The three sites and another 166 around the world have been nominated by the public in a voting contest held by the organisation.

The contest is being done in three stages, with the first done last July and the second in December.

The third round will end on December 31 this year and is expected to narrow the field to 20 new natural wonders. The final voting and selections will then be done in September 2009.

Local travel agency, Vietravel, has devoted a page on its website www.travel.com.vn to the contest, where individuals can vote for the local sites.