A: In its first month of operation, our website at www.vovworld.vn has received a lot of visitors, who are mostly shortwave listeners with constructive feedback. Kanchan Chatterjee of the "NATUN RADIO LIST CLUB" in West Bengal, India, says his club’s 30 members often listen to VOV’s English service and visit our website, which they think is beautifully designed and has fantastic articles.
B: Hazairin Junep of Indonesia wrote: “As your old listener, though not active in sending you reports, I still listen to your program whenever I have free time. Now I’m happy to inform you that I can follow you through the website which is easier and clearer and I can open it anytime I want to.”
A: We’re glad to know that our website has facilitated your listening to our broadcast. Our website has some features that are not broadcast on the radio such as Talk Around Town, where we run stories about local issues seen through the eyes of well-known Vietnamese writers, journalists, and bloggers. We hope our listeners will enjoy the variety offered by listening to our radio programs and visiting our website.
B: Back to Hazairin Junep’s letter. He visited our studio early this month and met some of our friends from the ASEAN department, which includes our Lao, Thai, Cambodian, and Indonesian language sections. Hazairin had an opportunity to see with his own eyes the life of Vietnamese people, which he has always wanted to learn about. He bought a very good book with a CD for learning Vietnamese through English. Hazairin says next time he comes, he will try out his Vietnamese at a small stall selling noodles with delicious eel in Hanoi’s old quarter not far from our studio.
A: We’re sure you enjoyed your stay in Hanoi and observed many differences in lifestyle between Vietnam and Indonesia. Indonesians are mostly Muslims while a majority of Vietnamese are Buddhists. You didn’t tell us if you went anywhere besides Hanoi. It’s a pity if you didn’t visit Ha Long Bay – a world natural heritage site recognized by UNESCO - just 150 km from Hanoi.
B: Anyway, we know you’ll come back to Vietnam in the near future and have more time to explore our country’s timeless charm. Until then, please keep on listening to our programs to learn more about our country’s culture, history, and lifestyle.
A: I’m reading a letter that contains warm and friendly greetings to the VOV staff from Rommel Fulgencio of the Philippine. He wrote: “I really like the culture of Vietnam as described in your English broadcasts. I also enjoy the great Vietnamese music. For me, Vietnamese people are kind, friendly, and very industrious. I hope some day I can visit Hanoi to experience the culture, friendship, and hospitality of the Vietnamese people. I would like to continue listening to the English broadcasts of VOV.”
B: You’re welcome to visit Vietnam, Fulgencio. If you’re ever in Hanoi, we hope to receive you at our station. Here I have a colorful Valentine’s Day card with images of smiling faces and hearts. Robert Krolikowski sent it from New York to wish the VOV staff lots of heart – happy fun wherever we look. The card asks: “how many hearts can you find? Remember, that means big ones, tiny ones, smiling ones, blinking ones…There are plenty of hearts to go around.” Thank you for your warm sentiments, Robert. Valentine’s Day, a western holiday, has become more popular in Vietnam over the last decade. We believe it’s a meaningful event for people, especially couples, to express love for each other. It symbolizes love, friendship, loyalty, sympathy, and empathy.
A: Once again, thank you, Robert, for sending us such a beautiful card. We would like to wish you and our listeners days filled with love and happiness. Next, here’s a letter from our regular listener Sanjib Biswas of India. He received a VOV bronze drum as a reward for his 10 years of faithful listening to our station. But unhappily Sanjib said he had to pay a customs fee of 22 USD to receive his present.
B: We’re so sorry to hear that, Sanjib. We’re surprised because listeners in other countries have received our gifts without paying any customs duty. We paid the postal charges to send the bronze drum and we don’t know why your custom service charged you an additional fee.
A: The bronze drum is modeled on the Dong Son bronze drums produced from about 600 BC or earlier until the third century AD. These are one of our culture's finest examples of metalworking. The images on the drums are realistic depictions of stilt houses, dancers, people pounding rice, beating drums and sailing, plus sacred animals and birds. The drums were played at festivals for rituals such as prayers for rain and good harvests, at weddings and funerals, and to aid military maneuvers. They were also used as funerary objects and symbols of power for tribal leaders.
B: We hope that you find your gift worth the sum you had to pay. Regarding your reception report for the program on January 11th on 7220 khz, we’re happy to confirm it with our QSL as it tallies closely with our station log. It’s good news that SINPO rating was all 4s with a strong and steady signal in Kolkata, India.
A: Before we go, we’d like to acknowledge a donation of 10 USD from American listener Tony Bernhoffer for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims. Thank you very much for your kindness and generosity to the victims.
B: We’ll also send QSL cards to Peter Ng of Malaysia for tuning in to our program on February 3rd on 12020 khz; Alan Brosch of the US for a reception on January 11th; Fumito Hokamura of Japan for a reception on January 31st on 12020 khz; Samuel Carlos de Santana of Brazil for a report on January 18th on 6175 khz; and Heinz and Felicitas Haring of Austria for monitoring our program on January 17th on 7280 khz. We welcome your comments at:
English program,
Overseas Service,
Radio Voice of Vietnam
45 Ba Trieu street-Hanoi-Vietnam
Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.org.vn