(VOVworld) - First of all, we would like to inform you of frequency changes for our summer broadcasts as of March 31. Listeners in Europe, Central America and the Caribbean, and Eastern America, please take note of the following changes.
A: VOV’s relayed broadcast from Moosbrunn, Woofferton, and Dhabayya to Europe at 17:00 UTC is now on 9625 kHz. Our broadcast from Woofferton, and Cypress Creek to Eastern US at 01:00 UTC and 02:30 UTC is on 12005 khz, and to Central America and the Caribbean at 03:00 UTC is on 6175 kHz.
A: We have sent listeners our latest frequency lists by emails and post. We hope they will arrive soon. You can also find these changes on our website at www.vovworld.vn.
B: Last week, Allen Fenix emailed us to say that he tuned in to our channel at 01:00 and 02:30 UTC on March 29th, 30th, and 31st but there was no signal. But on April 1, he could hear us again at 03:30 UTC at 6.10-6.20 mhz.
A: Thank you Allen for sending us your daily observation of our programs. Maybe you could not hear us on the last days of March because of the frequency adjustment. During the summer broadcast season, please listen to us on 12005 khz at 01:00 and 02:30 UTC or 6175 khz at 03:30 UTC. We’ll send you a QSL card to confirm your April 1 report.
B: We would like to say Hello to new listeners, Vladimir Nikitin of St. Petersburg city, Russia, Soutik Hati, a university student in West Bengal, India, and John Friberg of New Hampshire, the US. We are very glad to be in tough with you. This is Mr. Nikitin’s first reception of VOV. He listened to us for about 10 minutes on March 16th on the frequency of 7285 khz and marked SINPO at 43333. Nikitin uses a Palstar R30C receiver and a K9AY loop antenna.
A: From the US, John Friberg wrote to us after listening to a program on March 30th: “I was very excited to hear VOV tonight, for the first time, and plan to regularly listen to your English service to North America.” He was using a portable shortwave radio with a built-in telescoping antenna. The signal was strong but with moderate atmospheric noise. The signal was very strong for 1-3 minutes followed by 1-3 minutes of a weaker, less clear signal due to propagation and noise. He rated SINPO at 54344.
B: Once again, welcome to VOV’s Dx’er community and thank you for your feedback. We will send you our latest frequency list to make it easier for you to follow our broadcasts. From India, Muhammad Shamim sent us a reception report for the program on 7280 khz at 16:00 UTC on March 26th. He was especially interested in a Letter Box story about museums in Vietnam.
Ban Gioc waterfall
|
A: Mr. Shamim wanted to know about the largest waterfall in Vietnam. The Ban Gioc Waterfall in Cao Bang province, near the Vietnam-China border, is the biggest and most beautiful waterfall in Vietnam. It is the largest waterfall in Asia and the fourth largest waterfall along a national border in the world. It is more than 200 meters wide and has a drop of more than 70 meters.
B: Surrounded by picturesque karst peaks, its water rushes down a three-tiered cliff and is separated into three falls by rocks and trees. The thundering effect of the water hitting the cliffs can be heard several kilometers away. Below it, there is a deep pool more than 200 meters wide and over 30 meters deep. The scenery around Ban Gioc Waterfall mingles water, forests, clouds, and scattered houses of ethnic minority people.
A: Shamim of India also asked us how many airports there are in Vietnam. Vietnam has 21 civil airports and 15 military airports including 8 international airports. The two biggest are Noi Bai airport in the north and Tan Son Nhat airport in the south. At 650 ha, Noi Bai is the second-largest airport in Vietnam, behind the 800 ha Tan Son Nhat airport. Tan Son Nhat airport can serve 25 million passengers per year, compared with Noi Bai airport’s 8 million passengers and Da Nang’s 6 million passengers.
B: Vietnam is planning to build a new Long Thanh International Airport in Dong Nai province. It will be a level F4 international airport under the International Civil Aviation Organization’s guidelines. The airport’s capacity will be 100 million passengers and 5 million tons of cargo per year.
A: The first phase of construction will be completed by 2025, transporting 25 million passengers and 1.2 million tons of cargo. The capacity will increase to 50 million passengers in the second phase by 2030. It will become an international airport with a capacity of 100 million passengers in the third phase after 2030.
B: Let’s get back to listeners’ letters. Rana Dewan Rafiqul of Bangladesh said he will celebrate his 18th marriage anniversary on April 6. He would like VOV to send him a souvenir to mark this special event.
A: Congratulations! We’re happy to make your celebration more memorable with a gift from Vietnam. From Sweden, Christer Brunstrom said he thinks our music session is too short. He said at least 10 minutes of music everyday would be nice.
B: Well, that’s impossible at present. We can only have one song in our 30-minute program. We reserve more time for music on our Sunday show and our weekend music show on Saturday. We change the Vietnamese songs every week on our website and we hope to expose you to a great variety of Vietnamese music. Another listener from Sweden, Christer Werner, tuned in to our program on 9550 khz on March 14 at 16:00 UTC. The signal was strong but there were some disturbances from Radio Australia on the same frequency.
A: Thank you all for your reception reports which are useful to us in monitoring our transmissions around the world. We’ll confirm them with QSL cards and send you some station materials as you request. We welcome your feedback at:
English section, Overseas Service, Radio Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.org.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at www.vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Good bye until next time.