Urbanizing existential authenticity: motorbike tourism in Ho Chi Minh city, Vietnam

Abstract

This paper expands on the concept of existential authenticity by considering its scalar dimensions in the Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, “back of the motorbike” tourism industry. This paper has three related goals. In the first place, I show that the concept of existential authenticity demands a scalar component because of the term’s focus on the embodied, the emotional, and the interactive. These characteristics lend themselves to thinking about the urban dimensions of existential authenticity. Secondly, this paper responds to calls pushing for empirical work to be conducted on existential authenticity. Lastly and given the possibilities that exist at the intersection of scale and existential authenticity, future research paths are sketched.