Viet Nam’s Ha Long Bay has become one of the world’s new seven wonders of nature, according to preliminary voting results.
Viet Nam’s Ha Long Bay has become one of the world’s new seven wonders of nature, according to preliminary voting results.
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| A view of the Trong-Mai (Cock and Hen) Islet in Viet Nam’s Ha Long Bay. The bay has become one of the world’s new seven natural wonders. |
In the first count of the global vote announced early on Saturday, the six other sites crowned were the Amazon in Southern America, Iguazu Falls of Argentina, Jeju Island of the Republic of Korea, Komodo National Park of Indonesia, Puerto Princesa Underground River of the Philippines, and Table Mountain of South Africa.
New7Wonders Foundation website states that the calculations are now being independently verified and the confirmed winners will be announced during the official inauguration ceremony in early 2012.
Nation’s pride
Ha Long Bay in northern Quang Ninh Province has been recognised twice as a UNESCO World Natural Heritage Site, notable for its breathtaking landscape and geographical value.
The 1,553-sq.km bay is dotted with 1,969 islands, which collectively offer an exquisite example of karst formation in tropical and humid conditions. One distinctive feature of Ha Long Bay is its abundant cave system formed between 11,000 to 2 million years ago.
The long evolution and erosion of the bay has produced pyramid-shaped karst towers that gave the bay its unique beauty, says Dr Nguyen Thi Tinh of the Cultural Heritage Association of Viet Nam.
Tinh added that Ha Long Bay accommodates temperate ecosystems suitable for many species of marine animals, in addition to its great cultural and historical value.
Scientists have shown that Ha Long was inhabited by three successive cultures between 3,000 and 18,000 years ago: the Soi Nhu, Cai Beo and Ha Long groups.
To-dos
Since the voting opened four years ago, Ha Long Bay has beaten out thousands of other entries to get to the final round, aided by a series of activities and campaigns organised nationwide, including photo contests, art performances, and cycling trips.
Deputy minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ho Anh Tuan reiterated that Ha Long Bay has helped open Viet Nam up to the world.
"Ha Long Bay has been named one of the new wonders of the world thanks to the contributions of people from all strata of society, including Vietnamese abroad and international friends," Tuan said during a banquet held to celebrate the news on Saturday.
"The ministry asks for your continued support to help protect the bay and promote its natural, cultural and historical value."
The Head of the Viet Nam National Administration of Tourism, Nguyen Van Tuan, said Ha Long Bay should be built into a brand to encourage national tourism.
"The bay will be a prime location where we can promote positive images of the nation, its people and culture. The administration plans to provide high-quality services to attract more tourists who will continue from the bay to visit other destinations in Viet Nam."
The province also aims to have the whole province covered by wireless internet access by the Lunar New Year (January 23, 2012).
Ha Long Bay has been an attractive destination for millions of international tourists to Viet Nam. This year alone, the province plans to accommodate around 2.5 million visitors.
"The number of visitors to Ha Long Bay this year will break records," said Ha Quang Long, head of the provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
"Ha Long Bay now belongs not only to Viet Nam but to the whole world, so local people have a great responsibility to preserve and protect it," said Pham Minh Chinh, secretary of the provincial Party Committee.
Since it was recognised as World Cultural Heritage in 1994 and again in 2000, a master plan to develop tourism, approved by the Prime Minister in 2002, has been in the works.
"Investing in projects in and around the cultural heritage site will ensure that the surrounding area is preserved and that sustainable development is achieved," said Chinh.
(Source: VNS)
