Tàu cũ, tỉnh Bà Rịa Vũng Tàu cũ), Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh
- Getting there
- The pilgrimage center is located at 140A Trần Phú Road on the slope of Núi Lớn in the Bãi Dâu area, Vũng Tàu Ward, Ho Chi Minh City (prior to 2025, Ward 5, Vũng Tàu City, Bà Rịa - Vũng Tàu Province), a few kilometers along the coastal road from Front Beach (Bãi Trước).
- Coordinates
- 10.3712, 107.0622
As this is a place of prayer rather than a purely scenic overlook, the customs of a sacred site apply, including dressing modestly, not wearing beachwear up the mountain, removing hats when entering the shrine church, and maintaining silence inside the church and the relic chapel. On the mountain path, please walk around those who are paused in prayer at a station rather than cutting through them. Do not climb onto the statue pedestals or write on the monuments.
Nearby places in the library
VIIContribute To This Page
Contribute photos, information or video for Our Lady of Bai Dau Shrine
Góp ảnh, thông tin hoặc video cho Trung tâm hành hương Đức Mẹ Bãi DâuEveryone is welcome to enrich this page: a photo you took, a detail the page misses, a short video. Every contribution is read and answered.
Thầy Ưng Khiêm mời cộng đồng cùng làm giàu trang này. Ảnh chụp tận nơi, một chi tiết lịch sử chưa được nhắc, một đoạn video ngắn: mọi đóng góp đều được đọc và trả lời.
No community contribution yet. You could be the first. Chưa có đóng góp nào từ cộng đồng. Bạn có thể là người đầu tiên.
?Quick Questions
How tall is the statue of Our Lady of Bãi Dâu
The official website of the Diocese of Bà Rịa states that the statue of Mary, Mother of God is 32 meters tall and stands at an elevation of about 60 meters above sea level. A local tourism portal records the statue height as about 25 meters. Because the sources differ without explanation, this article follows the diocesan figure while noting both.
Is Our Lady of Bãi Dâu a Marian apparition site
No. Diocesan records recount no Marian apparition at Bãi Dâu. It is a center of Marian veneration that began with a stone chapel built by Mr. and Mrs. Michael Nguyễn Hồng Ân in 1926 and a seven-meter statue blessed in 1963, later designated by the bishop as a diocesan pilgrimage center. Stories of favors received here are personal accounts told by the faithful, on which the Church makes no official judgment.
How does a pilgrimage center differ from a parish church
A parish church serves the parishioners living within its territorial boundaries. A pilgrimage center is designated by the bishop to welcome faithful from across the diocese and beyond who come to pray, featuring outdoor devotional paths such as the Way of the Cross and the Mysteries of the Rosary and maintaining a year-round pilgrimage schedule.
When was the statue of Our Lady of Bãi Dâu built
The first statue, a 7-meter figure of Our Lady of Graces built by Father Paul Nguyễn Minh Tri in 1962, was blessed by Archbishop Paul Nguyễn Văn Bình on August 11, 1963. The present monumental statue had its cornerstone laid on January 1, 1992 and was inaugurated on December 31, 1994. The shrine church was dedicated on July 22, 1995.
When is the best time to visit Our Lady of Bãi Dâu
To experience the full pilgrimage atmosphere, May and October, the two Marian months, are when parish groups arrive in large numbers. January 1, August 15, and December 31 are also major pilgrimage days. Ordinary weekdays are much quieter, suited to those who wish to walk the Way of the Cross in solitude.