(VOVworld) - Thousands of people gathered at the My Dinh National Stadium on Friday to witness the official naming of Ha Long Bay as one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature.

Mr. Bernard Weber, President and founder of New7Wonders, Mr. Hoang Tuan Anh, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, and Mr. Nguyen Van Doc, Chairman of Quang Ninh People’s Committee open the symbol recognizing Ha Long Bay as the World’s new Wonder of Nature. Photo: VGP/Chi Anh

Addressing the ceremony, Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said that Vietnam is proud to boast many tangible and intangible heritages, including Ha Long Bay. Ha Long Bay was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994, in recognition of its outstanding and universal aesthetic value. In 2000 the World Heritage Committee additionally recognized Ha Long Bay for its outstanding geological and geomorphological value. Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan said: “We are happy and proud of our natural heritages, which require each and every individual and organization to make more efforts to preserve and bring into full play the natural values of the bay. I urge Quang Ninh authorities and people, and people around the country to join hand to preserve the values of our natural and cultural heritages for the younger generations”.

Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan: Vietnam is proud to boast many tangible and intangible heritages, including Ha Long Bay. Photo: VGP/Chi Aanh

On Tuesday, Quang Ninh province will organize a ceremony to receive the title. Tran Manh Oanh, a local in Ha Long city couldn’t hide his excitement. “I am very proud being a resident of Ha Long, home to the world natural heritage site. I’ve been to different places but none of them is comparable to the miraculous beauty of Ha Long Bay. It deserves the title and I hope the locals will do their best to preserve the site,” said Oanh.