Ha Long Bay , in addition to three other sites, namely Phong Nha - Ke Bang National Park , Mt. Fansipan and the Mekong River, are included in a list of candidates for seven new world wonders, offering an opportunity for Vietnam to promote its image, culture, beauty and position around the world, he said.

The minister called upon localities, agencies, and political and social organizations, as well as individuals to continue registering their votes for Vietnam’s natural wonders.

Following the ceremony, thousands of local youths formed a parade along the streets of Da Nang to encourage locals to participate in the voting.

Ha Long Bay currently ranks second out of 77 candidates in the online poll for the seven new natural wonders of the world, launched by NewOpenWord.

Two stone bars, which are 2.4m long, 0.3m wide and 7.4cm thick each, were lifted out of the water on July 27 while the other, which is much heavier, is still in the river.

The two stone bars have been handed to officials of the Provincial Culture, Sports and Tourism Department and the Thua Thien-Hue General Museum.

According to researcher Ho Tan Phan, the name of Ben Ngu in Hue was made known in the Nguyen Dynasty.

When the king went for the Nam Giao ritual – the performance that prays for a peaceful country and a prosperous people, he usually stopped his boats and retinue at this section of the river before sailing to the royal place Thuy Phu.

Mr Cuong made the statement at a meeting held in Ho Chi Minh City on November 6, 2008 to help the government and businesses maintain the quality and development of human resources in the tourism industry.

Participants discussed a number of solutions to boost cooperation between various training offices, businesses and tourism management agencies and got updated on developments in human resources concerning Vietnam’s tourism industry.

The meeting was part of a 12 million EUR project financed by the EU to develop Vietnam’s tourism-related human resources.

This is part of an annual cultural and arts programme to promote exchange and mutual understanding between the Vietnamese community in France and domestic artists.

The event attracted special attention from the Vietnamese community in France by playing folksongs such as Ru con Nam bo, Beo dat may troi, Ing La oi and famous songs like Khat vong, Tinh ca, Gui gio cho may ngan bay, Oi que toi, Que nha and Am vang dat nuoc. The performance ended with the sweet melody of the song Vietnam - que huong toi (Vietnam - my homeland), which left a deep impression on the audience.

Most of the Vietnamese wished they could enjoy more cultural exchanges such as this to foster their love for the homeland and strengthen the solidarity between Vietnamese people both inside and outside of the country.