The geointerpretation products for selected geosites in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Abstract

Geotourism can be seen as one of the sustainable tourism options attracting attention from both researchers and tourists. Urban geotourism is a niche of geotourism that mainly focuses on some topic related to the urban area that has a relationship with the geological features. Interpretation products for geosites and geoheritages play an important role in geotourism and urban geotourism development due to their role of explanation about the geological foundation of the destination. It can be viewed as a useful instrument for educating people of all ages about geology. Ho Chi Minh City contains many sites with unique geological features and offers enormous potential for urban geotourism. This sites include Geosite Dam Lay - Rung Sac Can Gio, which has the relationship between geology and archeology, biodiversity, and historical events; Geosite Dat Thep Cu Chi, with the geology foundation for the sustainable existing secret tunnels; and Geosite District 1, displaying iconic geological structures. However, there is a shortage of interpretation products to explain geological knowledge to visitors these days. This research aimed to create the interpretation products for some highlighted geosites in Ho Chi Minh City based on scientific and other value (including historical, ecological, archeological, and aesthetic value) of the selected geosite. The target audience of this interpretation product was tourists who were unaware of geological features and geology experts. It is clear that all the interpretation products belonged to the portable interpretative tools, including 2 types: 1) brochure; 2) booklet. Also, all the interpretations were created based on the concept of abiotic, biotic, and culture of the geosites. Raising geology awareness and developing a variety of geotourism offerings for tourists and geology enthusiasts were the goals of this interpretation proposal.