A: For the first time in many years, we’ve heard from a listener in the United Arab Emirates. In a 5-page email dated March 15, Dr. Avinash Cheekoth wrote: “I’m a new listener of Voice of Vietnam Radio. Your station is the only source of news about Vietnam for me. A few of my lucky friends have got the chance to travel to your wonderful country and returned with fond memories of Vietnam-the people, culture, nature, food and music. I hope I can make it to Vietnam once.”

B: Mr. Cheekoth is an Indian molecular biologist and has been working in the UEA for 3 years. He described the town of his residence, Al Ain and the current weather conditions there: “Al Ain is a small, quiet laid-back city, compared to sprawling bustling cities  in the UAE like Dubai and Abu Dhabi. It’s a small patch of green oasis city with lots of gardens and beautiful round-abouts. It’s a heritage city so the authorities don’t allow huge skyscrapers. This time of the year, it’s a bit chilly, around 15 degrees Celsius. A few months from now, the temperature will soar to the typical desert climate high of 45 degrees Celsius”.

A: Well, the weather in your part of the world is in some way similar to Vietnam at the moment. We’re almost at the end of Spring and summer will come in a month’s time. However, in contrast to the dry climate in Al Ain, it’s been wet in northern Vietnam over the past week with high humidity. We hope that this uncomfortable weather will end soon when the summer sun returns.

B: The heritage city of Al Ain reminds us of the ancient town of Hoi An in Vietnam’s central region, which has retained its original architecture for centuries. In 1999, the town was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO, with buildings that display a unique blend of local and foreign influences. So if you visit Vietnam, Hoi An is a must-see place. Apart from Hoi An, Vietnam boasts many world heritage sites such as Ha Long Bay, Phong Nha-Ke Bang national park, the former imperial city of Hue and more. A: We’ll send you a QSL card for your reports on our programs from March 12 to 14. You’ll also receive some Vietnamese stamps to add to your collection.

B: We’ll now read a letter that really touched our hearts. It’s from Italian listener Roberto Guiso, who wrote on February 11: “I was born in 1961 and I remember that one of the reminiscences of my childhood was Vietnam war pictures on TV. So I can affirm that I grew up listening to and watching Vietnam. I don’t know, but that may be the reason that made grow inside of me an interest in your country.”

A: He went on to say: “I’ve got many books about Vietnam. Reading about Vietnam, its history and tradition also made grow inside of me the desire to see the country. In 2000, my dream came true. My wife and I spent a delightful holiday in Vietnam, We went to HCM city, Hanoi and the Mekong Delta town of My Tho and Can Tho and visited the Cu Chi tunnels. We had the great luck to stay there during the Tet celebrations. We hope to go back in the future. But also listening to VOV, for us is, how to say, something like to travel through your country.”     

B: We passed your letter to all of the staff members of the English section to read. We’ve decided to display your letter in the “Tradition Room” of the Overseas Service, which contains memorable letters and items sent by our audience. We’re very proud to show visitors the warm sentiments foreign listeners reserve for our country and our station. Thank you so much for your kind words. If you return to Vietnam in the future, don’t forget to visit us. It would be a pleasure to lend a helping hand to make your stay another delightful experience.

A: We’ve also had the opportunity to visit some spectacular sites on Mr. Guiso’s home island of Sardinia via the postcard he sent us. We particularly like Costa Rey. Although a popular tourist destination, it still looks peaceful and quiet. You’ll receive our QSL card and some promotional materials, Mr. Guiso. Keep in touch!

B: A verification card will also be sent to another Italian listener, Massimiliano Scordamaglia, who caught our show on February 7. By the way, we’ll again introduce the design of our upcoming new QSL cards as requested by listener Yoshikazu Suzuki of the Japanese prefecture of Gunma.        

A: The English section will issue three new QSL designs–a terraced rice field in the northwestern mountains, Ha Long Bay–a world natural heritage site, and soldiers in the Truong Sa or Spratly archipelago. The photos highlight Vietnam’s mountains, sea, and islands, which is the theme of a national competition in Vietnam this year.     

B: From India’s Natun Radio Listeners’ Club, Mr. Kanchan Chatterjee emailed us on March 17, saying that he wrote to us some months ago but received no reply. He said he visits our website from time to time and regularly listens to our transmissions. He asked us to add his radio club’s name in our regular mailing list.

A: We’re sorry for your inconvenience, Mr. Chatterjee. Actually, we’ve checked our archive and found no letter from you. It must have gone astray somewhere. Don’t worry, your name and your club’s name have been added to our mailing list for future contact. We look forward to hearing from you again soon.  

B: A listener at the email address: friendbox75@yahoo.com suggested we publish a newsletter for our worldwide audience: “I’m an ardent listener of one of the most highly esteemed stations. As my own contribution, I’d like VOV to produce a bimonthly newsletter ‘The Postman’ to strengthen ties with listeners. It should be circulated among overseas listeners, foreigners in Vietnam and anyone who specifically requests it. This magazine will bring listeners information about VOV, Vietnam and popular tourist sites.”

A: We greatly appreciate your idea. Such a publication would be a great way to promote VOV and increase communications with our audience. But we’re afraid a newsletter would really stretch our current resources. We’ll take your suggestion into consideration for next year’s initiatives. Thank you very much.