The bay, twice recognised by the UNESCO for its landscapes and geological values, surpassed Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar Beach to lead the 25-entry group, which includes sea landscapes and beaches.

A total of 261 national and international sites, divided into seven groups, are vying to enter the top 77. 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.

As scheduled, the voting will last until July to choose the top 77. Then 21 sites will be selected by the organising board for the final stage, slated for between 2010 and 2011.

During this time, the New7Wonders World Tour will visit all 21 sites. The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be unveiled in the summer of 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.