La Vang Holy Land

La Vang Holy Land is a major Roman Catholic pilgrimage complex in Hai Phu Commune, Hai Lang District, Quang Tri Province, about 50 km north of Hue along National Route 1A. Centered on the Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang, it includes the ruins of the 1928 basilica, a modern basilica under construction, and open prayer grounds. It is recognized as a National Shrine and is one of the most important Catholic pilgrimage sites in Vietnam.

Visitors can expect a large open religious complex with the preserved ruins of the old La Vang Basilica, the statue of Our Lady of La Vang under a banyan tree setting, the new basilica, chapels, prayer squares, Stations of the Cross, and landscaped grounds. The site is spacious and quiet outside festival periods, with areas for prayer, sightseeing and photography. Pilgrims and tourists walk between the historic ruins, shrine, and modern structures.

Tradition holds that in 1798 Catholics seeking refuge in the La Vang forest reported an apparition of the Virgin Mary. A small chapel was later erected on the site. A larger church was built between 1924 and 1928 and was elevated to a Minor Basilica in 1961. The basilica was largely destroyed in 1972 and its ruins have been preserved. Reconstruction of a new basilica began in 2012.

La Vang is the National Shrine of Our Lady of La Vang and the most important Catholic pilgrimage center in Vietnam. It is a focal point for annual pilgrimages, particularly the festival around August 15, drawing pilgrims from across Vietnam and abroad for prayer and religious observance.