The recognised heritage will immediately be registered on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity or the Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding and will be preserved at an international level. A day earlier, Quan Ho was also recognized by UNESCO in the same category of Ca Tru. Quan Họ folk songs form the northern provinces of Bac Ninh and Bac Giang, are performed as alternating verses between two women from one village who sing in harmony and two men from another village who respond with similar melodies, but with different lyrics. More than 119 cultural items from 34 nations have been nominated as an Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding but only 15 have been approved. Vietnam has been commended for its vision in preserving its cultural heritages. Next, the country will nominate its Giong Festival and Xoan singing.

The bay, twice recognised by the UNESCO for its landscapes and geological values, surpassed Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar Beach to lead the 25-entry group, which includes sea landscapes and beaches.

A total of 261 national and international sites, divided into seven groups, are vying to enter the top 77. In this second stage, each country is allowed only one entry for selection, except for those entries that are located on a common border shared by two or more countries.

As scheduled, the voting will last until July to choose the top 77. Then 21 sites will be selected by the organising board for the final stage, slated for between 2010 and 2011.

During this time, the New7Wonders World Tour will visit all 21 sites. The New 7 Wonders of Nature will be unveiled in the summer of 2011.

During the first phase of the campaign, which ran from July 2007 to December 31, 2008, three of Vietnam’s tourist hot spots were nominated, including Halong Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park - another UNESCO Natural World Heritage, and Mount Fansipan.

Cambodian Tourism Minister Thong Khon said Vietnamese tourists outnumbered visitors from the South Korea to account for the largest part of foreign visitors to Cambodia in the first three months of this year.

About 62,600 RoK visitors came to Cambodia in the reviewed period, a remarkable reduction from 97,500 in the corresponding period last year, said the tourism ministry.

To lure visitors in time of the global economic crisis, the Cambodian Tourism Ministry has turned to less-affected countries in addition to promoting new eco-tours.

The ministry has especially streamlined entry-exit procedures for tourists from the neighbouring countries of Vietnam, Thailand and Laos, allowing them to enter the three Cambodian border provinces with laissez-passers and stay for a week instead of three days as applied before.

Chairman of the Cambodian Travel Association, Ang Kim Eang, was optimistic that political stability would help draw more foreign visitors to his country.

According to Vietnamese Ambassador to Canada Nguyen Duc Hung, many people said they admired Vietnam’s culture and its unique handicrafts and they wish to visit Vietnam in the coming time.

The Vietnamese embassy will participate in other international festivals and exhibitions to promote Vietnam’s images and culture to Canadian people and foreign friends, the ambassador said.

The Ottawa Tulip Festival is one of the largest tulip festivals in Canada and it is held in May every year to welcome spring.