B: We have received positive comments from Dx’ers worldwide, who said the contest has increased interaction between listeners and VOV. It’s also an interesting and useful way for listeners to learn about Vietnam. Vijay Prasad of India wrote: “I’m a new listener to VOV, but I’m excited about entering the contest. It’s an opportunity to learn more about Vietnam.”

A: The President of the Metali Listeners’ Club of India said this is a big competition and by taking part in the contest they’ll learn many things about Vietnam. Kaleb Abbas, President of the Pakistan Internet Users’ Club, said “We will participate in this wonderful knowledge contest soon. Through this competition, I’ll learn about Vietnam’s culture and people.” After listening to a program on May 16, Jahangir Alam Manto of Bangladesh said he is preparing his entry and will send soon.

Amir Jameel, President of VOV Online Visitors Club in Pakistan, sent this congratulatory postcard to VOV on President Ho Chi Minh's 125th birth anniversary

B: The organizing board will continue to receive entries postmarked no later than June 30. Now roll up your sleeves and send your entry to VOV to win attractive prizes including free trips to Vietnam. The award ceremony will take place on the 70^th anniversary of the 1^st broadcast of VOV’s World Service on, September 7, 1945.

A: John Jurasek from New York, in the US contacted us for the first time on May 19 although he has been listening regularly to our broadcast since 2014. He wrote: “VOV on 12005 khz makes it to the New York area with complete ease for the duration of each and every broadcast at this time of year. Signals are consistently strong and there was never any sort of interference, assuring a clear signal.”

B: John shared his thoughts: “VOV is a fascinating station to listen to and it provides a Vietnamese perspective on news and current events. It also contains a multitude of cultural programs about Vietnam and its history which greatly improved my knowledge of Vietnam.”

A: Thank you very much John for regularly listening to VOV and for finally contacting us. We’ll send you a QSL card to confirm this report and some VOV related information. We hope to receive more feedback from you in the future.

B: From Sweden, Ullmar Qvick, told us about an article about Vietnam in the Swedish newspaper Flamman, the Flame, on May 7 with the title “The victory of the small country against the superpower”. John wrote: “The recent attention in Swedish media, related to the 40^th anniversary of the Vietnamese victory against the US army, prompted me to listen to the Voice of Vietnam. The events of 1975 will never be forgotten. As you know Sweden was one of the European countries warmly engaged in the support of Vietnam, and our Prime Minister was courageous enough to say the truth about the Vietnam war – at the expense of causing strong revolt in the US. Today there is another situation and both the US and the world have changed.”

Ullmar Qvick and her daughter Arlinda

A: Thank you, Ullmar, for your congratulations for Vietnam’s national celebration. It’s really interesting to know what foreign media write about Vietnam and their views of historical events. Our loyal listener in England, Gerry Neumann, said one his favorite programs for weekend listening is the regular VOV feature “Sunday Show” because it gives listeners an in-depth knowledge of many aspects of Vietnam and the lifestyle here. Gerry listens regularly to VOV at 17:00 UTC on 9625 khz and reception is generally very good with SINPO rating around 45444.

B: After listening to VOV’s news bulletins on Sunday May 24^th about Vietnam’s participation in UN peacekeeping and its commitments to the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, Gerry said he appreciates that VOV airs news items that receive little or no mention in local English news bulletins. The Sunday Show on May 24^th was about pagodas of the Khmer people. Gerry wants to hear more about the part the Khmer people have played in Vietnam through the centuries.

Khmer men and women in their traditional costumes

A: The Khmer settled mainly in the Mekong delta region in the south-west of Vietnam. They are one of the largest minorities in Vietnam, numbering over 1 million. Their language, Khmer, is part of the larger Mon-Khmer language family and most are adherents of the Khmer style of Theravada Buddhism, which contains elements of Hinduism and ancestor-spirit worship.

Ghe Gho racing in An Giang province

B: The government has focused resources on developing the socio-economy of the Khmer community. Support projects have been implemented on infrastructure, land for housing and production, bank loans for Khmer people to buy farm tools, vocational training, and job generation. Several government-funded projects have improved cultural, educational, and medical access for Khmer people. The Khmer culture has been preserved through classes teaching Khmer language, art, and handicrafts organized at public schools, pagodas, and on local radio and TV programs. Their annual festivals have been restored with support from the administration. Ghe Gho, boat racing, has become a national competition.  

A cultural festival of the Khmer people in southern Vietnam

B: Khmer officials have been trained and appropriately promoted to administrative agencies. The government has continued to invest in reducing the poverty rate in the Khmer community, improving the quality and number of publications in the Khmer language, upgrading infrastructure for socio-economic development, and repairing Khmer pagodas and worshiping centers. 

A: Here’s a question from Jahangir Alam of Bangladesh. He wants to know about Vietnam’s national anthem and wants to hear it on our program. He says that in Bangladesh use of the national anthem as a mobile ringtone is prohibited by the high court. Do you have similar problem?, he asks.

B: I read in the media that since May Bangladesh has banned the use of the national anthem as a mobile ringtone or for any commercial purpose. Vietnamese law defines how, when, and where to use the national anthem and flag, but does not ban the use of the national anthem as a mobile ringtone. On national days of celebration like National Day, September 2, and National Reunification Day, April 30, many people change their ringtone to the national anthem to show their patriotism.

A: You can go to our website to listen to the Vietnamese anthem. We don’t play it during ordinary daily programs. You can also listen to several other Vietnamese songs on our website at www.vovworld.vn.

B: Thank you all for listening. 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. Good bye until next time.