The bay surpassed Great Barrier Reef of Australia to take the position and it now ranks behind Bangladesh’s Cox Bazar Beach.

To earn the elusive status, 261 national and international sites are vying to make it into the top 77.

Voting will go on until July 7 this year. Finalists will be chosen by the N7W Panel of Experts for short listing. Twenty-one sites will be chosen in July 2009 to go forward to the next stage of voting.

The final voting stage will take place between 2010 and 2011. During this time, the New7Wonders World Tour will visit all 21 sites. The New7Wonders of Nature will be unveiled in the summer of 2011.

Anyone interested in voting for Ha Long bay or any other locations all over the world can visit the website www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/vote_on_nominees