Viet Nam’s Ha Long Bay and Son Doong Cave have been listed among the world’s 10 most beautiful places to visit by a website specializing in providing travel tips and inspiration.

Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh Province and Son Doong Cave in the central region ranked third and seventh on the list of the 10 most breathtakingly beautiful places on the planet, respectively, compiled by British website Globalgrasshopper.

Ha Long Bay

“Located 165 km from Ha Noi, Ha Long Bay is an area comprising 1,600 islands and islets. The majority of these land masses has not been touched by humans and has managed to retain their beauty since their creation,” the site said about the Vietnamese bay.

Besides UNESCO recognition, the bay has also received other titles and is among the most popular travel destinations in the Southeast Asian country.

In describing Son Doong Cave, Globalgrasshopper said: “For centuries, men have mulled upon the existence of hollow Earth – a theory that states that the Earth is hollow. If hollow Earth did exist, than the Hang Son Doong caves would be a testament to its existence. The caves are so large that humans exploring them would look like ants.”

Son Doong Cave – the world's current largest

The cave, which has a large fast-flowing underground river inside, was found by a local resident named Ho Khanh in 1991.

It became famous after a group of British scientists from the British Cave Research Association, led by Howard and Deb Limbert, conducted a survey in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, which was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in April 2009, in Quang Binh Province.

The largest chamber of Son Doong is more than five kilometers long, 200 meters high, and 150 meters wide.

With such large dimensions, Son Doong has overtaken Deer Cave in Malaysia as the world's largest cave.

Besides Ha Long Bay and Son Doong Cave, other places on Globalgrasshopper’s list include Fiordland National Park in New Zealand, Vaadhoo Islands of the Republic of the Maldives, and Antelope Canyon in the U.S.