Viet Nam has been voted one of the world’s best countries for tourism by tens of thousands of people who were polled by a British newspaper.

The Southeast Asian country placed 17^th on a list of 20 countries deemed as the best travel destinations of the Telegraph Travel Awards 2014, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism said Wednesday on its website.

The awards are annually given away by The Telegraph on the basis of one of the most reliable reader travel surveys in the world.

The UNESCO-recognized Ha Long Bay, one of the scenic spots that make Viet Nam a must-see country in many foreigners' eyes

Around 90,000 people partook in a The Telegraph survey to vote for their favorite travel companies and destinations, putting it among the most comprehensive and wide-ranging travel polls in the world, according to the British newspaper’s website.

This is the third year in a row that New Zealand has topped the list, followed by The Maldives and South Africa.

The other countries in the top 10 are Myanmar, Australia, Japan, Botswana, Tanzania, Peru, and the U.S.

The results were announced on Monday last week.

Awards in a variety of categories, ranging from best tour operator to best hotel group, were presented at Banking Hall in central London.

Trailfinders - a British firm - won the coveted best tour operator award, while Cape Town was named the best city in the world.