Ha Long, Vietnam’s world natural heritage, gained the highest growth in votes in the poll for the seven new world natural wonders on www.new7wonders.com last month.

Ha Long Bay

The bay currently takes the lead in the poll, followed by South Korea’s Jeju Island.

On www.new7wonders.com, Ha Long Bay always took the lead in the last several days.

In May, Vietnam promoted its advertisement and canvas for the bay with many activities held in Vietnam and abroad.

Vietnam and South Korea have joined hands to vote for Ha Long Bay and Jeju Island. On website http://www.jeju-halong.com, the Vietnamese page, there are over 2,500 votes for the two landscapes.

The poll for the new seven world natural wonders is now in the last stage, with 28 candidates. The winners will be announced on November 11, 2011.

Ha Long Bay is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and a popular travel destination, located in Quang Ninh Province, Vietnam. The Bay has an area of around 1,553 km2, including 1,960 islets, most of which are limestone. The core of the bay has an area of 334 km2 with a high density of 775 islets. The limestone in this bay has gone through 500 million years of formation in different conditions and environments. The evolution of the karst in this bay has taken 20 million years under the impact of the tropical wet climate. Historical research surveys have shown the presence of prehistoric human beings in this area tens of thousands years ago.

In 1962, the Vietnam Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism designated Ha Long Bay a \'Renowned National Landscape Monument\'.

Ha Long Bay was first listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, in recognition of its outstanding, universal aesthetic value. In 2000 the World Heritage Committee additionally recognised Ha Long Bay for its outstanding geological and geomorphological value, and its World Heritage Listing was updated.

In 2009, the New 7 Wonders Foundation, which runs the New Seven Wonders of the World programme, including Halong Bay on its list of nominations as one the World\'s 7 Natural Wonders.