A ceremony was held for the formal naming of Ha Long Bay as a new world wonder at My Dinh stadium in Hanoi on April 27.

At the ceremony, Bernard Weber, president and founder of the Zurich-based New7Wonders Foundation presented a new world wonder certificate and symbol to Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoàng Tuấn Anh and Chairman of the Quang Ninh provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Văn Đọc.

Speaking at the event, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan thanked tens of millions of Vietnamese people and international friends for their votes for Ha Long Bay.

He asked Quang Ninh province join people nationwide to preserve and promote the great values of the Ha Long Bay heritage as well as other tangible and intangible heritages in the country.

On November 11, 2011, Ha Long Bay was named among the world's seven new natural wonders following a public poll.

Ha Long Bay , which was recognised by UNESCO as a World Natural Heritage site in 1994, is seated on an area of about 1,553 sq. metres. It includes 1,969 islets, most of which are limestone, that were formed over 500 million years.

The bay, which has a 120km coastline, is home to 14 endemic floral and about 60 endemic fauna species.-VNA