Ha Long Bay celebrates new title

Ha Long Bay was officially recognized as a new world wonder.

Attending the ceremony, chairman of the New7Wonders Foundation, Bernard Weber, presented the certificate and emblem to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh and Chairman of Quang Ninh People’s Committee Nguyen Van Doc.

Speaking at the meeting, deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan sent his sincere thanks to millions of Vietnamese people as well as foreign friends for their votes, which helped Ha Long Bay win in this competition.

“Ha Long Bay being one of the new seven world wonders is a great honour to Vietnamese people,” he said. “But this will also present us with greater challenges and responsibilities to preserve and develop the Bay in time to come.”

The deputy Prime Minister asked Vietnamese people in general and Quang Ninh people in particular to help take action to protect and promote Ha Long Bay as well as other treasures in the country.

The ceremony was highlighted by fireworks and a number of performances which depicted cultural features of Vietnam and other countries who also have a heritage named in the list of new 7 world wonders, including South Korean, Indonesia, or Argentina.

The 4-year voting process for the new seven natural wonders of the world, held by the New7Wonders, closed at 2am, November 12, 2011, (Vietnam time). The winners included Vietnam’s Hạ Long Bay, Amazon forest in South America, Iguazu waterfall in Argentina and Brazil, South Korea’s Jeju Island, the underground river in the Puerto Princesa of the Philippines, Komodo Island of Indonesia and Table Mountain of South Africa.

To mark the recognition, the northern province of Quang Ninh will to organise the Carnival Ha Long and Culture and Tourism Week from April 28-May 3.