It will compete with other regional tourist destinations like Angkor Wat in Cambodia, the Great Wall of China, Forbidden City in Beijing, Tokyo Imperial Palace, and Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.

Limestone karst mountains rise out of the waters in Ha Long Bay, Quang Ninh Province.

The winner will be determined by votes from travelers around the world. Voting is open online on the World Travel Awards website, and will last until Sept. 1 this year. Voters are required to register for an account on the website before casting their ballot.

This year’s awards ceremony for Asia will take place on Oct. 6 in Dubai.

Since its recognition as a UNESCO natural world heritage in 1994, Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province, around two hours from Hanoi, has found a spot on the global tourism map, with travel bloggers and filmmakers hailing its emerald waters and thousands of towering limestone pillars topped by rainforests.

The bay helped Quang Ninh welcome 14 million tourists, including 5.7 million foreigners, in 2019, an increase of 14 percent from the previous year.

World Travel Awards was launched in 1993 to acknowledge excellence in the travel and tourism industry. Heralded as the "travel industry's equivalent of the Oscars" by The Wall Street Journal, the awards are handed out based on votes by the public and travel professionals across the globe.

Vietnam was named Asia’s leading culinary, culture and heritage destination at the 2020 World Travel Awards ceremony.

Admiring revived corals in the heart of Ha Long Bay

In addition to being a unique and interesting natural landscape on the seabed and the habitat of thousands of marine species, coral reefs also have the potential for the sustainable development of marine eco-tourism. According to the Ha Long Bay Management Board, a survey conducted in 2015 showed that there were no good reefs. The best coverage of the reefs was under 50% and average coverage across the whole bay was only about 20%.

Ha Long Bay ticket sales plunge to 20-year low

Revenue from Jan-Feb ticket sales in tourist hotspot Ha Long Bay plunged to its lowest level in the last 20 years to VND1.8 billion ($78,000).

The mesmerizing view of Ha Long Bay throughout 4 seasons

The grandeur and breathtaking beauty of Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and popular tourism destination in Quang Ninh Province, is lively depicted through the photos captured in four different seasons.

Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago to seek world heritage recognition

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has assigned the Vietnam National Commission for UNESCO to work with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to take necessary steps in submitting dossiers seeking UNESCO’s recognition of “Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago” as a World Heritage site.

Ha Long Bay cruises regain bustle

Visitors should book at least 3-4 weeks before a trip to ensure availability of cabins for a weekend cruise in Ha Long Bay, says BestPrice Travel, a Vietnamese travel agency. Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO natural heritage site in the northern province of Quang Ninh, features thousands of limestone karsts formed over 500 million years and 2,000 islets that come in all shapes and sizes.

Source: VnExpress