Ca Mau hotel is fully booked before the beatification ceremony

At 8 a.m. on July 2, Cardinal Tagle presided over the Beatification Mass for Father Francis Truong Buu Diep at the Tac Say Pilgrimage Center, Phong Thanh commune, in the name of the Pope’s Special Envoy. According to Father Giuse Vo Van Hoai, Head of Tac Say Parish, this is the first time after nearly 500 years since Catholicism came to Vietnam, a beatification ceremony was held in the country instead of at the Vatican.

To attend the Mass, Mr. Quoc Bao (HCMC) said he and his family came to Ca Mau on July 1 and had booked a hotel since the beginning of the year. Currently, the group has more people to accompany them, but he cannot find an empty room in the area near the event location. “I had to ask the hotel owner to add an extra mattress for shared accommodation and pay an additional fee,” Mr. Bao said.

Similarly, Ms. Nhat Linh (Dong Nai) spent the past week looking for a place to stay, but most hotels and motels within a 20 km radius of the ceremony venue reported full rooms. “I called many places but always received the answer that there were no rooms left. I was worried that I would miss the opportunity to attend this time,” Ms. Linh said.

Survey of VnExpress shows that hotels on National Highway 1A within a radius of 10 km near Tac Say church such as Lan Tuyen, Thien Phung, Nhu Y… all announced full rooms many months ago.

To Loan Hotel representative said all private rooms have been booked, and the unit has continuously refused guests in recent days. Currently, the hotel only has dorm rooms available for about 200,000 VND per person per night.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau, the Beatification ceremony of Father Truong Buu Diep is an event of special significance, expected to attract about 70,000-100,000 pilgrims, domestic and international tourists to attend.

Most hotels, motels and accommodation establishments, especially in the central area and neighboring localities where the ceremony took place, have reached nearly 100% capacity.

To meet the needs of guests, the Department coordinates with localities and businesses to continuously update room status, connect facilities that are still capable of receiving and mobilize more suitable types of accommodation.

The Department also requires service business units to strictly implement listing and selling at the correct price, and not take advantage of peak season to increase prices unreasonably. Inspection teams have been established to monitor security and order, food safety, and fire prevention during the event.

The tourism industry recommends that pilgrims should proactively book and confirm rooms before arriving in Ca Mau, and follow official information from the Organizing Committee to update schedules and traffic flow plans.

With the expected large number of people and vehicles, visitors should arrange their travel time earlier than planned and follow the instructions of the authorities.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in addition to its religious significance, the Beatification ceremony of Father Truong Buu Diep is expected to create a boost for spiritual tourism in the province. The locality aims to develop this product line associated with eco-tourism, culture and community, contributing to extending the length of stay, increasing tourist spending and promoting the image of Ca Mau as a safe and friendly destination.

In the Catholic Church, beatification is the official recognition that a person has an exemplary life of faith and is enjoying happiness with God. This is the third stage in the canonization process: Servant of God – Venerable – Blessed – Sainted. To date, Vietnam has recorded 117 people who were beatified and later canonized.

Priest Truong Buu Diep was born on January 1, 1897 in Con Phuoc parish (now in An Giang). After 27 years of studying at Cu Lao Gieng Minor Seminary and Nam Vang Major Seminary, he was ordained a priest, and in 1930 came to take care of Tac Say parish, in Can Tho Diocese.

During his pastoral time, he lived simply, devotedly taking care of his parishioners, especially the poor. In March 1946, he was murdered while standing up to protect parishioners in the midst of war. After many decades, the place where his body was buried and reburied at Tac Say church became a pilgrimage destination for hundreds of thousands of people every year.