Life Heritage Resort Hoi An in Quang Nam Province takes the 12th position on the list, while the Evason Ana Mandara Six Senses Spa in the central resort city of Nha Trang ranks 21st, followed by Hoi An Riverside Resort & Spa in Quang Nam in the 22nd place.

“The Readers Choice Awards are among the few awards we look out for every year. To be on the list, and to be recognized as the top resort in Vietnam by readers of one of the world’s most prestigious travel magazines, is an inestimable honor,” Chris Duffy, General Director of the Life Resorts, said in a statement.

The resort said the Readers Choice Awards polled some 25,000 readers who rated the resort across six categories including activities/facilities, food/dining, location, overall design, rooms and service. Only candidates that received a required minimum number of responses were deemed eligible for the Conde Nast awards.

In related news, Golden Sand Resort & Spa Hoi An in Quang Nam Province has been nominated for another travel award as one of the leading resorts in Vietnam.

The five-star resort is going to receive guests on November 15 after shutting down for a short period for property refurbishment.

Frederick van Ravesteyn, general manager of the Golden Sand Resort & Spa, said that the resort has taken the opportunity to revamp the resort to an even higher standard to enable it to compete in the World Travel Awards 2009, one of the awards of the travel industry.

The 212-room resort has been given a facelift including a new beachfront restaurant, a renovated Euro–Asian Restaurant, and a swimming lagoon with its tropical surroundings.

“We are delighted after being nominated for this prestigious award because it proves we are exceeding our guests’ expectations, We look forward to attend the lavish ceremony next month in London and hope that we can bring back with us this award,” van Ravesteyn said.

The speeches all confirmed that gong cultures in Vietnam and in other Southeast Asian countries share essential similarities, which have a deep influence on the socio-economic aspects of each country.

The presentations also mentioned measures to preserve and build on these cultural values. Some scientists held that such preservation should be community-based and incorporated into the curricula of schools, especially those in areas inhabited by ethnic minority groups, for the sake of sustainable cultural development.

Vietnamese professor To Ngoc Thanh said that it is vital to pay attention to and nurture artisans as human treasures. Meanwhile, Dr Hiroshi Hoshino shared Japan’s experience of implementing its government laws on protecting cultural assets since 1950.

Vietnam’s space of gong culture in the Central Highlands (Tay Nguyen) was recognized by UNESCO as intangible cultural heritage in 2005.

According to the People’s Committee of Hanoi City, the ceremony will be attended by representatives of the Council for Promotion of Tourism in Asia (CPTA) and the Tourism Promotion Organisation for Asian Pacific Cities (TPO), ambassadors and representatives of several Hanoi’s sister cities around the world.

Besides the official ceremony, numerous art performances of art will take place in the city’s centre from October 9-11.

City dwellers and travelers will have an opportunity to enjoy Chinese traditional operetta, love duets of Bac Ninh, martial art shows, a calligraphy competition and a tourism exhibition.

The Iguaru Falls of Argentina and Brazil leads the voting, followed by the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, Papua New Guinea and Komodo of Indonesia.

The final voting stage will take place between 2010 and 2011. During this time, the New 7Wonders World Tour will visit all 21 sites. The New7Wonders of Nature will be unveiled in the summer of 2011.

To vote for Halong bay, twice recognised by the UNESCO for its landscapes and geological values, please visit the website www.new7wonders.com/nature/en/vote_on_nominees/