B: S.B Sharma of India wrote: “Wishing VOV a very happy 71^st anniversary. Congratulations and best wishes to you. VOV is dedicated to helping Vietnam’s progress in all aspects. VOV is supporting the government’s policies and spreading the view of the Vietnamese government around the world.”

A: Ivan Lebedev of Russia sent his highest congratulations on Vietnam’s National Day and the anniversary of VOV’s 1^st broadcast on September 7, 1945. Ratan Kumar Paul of India wrote: “Wishing all VOV staff well for the station’s 71^st birthday on September 7. We hope to listen to special celebrations that day.”

Retired and contemporary staff of the English section meet on VOV's 71st anniversary celebration

B: We have many interesting activities to mark this day. Today we’re organizing meetings and parties for all generations of VOV staff to review our traditions. We had a singing contest and sports games for journalists to show off our aptitude. We also opened a big bazaar, where we sold various things to raise funds to support poor ethnic children.

We are at our booth at VOV bazaar

A: Thank you all for listening to VOV over the years, and for your heartfelt wishes on our anniversary. We hope you’ll always tune into our channel for information about Vietnam and the world. Paul Walker, Jr. of the US emailed us on September 2 saying that he enjoyed listening to VOV. “I always consider it a treat to pick up your broadcasts since I am not in your target area or beams. I enjoy hearing news from a different point of view and I also enjoy learning about Vietnam from your radio station. One of my favorite segments is where you read listener letters on the air. Hearing listeners’ comments and reception reports provides a nice personal touch and cements the relationship between your radio station and listeners. Voice of Vietnam is one of the more responsive international shortwave radio stations in regards to replying to listeners. I always know when I send you reports and emails, they will be read and answered without me having to wait too long.”

A: Thank you very much Paul for your compliments. They’re always a great reward for all VOV staff.  We listened to the recording you sent us and verified your report on our program at 12005khz in English on August 29 at 02:30UTC. We’re glad to know that the signal was very strong and there was no interference but just a moderate amount of fading. Paul gave the signal a SINPO rating of all 4s and the overall broadcast was good.

B: We’ll send you a QSL card for this reception, together with some gifts with the Voice of Vietnam logo on them. We won’t tell you what it is. Let’s keep it a nice surprise for when you receive it. Our loyal listener Kanchar Chatterjee told us an interesting story: “I listen to your program via the World Radio Network’s podcast, usually six days a week or every day but Wednesday, and still enjoy the program “Listeners’ Letter Box”. In fact I’ve got an acquaintance on an Internet discussion forum who’s an expat living in Vietnam, and I think I annoy him sometimes with how much I know about the Vietnamese people and culture that I’ve learned from listening to VOV. When there was a Letter Box program a few weeks back, it turned out he knew nothing about it being all the way out in Vietnam.  I want you to publish some information about tourism in Vietnam as our club member will visit your country as a tourist.”

A: Thank you Mr. Chatterjee for choosing VOV to get your updates about Vietnam. More than forty years since the war ended, Vietnam is buoyant with hope. It is on the move and access is now easier than ever, roads are being upgraded, hotels are springing up and Vietnam’s raucous entrepreneurial spirit is once again alive. As the number of tourists visiting Vietnam soars, their talk is not of bomb craters and army ordnance but of shimmering paddy fields and sugar-white beaches, full-lit cities and venerable pagodas.

B: Vietnam now has flights to countries around the world. With India, the Indian airline Jet Airways has direct and codeshare flights connecting Ho Chi Minh City and the Indian airline's primary hubs in Delhi and Mumbai via Bangkok.  Vietnam Airlines will place its code on Jet Airways flights to India and vice versa.

B: We don’t know when you will visit Vietnam or for how many days. There is a marked difference between the north and the south in term of geography, natural landscapes, historical sites, and culture. Many visitors find a vast number of places to visit that intrigue and excite them in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and the other major centres; but despite the cities’ allure, it’s the country’s striking landscape is most impressive.

A: Vietnam occupies a narrow strip of land that borders Cambodia and Laos to the west and the East Sea to the east. To the north and south, it fantails out into the splendid deltas of the Red River and the Mekong, and it’s in these regions that you’ll encounter the paddy fields, dragonflies, buffaloes and conical-hatted farmers that constitute the classic image of Vietnam.

B: Any trip to the remote upland regions of central and northern Vietnam is likely to focus upon the ethnic minorities who reside there. Elaborate tribal costumes, age-old customs and communal longhouses await those visitors tough enough to trek out to them. Until you decide on a detailed schedule for your trip to Vietnam, I hope you’ll enjoy listening to VOV’s program “Colorful Vietnam, Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups.”

A: If you tell us more about your wishes, we hope we can help you to customize your trip to Vietnam. We welcome your feedback to our station English Section, VOVworld, Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Our email address is englishsection@vov.org.vn. Thank you for listening to VOV on shortwave and online and for reading our website. Good bye until next time.