Father Truong Buu Diep was born on January 1st, 1897, in Con Phuoc, now part of My Loi hamlet, My Luong commune, Cho Moi district, An Giang province, Vietnam. His baptism was conducted by Father Giuse Som on February 2nd, 1897, and his parents were Michael Truong Van Dang and Lucia Le Thi Thanh.
When Father Truong was only seven years old, his mother passed away. His father moved the family to Battambang, Cambodia, where they earned a living as carpenters. Here, his father took a second wife, Maria Nguyen Thi Phuoc, born in 1890, from My Luong, Cho Moi, An Giang. His stepmother gave birth to a younger sister named Truong Thi Thin (1913), who recently passed away in Ca Mau.
In 1909, Father Truong was sent to the Culo Gieng Seminary in Tan My, Cho Moi district, An Giang province, by Father Phêrô Lê Huỳnh Tiền. After completing his studies at the Culo Gieng Seminary, he went to the Nam Vang Major Seminary in Cambodia. At that time, the An Giang, Chau Doc, and Ha Tien parishes were all under the jurisdiction of the Pnom Penh diocese in Cambodia.
After a period of study, Father Truong was ordained a priest at Nam Vang under Bishop Chabalier of France in 1924. His ordination and first Mass were held at the home of his maternal aunt, Mrs. Sau Nhieu, in Con Phuoc.
From 1924 to 1927, Father Truong was appointed assistant priest of the Ho Tru parish, a Vietnamese parish in Kandal province, Cambodia. From 1927 to 1929, he returned to the Culo Gieng Seminary in An Giang province, where he taught as a professor.
In March 1930, Father Truong was appointed as the pastor of the Tac Say parish in Gia Rai district, Bac Lieu province. During his time as a pastor, he established and helped several other parishes in nearby areas such as Ba Doc, Cam Bo, An Hai, Dau Sau, Chu Chi, Khuc Treo, Dong Go, and Rach Ran.
During the turbulent years of 1945-1946, when the war was raging and people were being displaced, Father Truong's superiors and even the French priests advised him to flee to safety in Bac Lieu and return to Tac Say parish when the situation improved. But Father Truong refused, saying, "I live among the flock, and if I die, I will die among the flock, I will not go anywhere."
On March 12th, 1946, Father Truong and over 70 other clergymen and faithful were arrested at Tac Say parish and taken to Mr. Su's rice farm in Cay Gua. They were all to be killed, but Father Truong insisted that he was responsible for the flock of sheep and goats, who had been left behind without a shepherd. He asked that the animals be released, and they were. However, the priests were still imprisoned for several days, and some of them were executed. Father Truong, fortunately, was spared.
Father Truong Buu Diep devoted his life to serving God and his people. His unwavering faith and courage in the face of danger and persecution were truly admirable, and his legacy of love and compassion lives on.