Police have said that 600 people a day are flocking to the village, while another 3000 are travelling to a nearby mountain where the apparition first appeared. While Catholics believe it is an apparition of the Virgin Mary, Buddhists are claiming it is Buddha, the police said. The Catholic Church maintains the apparition is just a natural phenomenon. As the news spread, government officials and local police were sent to investigate. They found a flash flood had caused a landslide, which had exposed a natural deposit of marble.
Police say it's the sunshine reflected off the marble that creates the image.
Following this years rainy season, flocks of birds have made thriving homes in the U-Minh Thuong forests. The forests, covering 1,000 km of mangrove swamp in Camau and Kien Gian provinces, are known for bird life. Now storks, teals and rare birds such as grey and mould-grey herons and pelicans can be found in the preservation forests in An Minh and Vinh Thuan districts. Ornithologists can take boat trips around the forests in Camau. It is now possible for tourists to explore the caves and lagoons with the Thai-based ecotourism company, SeaCanoe Expeditions.