Vietnam has many areas where there are favorable conditions to build global geological parks, and it is expected that by the end of next year, there may be additional landscapes to be recognized as global geoparks.
An international workshop on global geological park took place in Hanoi for a week, started on July 19, 2011 and attracted the participation of nearly 150 scientists from Asia-Pacific and Europe. In the framework of the workshop, there were some field trips to several localities in Vietnam.
According to the experts of the workshop, Vietnam has great potential to develop geoparks. The country is located in the intersection of two major tectonic zones, so it has a unique geological layer.
On October 3, 2010, Dong Van Stone Plateau in Ha Giang Province was recognized as a global geological park. The plateau covers an area of 2,350 square meters, including four districts: Quan Ba, Yen Minh, Dong Van, Meo Vac with an average height of 1,400-1,600m. Moreover, it is the place where many types of heritage are concentrated, notably geological and cultural heritages Photo: Thanh Ha
Dr. Tran Tan Van, Director of the Geological Science and Minerals Institute, said, in Vietnam, 6 areas could become global geological parks in the upcoming time, including the world’s natural heritage Halong Bay, the Cat Ba Biosphere Reserve, the Hoang Lien National Park in Lao Cai, Thac Ba in Yen Bai province, the Cuc Phuong National Park and the Hoa Lu ancient capital.
The title of global geopark will create favorable conditions to popularize Vietnam’s image in the international community and to develop economy. Especially, it can maintain the value of geology, geomorphology and rich local culture. Until now, Vietnam has only had a global geological park : Dong Van Stone Plateau, but in order to protect this title, Mr. Van said it is necessary to work out an overall planning, a strategy to exploit and preserve the geopark in a reasonable way.
Source in Vietnamese: http://vacne.org.vn/default.aspx?newsid=6401