B: Thank you very much, Mr. Skinner, for your inspirational words about radio and your support for shortwave. You’ve identified some reasons many other people are attached to shortwave as their main information source. VOV will keep on trying to improve its radio broadcasts, and develop programs that respond to new trends. Helen, a secondary school student in Russia, emailed us to say that she is preparing a school report on radio: the history of its development, its coverage of world events, and its role in people’s lives. Helen plans to read her report to her classmates, show them some materials related to foreign radio, and challenge them with quiz about radio.

Radio Perche Club in France

A: It sounds like a very interesting project. We’ll send you some VOV materials to support your project to promote radio among young people. American listener Andrew Footea asked about VOV’s programs and wondered if VOV has a mobile app. VOV’s world service has programs in 12 languages including English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Indonesian, Laotian, Thai, Cambodian, Chinese, Japanese, and Vietnamese. We’ll send you a frequency list and program schedule. You’re also invited to visit our website at www.vovworld.vn to listen to or read our stories.  We don’t yet have a VOV app for smart phones. But there are free apps that allow you to listen online to all of VOV’s stations including 63 provincial radio stations in Viet Nam.

Richard Nowak and his radio collection

B: From the US, Richard Nowak emailed us on February 2 to say: “Just a quick note to say I enjoyed tonight’s show. The feature on the pagoda was interesting and the song “Wishes for spring” was very nice.”

A: We receive emails from Richard almost every day. After listening to our program on February 1, Richard said he was interested in the news about Vietnam-China relations, Vietnamese abroad welcoming the lunar new year, and other features. “The great Sunday show about Vietnam’s traditional culture and landscape featured the Mekong region and the making of ceramics and pottery. This was a very interesting show which interviewed a local ceramic artist and mentioned a product store in Hanoi. It was very interesting and gave us an insight into Vietnamese handicrafts. The show was informative, educational, and fun.”

Dx'er Bill ball lives in Maryland, the US

B: The Sunday show, VOV’s biggest show of the week, is a favorite program of our listeners because the information is often relevant to their careers or hobbies. Many of our listeners have said that for various reasons they don’t listen to us every day but they never miss the Letter Box on Wednesday or the Sunday show on Sunday. Ian Stagg of England thanked VOV for our New Year Card and Calendar and said the pictures on both were lovely to look at. “I very much enjoyed the Sunday Show this week about the bamboo flutes. It was of interest because I play a flute. I still enjoy shortwave listening but no longer send reception reports due to health reason. I’ll continue to stay in touch with you.”

A: We’re very glad to hear that our Sunday show gave you some information relevant to your passion. You can get more information about the Vietnamese flute on our website at www.vovworld.vn . From Japan, our regular listener Fumito Hokamura said “I want to take a trip to Vietnam’s cities and towns. I want to drink Vietnamese tea or coffee. Japan is experiencing cold winter days. What is the weather in Hanoi now?

B: You’re welcome to visit Vietnam, Mr. Hokamura. Tea and coffee are the two most popular drinks here. There are luxury shops for tea and coffee connoisseurs and more modest shops along the sidewalks serving passers-by. You don’t have to go far to get a cup of tea. We often brew hot tea in the office or at home and you can get a cup of good tea on any street corner.  Vietnam produces a lot of black tea, but black tea is not particularly popular with the Vietnamese. It is usually taken with sugar and lemon, and sometimes with other added flavors.

A:  Green tea, on the other hand, is hugely popular, and the majority of Vietnamese drink several cups every day. Taste a good Vietnamese green tea, and you will immediately recognize the difference between it and a green tea from anywhere else. The Vietnamese tea culture is different in that we prefer very strong tea.

B: Regional preferences certainly exist, different aromas are preferred in different parts of the country, but there are some kinds of tea that are recognized as specialties throughout Vietnam. These include natural white tea from Ha Giang province, 100-year-old tea and lotus tea, a North Vietnamese specialty. Vietnam is changing, and western influences are certainly noticeable, especially among the young. Coffee shops are sprouting up everywhere.

A: Strong and flavorful Vietnamese coffee makes converts as quickly as it raises pulses. Coffee drinking was introduced to Vietnam by the French and now the morning cup of coffee has become a local habit. With variations that make use of yoghurt or eggs, Vietnamese coffee has developed a style of its own.

B: Rich and creamy yogurt is served with various toppings, from fresh mango to fermented rice – even coffee. This might sound like an odd combination, but the rich yoghurt pairs amazingly well with a drizzle of black coffee. Egg yolk whipped with condensed milk into an airy froth meets dark coffee in this rich concoction. Think of it as a Vietnamese take on tiramisu.

A: Hanoi remains the undisputed centre of cafe culture in Vietnam. While modern western style coffee shops are growing in popularity, traditional sidewalk cafes still fill up from morning to night with coffee drinkers of all ages. You can find quality coffee all over Vietnam. In Ho Chi Minh coffee, is usually served in a taller glass and is slightly cheaper.

B: Vietnamese people love to go to their favorite coffee shops to sip a glass of coffee and chat for hours with their friends. If you come to Vietnam, it will be our pleasure to show you how to drink coffee and tea like a local.

A: This week we received reception reports and beautiful postcards from Raghib Jamali of India, Jorge Roberto Verdecia Ramirez of Cuba, Shah Nwaz of Pakistan, Siddhartha Bhattacharjee of India, Dahmani Rachid of Algeria, Siarhei Zakharyk of Belarus, Dewan Rafiul Islam of Bangladesh, and David Ansell of England.  Thank you all for listening to VOV and sending us your feedback. The Letter Box cannot acknowledge every letter but we’ll definitely verify them all with our QSL cards.

A: Thank you very much for your reception reports. Please feel free to send us your feedback. Our address is English Section, Overseas Service, Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Our email address is englishsection@vov.org.vn. Thank you for listening. Goodbye.