Hello and welcome to VOV’s Letter Box, a weekly feature dedicated to our listeners throughout the world. We are Ngoc Huyen and Phuong Khanh.
A: First on our show today, we’d like to thank Paul Walker of the US for sending us a beautiful card and greetings marking VOV’s 71st anniversary. Though the celebration was a month ago, we highly appreciate it.
B: On his postcard, Paul Walker wrote: “Happy 71st anniversary to VOV! Here’s to many more years of wonderful broadcasts of VOV English”.
A: Thank you, Paul. We hope to hear more from you. In an email to VOV this week, Ivan Lebedev wrote: “Dear VOV staff. Thank you for QSL. That image of Peach blossom in Moc Chau is very informative about nature and family relations in Vietnam. I see a traditional family on the colorful background by the light and young happy children. That’s great!”
B: Thank you, Ivan, for informing us that you had received that beautiful QSL. We agree with you that the QSL is great because the scenery of Moc Chau is great. At an altitude of over 1,000 meters, Moc Chau Plateau is in flower throughout the year. Its stunning beauty has made Moc Chau a popular destination for tourists.
A: Spring is the best time to admire the stunning beauty of the Moc Chau Plateau when its mountain slopes are covered with peach flowers. Getting lost in vast fields of peach trees whose pink and white flowers dance in the wind will surely be an impressive new experience for you.
B: Moc Chau guarantees beautiful, romantic photos you can share with your friends when you return. During the second lunar month, when the spring sun begins to chase away the cold winter, plum buds begin to blossom creating an elegant and fragile beauty on the plateau. The plum blossoms linger just two or three weeks before giving way to small red fruit.
A: In March and April, Moc Chau is covered with bauhinia flowers, whose charm and beauty is reminiscent of the young local Thai girls.
B: Between October and November is the season for white mustard flowers, wild sunflowers, and poinsettia, the iconic Christmas flowers. The meadows on the Moc Chau plateau become a multicolored floral kingdom. During this time of the year, Moc Chau is adorned with pink peach blossoms and white bauhinia flowers. The months before and after the Tet holiday are the season when the flowers are most beautiful.
A: That’s a short take on Moc Chau plateau and it’s all-year round beauty and we had to explain why we have the beautiful QSL card that we sent to our listeners throughout the world.
B: Next is a letter from Fumito Hokamura of Japan who listened to VOV’s broadcast on August 19 on the frequency of 12020 Mhz and wanted to learn more about folk music in northern Vietnam.
A: Vietnam has a rich archive of folk music from different ethnic minority groups throughout the country. In northern Vietnam, we have several groups with diverse cultures and folk music. The panpipe is one of the most popular musical instruments of the people of the northern mountain regions. On today’s show, we’ll give you a brief introduction of the beautiful sounds of the panpipes of the Thai people in Yen Chau district, Son La province.
B: The panpipe is a popular musical instrument created by the Thais in Yen Chau, Son La. In Thai villages, boys play panpipes to express their love to girls. Together with the gong, a Tinh musical instrument, flutes and strings, the panpipe remains popular among the Thai. It is played at community events, festivals, competitions and performances.
A: To produce its beautiful sound, panpipe players need to understand the instrument’s characteristics and learn by heart its melodies and accompanying songs as well as the voices of the singers.
A: The process of making a panpipe is as time-consuming as in creating any masterpiece of art. Not everyone can make it properly. Making a panpipe requires skills, precision, and effort. According to local artisans it’s important to select the right bamboo and materials, which is usually the wild bamboo of the forest.
B: The bamboo must come from a dry area because those from wet areas can easily wither. After hanging the bamboo for a month to ensure that they are completely dry, local artisans then cut them to make the pipe.
A: The box of the instrument is made from a special kind of wood called maymu which is durable. The reed is made of grass or silver and is as small as a hair. It usually takes a day to make a panpipe.
B: A Thai panpipe is a masterpiece of art which combines natural materials and the player’s love for the homeland. Despite changes taking place everyday, the panpipe has continued its important role in the lives of the Thai people.
A: This week, we received an email from Ulmar Qvick of Sweden and a reception report for a VOV broadcast on October 4 from 19:00 to 19:27 on the frequency of 7280 using his Sangean ATS 909 receiver with a 50 m long L-type antenna running west to east.
B: In an email to VOV this week, SB Sharma of wrote: “I am very excited to receive insignia for listening to VOV for more than five years. Thank you very much. This is very beautiful and lovely art work”.
A: We’re happy to learn that you received our gift. Thank you for listening for VOV for such a long time. We hope to hear more from you.
B: In his reception to VOV this week, Tim Breyel of Malaysia wrote: “As before, I’m submitting another reception report of your station- Voice of Vietnam- which was heard on October 4, 2016, from 10:00 till 10:30 UTC on the frequency of 12020 khz under excellent conditions here in Kuala Lumpur. I noticed recently the passing of VOV English announcer Trinh Thi Ngo. I recall listening to her many years ago on Radio Havana Cuba. My condolences to the staff of VOV and her family.”
A: Thank you, Tim, for your report and condolences on the death of VOV’s legendary announcer Trinh Thi Ngo. We have posted on our website several stories about her as well as records of her broadcasts. You can check them out at www.vov.vovworld.vn.
B: Today, we’d also like to acknowledge emails and letters from Toshiya Nishimura and Yoshikazu Suzuki of Japan, Richard Nowak of the US, Sekar Thalainayar of India, Jurgen Kruger of Germany, and Mizan Rahman of Bangladesh. Thank you all for listening to VOV on shortwave and online and for visiting our website at www.vovvorld.vn. We’ll verify your reception reports and hope you’ll receive our QSL cards soon.
B: We welcome your feedback at our station: English Section, VOVworld, Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Our email address is englishsection@vov.org.vn. Good bye until next time.