Halong Bay - one of Vietnam’s two UNESCO natural world heritage sites – continues topping Group G by July 7, the deadline of the second phase of the voting for the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

The bay, twice recognised by the UNESCO for its landscapes and geological values, leads the group, which includes sea landscapes and beaches.

In the voting launched by the New Open World (NOW) at the website http://www.New7wonders.com, a total of 260 national and international sites are divided into seven groups from A to G. The voting is divided into three phases.

In this second stage, each country is allowed only one entry for selection, except for those entries that are located on a common border shared by two or more countries.

77 sites from 7 groups which get most votes in the second phase will be announced on July 9, 2009. Then 28 sites will be selected by the organising board for the final stage, slated for 2011.

During the first phase of the campaign, which ran from July 2007 to December 31, 2008, three of Vietnam’s tourist hot spots were nominated, including Halong Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park - another UNESCO Natural World Heritage, and Mount Fansipan.

(Source: VNA)