Ecotourism potential of the southeast coastal area of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Can Gio mangrove forest
Paper Details
Ecotourism potential of the southeast coastal area of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – Can Gio mangrove forest
Abstract
Can Gio is a coastal district about 90 km southeast of Ho Chi Minh City center, south Vietnam. Can Gio is a unique area in Ho Chi Minh City having mangrove forests with a complex river network, characterizing for tropical river mouth. In December 2000, Can Gio Mangrove Forest was officially recognized by UNESCO as a World Biosphere Reserve with an area of 10,734.95 ha, the first biosphere reserve in Vietnam. It has an important role in terms of national security and the development of marine economy especially, the general planning of socio-economic in Can Gio by 2020, with a vision to 2030, this area has been identified as one of the typical clusters of eco-tourism system in Ho Chi Minh City. However, the situation of eco-tourism exploitation in Can Gio area is quite fragmented and spontaneous. In this paper, we focus in analyzing the natural potential and humanity potential for ecotourism development of Can Gio area based on the comprehensive analysis view, and field survey. This study showed that Can Giohas special ecotourism values: the unique landscape of the estuarine coastal area is still pristine with high biodiversity mangrove ecosystem; special cultural festivals; historical relics and tradition. This study also assesses the current status of ecotourism in Can Gio, where it is being promoted as a strategy for balancing regional economic growth and conservation objectives. Through an evaluation of the existing tourism- national park- community relationships, opportunities and constraints are identified. The resolutions of management and development of eco-tourism in Can Gio such as improvement of infrastructure, strengthening environmental education as well as encouraging the participation of local communities in tourism activities are proposed.
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Copyright © 2018 by the Authors. This article is an open access article and distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) license.