Ha Long Bay slips two-year low on world ranking
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Vietnam’s bid to name Ha Long Bay as one of the new 7 world wonders is lagging behind as the iconic bay is now ranked near bottom following a recent accident killing 11 foreign tourists there.
The country’s most famous tourist spot has dropped 18 notches to rank 22nd, the lowest ranking in the two years since it was nominated to be one of the world’s New Seven Wonders of Nature.
Just last month, a tour boat sunk there, killing 11 foreign tourists from 8 countries and 1 Vietnamese national.
Listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 for its outstanding, universal aesthetic value, Ha Long Bay was nominated in 2009 by the New Seven Wonders Foundation to compete against other famous natural attractions such as the US’s Grand Canyon or the Dead Sea of Israel.
Running as one of the 28 finalists selected after wining the first two rounds of the competition since July 2009, Ha Long Bay had always remained in the top 5.
Last month, Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism unveiled a plan to attract more votes for Ha Long Bay nation-wide and internationally.
New Seven Wonders Foundation is a Swiss-based organization established in 2001.
In 2007, it launched a similar project to choose new Seven man-made Wonders of The World, which was claimed to attract more than 100 million votes at the time.
The winners of this year’s poll will be announced on this November 11.
