British travel magazine Rough Guides has included Vietnam’s Ha Long Bay in its selection of the 100 most beautiful places to visit next year.

In the Rough Guides to the 100 Best Places on Earth, the magazine describes “the scattering of limestone pinnacles jutting out of the smooth waters of Ha Long Bay”, around four hours east of Hanoi, as an “incredible sight”. The bay is the only Vietnamese destination in the list. Since its recognition as a UNESCO natural world heritage in 1994, Ha Long Bay has entrenched itself on the global tourism map, receiving rave reviews from travel bloggers and filmmakers. Around 5.2 million foreigners visited the bay last year, up 22 percent year-on-year. Ha Long Bay, literally “descending dragon bay”, is a must-see destination in Quang Ninh province in the northeast of Vietnam. It was twice recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1994 and 2000.-VNA