Phú Yên Geopark boasts rich geological, landscape, cultural and biodiversity values. — VNA/VNS Photo

ĐẮK LẮK — Đắk Lắk Province is implementing a project to seek UNESCO Global Geopark recognition for Phú Yên Geopark, aiming to preserve its rich geological, natural, cultural and historical heritage while leveraging these values to promote sustainable tourism, improve local livelihoods and showcase the eastern part of the province.

Rich geological and cultural heritage

Established in 2024, Phú Yên Geopark covers nearly 2,000sq.km of land and about 1,000sq.km of sea across 22 communes and wards in eastern Đắk Lắk. With nearly 189km of coastline, offshore islands, rocky cliffs, beaches, lagoons and bays, the area boasts rich geological, landscape, cultural and biodiversity values. It is also home to diverse ethnic groups, including the Kinh, Hoa, Chăm, Ê Đê and Ba Na.

According to the Phú Yên Geopark Management Board, notable geological features include metamorphic rock formations dating back 1.8-2 billion years at Chóp Chài and Mũ U mountains and Nhất Tự Sơn. Ancient granite formed by cooled magma can be found at Nhạn Mountain, Cả Pass and Đá Bia Mountain, while volcanic activity created columnar basalt formations at Gành Đá Đĩa, Hòn Yến and Hòn Đụn.

Interactions between land and sea have created distinctive landscapes such as Ô Loan and Cù Mông lagoons and Xuân Đài Bay. The formation of the East Sea and deep fault systems along the Ba River have also left traces in hot springs at Phú Sen, Trà Ổ and Lạc Sanh.

The geopark also contains rich tangible and intangible cultural values, including three special national relic sites, 19 national relic sites, more than 80 provincial-level relic sites and four national intangible cultural heritage items.

Its coastal and riverine landscape has shaped a distinctive culture reflected in traditional festivals such as whale-worshipping ceremonies and boat races, as well as folk performing arts including Bài Chòi (folk singing) and Tuồng (classical drama). Phú Yên Bài Chòi, part of the Vietnamese art of Bài Chòi in central Việt Nam, has been recognised by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Traditional craft villages producing fish sauce, rice paper, basket boats, salt, pottery, sedge mats and brocade also preserve cultural knowledge and support local livelihoods. The area’s diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems offer potential for ecotourism, nature-based tourism and environmental education.

Conservation as foundation for tourism development

Director of the Phú Yên Geopark Management Board Huỳnh Vĩnh Ngọc said the board is implementing 12 key tasks under the project, focusing on surveying and assessing geological heritage and biodiversity and completing a dossier for submission to UNESCO next year.

The board is also promoting cooperation and training, organising international conferences, and developing tourism and promotional activities linked to the geopark, he added.

Despite its considerable potential, the geopark has yet to fully realise its tourism value. Experts, investors and local residents have pointed to inadequate infrastructure at some heritage sites and a lack of professionalism in heritage interpretation, limiting the effective communication of scientific, cultural and historical stories to visitors.

Hoàng Xuân Đôn, head of the Đồng Văn Karst Plateau UNESCO Global Geopark Management Board, said Phú Yên has great potential in geology, culture and nature, and UNESCO recognition could provide fresh momentum for tourism development.

He stressed the need to build a qualified professional team, complete the UNESCO dossier and strengthen community participation, while developing craft villages in association with tourism to create livelihoods and raise public awareness of heritage conservation.

To meet UNESCO Global Geopark criteria, Đắk Lắk aims to develop a model based on conservation and centred on local communities. The province plans to establish geological, experiential, community, educational and research tourism routes, linking geological heritage with local culture, cuisine, craft villages and agriculture to create high-value tourism products.

Trịnh Hải Sơn, Director of the Vietnam Institute of Geosciences and Mineral Resources and head of the Specialised Subcommittee on Vietnam Global Geoparks, said developing Phú Yên Geopark under UNESCO criteria is a long-term strategy requiring scientific rigour and consensus among authorities, businesses and communities.

The goal, he stressed, is not merely to obtain UNESCO recognition but to conserve heritage values, create sustainable livelihoods and bring Phú Yên’s distinctive assets closer to domestic and international visitors. — VNA/VNS