The 7 Wonders Day will be held on July 7 to celebrate Hạ Long Bay as one of the best known world natural heritage site. — Photos courtesy of

QUẢNG NINH — A special event entitled 7 Wonders Day with a series of attractions and experiences for both residents and visitors will be held in Hạ Long City, Quảng Ninh Province, on July 7 to honour the elected New 7 Wonders of the World and Nature.

Organised annually the day, promoted by the New7Wonders Foundation, is driven by the slogan "A day to wonder!" and encourages people worldwide to appreciate and safeguard cultural and natural heritage.

In Quảng Ninh, a large-scale programme will be organised with different international activities to highlight Hạ Long Bay, a two-time UNESCO World Heritage Site, to wider community.

The bay features thousands of limestone karsts and isles in various shapes and sizes. It is a centre of a larger zone which includes Bái Tử Long Bay to the Northeast, and Cát Bà Island to the southwest. These larger zones share a similar geological, geographical, geomorphological, climate and cultural characters.

According to the Hạ Long Bay - Yên Tử World Heritage Management Department, Jean-Paul de la Fuente, director of New7Wonders Organisation, has recently made a visit to the side and worked with local authorities about the event organising activities.

Director of New7Wonders Organisation Jean-Paul de la Fuente (centre) in Hạ Long Bay.

It was his first comeback to the city after 15 years since Hạ Long was recoganised one of New 7 Wonders of the World and Nature.

De la Fuente expressed his admiration for the significant improvements in the management, organisation and sustainable development of Hạ Long Bay.

He said these achievements clearly explain why Hạ Long surpassed hundreds of initial nominations to earn widespread support from both domestic and international admirers, securing its place among the New 7 Wonders of the World.

Accordingly, many ambassadors, representatives of diplomatic agencies and international organisations in Việt Nam, representatives of countries belonging to the G20 and G7 World Wonders Networks, along with many key opinion leaders and international media outlets, will take part in the event.

Hạ Long Bay is voted one of the best place to chase the sunrise in Việt Nam.

Along with that, New7Wonders Organisation will also coordinate with the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and Quảng Ninh to hold a workshop on the management, protection and effective exploitation of Hạ Long's title.

The conceptual design for the 7 Wonders Day has been developed by New7Wonders and will be officially released after consultations and approval from relevant authorities in Việt Nam and Quảng Ninh.

The vote for the seven new natural wonders worldwide was launched by New7Wonders in 2007, and ended at on November 11, 2011 with three rounds.

Hạ Long surpassed more than 400 wonders from more than 200 countries and territories to be included in the final list of 28 wonders and then in the top seven new natural wonders most voted in the world.

Other wonders are Amazon rainforest (South America), Iguazu Falls (Argentina and Brazil), Jeju Island (Korea), Komodo Park (Indonesia), Puerto Princesa underground river (Philippines) and Table Mountain (South Africa). — VNS