Ha Long Bay, Vietnam, to compete.

Already a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the stunning Ha Long Bay in Vietnam has its eye on a greater prize - to be chosen as one of the World's Seven Wonders.

Ha Long Bay, Vietnam’s spectacular seascape of 1,600 limestone islands and caves, has begun its bid for inclusion in the list of Seven Wonders of the World.

Unfortunately, there are many other places in East Asia where these limestone islands jut out of the sea and some areas have calmer, more beautiful waters surrounding them. What Ha Long Bay has that is different, however, are a number of spectacular caves.

In Ha Long today there is an office where visitors are encouraged to vote for the inclusion of the area as a Seventh Wonder. The Truly Ha Long Centre has also opened in the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi in an effort to drive the bid to get Vietnam’s natural wonder on to the list.

The Truly Ha Long Centre, as well as drumming up popular support, will be a showroom for the bay, which is already a UNESCO World Heritage Site and draws more than one and a half million visitors a year to the area.

The sponsors are exerting every effort to raise awareness of the international competition and they are exerting everything in their power to get the word out. One of the sponsors is Emeraude Classic Cruises and they have designed special flyers for distribution to all guests and are promoting the compaign on their website. A spokesman described it as a supernatually beautiful spot, totally unspoiled and unique.

If you have ever been to Ha Long Bay, and if you feel this is a place you’d like to nominate, then you can vote up until 8th August, 2008. After this time a panel of experts will choose 21 semi-finalists. Voters of the world then come into the picture again as they vote for the final new Seven Wonders of the World.