In the top 25 hotels and resorts in Asia, the Nam Hai in Quang Nam central province and the Sofitel Legend Metropole in Hanoi ranked second and third, respectively. The Sofitel Da Lat Palace in the Central Highland province of Lam Dong came 21st and the Princess d’Annam Resort & Spa in Binh Thuan central province ranked 25th.

The Park Hyatt Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City and the Sofitel Legend Metropole and the Sheraton in Hanoi were also voted amongst the best hotels for businesspeople and conferences.

The annual poll, which is held every May to July, selects the best resort city, the best city to shop, the best city for business, and the best hotel, restaurant and airline.

According to Vietnam’s National Administration of Tourism, being listed in the top ten destinations in Asia is an excellent opportunity to entice more international visitors to Hanoi, especially on the city’s millennial birthday.

The event was co-organised by the Youth Union of the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Lao National University and the Vietnamese Cultural Centre in Laos.

The General Secretary of the Laos-Vietnam Friendship Association, Saikhong Sainasin, said that the event helped Lao students understand more about the natural beauty of Vietnam, including Halong Bay. He also called on Lao students and others to vote for Halong Bay as a new world natural wonders.

Mr Sainasin emphasised that the voting is a significant activity to celebrate the 1,000th anniversary of Hanoi and the 450th anniversary of Vientiane, as well as to strengthen friendship and solidarity between the two countries.

Halong Bay has been twice recognised by UNESCO as the World Heritage for its natural beauty and geology.

Speaking at a ceremony in Hanoi on April 7, Nguyen Sinh Hung, Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the National Committee for the 1000th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi, stressed that recognising the steles is an extremely meaningful present for Hanoi in particular and the whole nation in general, particularly as Hanoi is busy preparing for its millennial celebarations.

Mr. Hung praised the great contributions made by organisations, researchers and UNESCO Vietnam in successfully preparing and submitting a profile of the steles to UNESCO and expressed his gratitude for the organisation’s decision to recognize the steles as important cultural artefacts.

He also urged relevant agencies to continue nominating other cultural relic sites in Hanoi, especially the Thang Long Citadel, to UNESCO for recognition.

Earlier, the Deputy Chairwoman of the Hanoi People’s Committee, Ngo Thi Thanh Hang said that the recognition will provide a good platform for a series of cultural events being held in Hanoi and will contribute more to promoting the image of the capital city to international friends.

According to the decree, smoking on no-smoking flights entails a fine of 500,000 to 1 million dong. Similar fines will also be levied on passengers found using electronic devices, stealing others’ possessions or aircraft equipment, and ignoring pandemic prevention and other instructions from the crew.

People who cause damage to an aircraft or any of its equipment or use its safety equipment without permission will be assessed fines of 1 million to 5 million dong.

10 million to 20 million dong will be the fine for trying to open an aircraft’s emergency exit during a flight. People disrupting flights by raising false alarms will also face a similar penalty. Those who threaten the safety of a plane will be fined 20 million to 30 million.

The decree also stipulates penalties for organizations and individuals involved in operating flights.

Airlines that transport dangerous goods without appropriate clearances, operate flights without traffic rights, or run test flights in unauthorized and highly-populated areas will be fined 50 million to 100 million dong.

The decree will take effect July 20.