 At the opening of the 15th National Radio Festival |
B: The live radio broadcast competition opened the Festival on Monday. First launched in 1994, 14 national festivals have been held biennially to honor radio journalists.
A: The 15th National Radio Festival hosted by the Voice of Vietnam and the People’s Committee of Ho Chi Minh City and the Voice of Ho Chi Minh City’s People is themed ‘Flexible Transformation – Beyond Adaption’, drawing in 63 local radio and TV stations and many other radio agencies.
 In a live broadcast program of VOV4 Channel of Ethnic Minority Languages |
B: Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the organizing board received more than 500 entries covering a wide range of issues including the implementation of the Party resolutions, Vietnam’s socio-economic developments, and stories about Vietnam’s fight against COVID-19.
A: A contest for producing live broadcast programs, an exhibition on HCM City’s development, and workshops gathering international radio broadcasting experts will be held during the festival.
 Ms. Siohban McHugg of the University of Sydney at a workshop on generating revenues for TV and radio stations amid digital transformation |
B: Amid the rapid development of digital platforms, radio plays an important role as an information channel for listeners in Vietnam and around the world. This is evidenced in the growing number of correspondence that VOVWorld receives from our listeners around the world every week.
A; This week, we received more than 350 emails and letters from listeners in 34 countries and territories in addition to numerous comments on our Facebook fanpages and at vovworld.vn.
B: Listeners asked about national parks in Vietnam while commenting on our story about Dak Nong Geopark.
 Cuc Phuong, Vietnam's first national park, is one of the gems of forest ecology. (Photo: Facebook of Cuc Phuong National Park) |
A: Cuc Phuong, a popular trekking destination near Hanoi, has been named Asia's leading national park at the 2021 World Travel Awards. Cuc Phuong, Vietnam's first national park, is situated in the Tam Diep mountain range that runs across the provinces of Ninh Binh, Hoa Binh and Thanh Hoa.
B: It’s Vietnam’s first National Park and one of the country’s largest nature reserves. The Park has about 2,000 plant species and 2,600 animal species, many of which are listed in the Red Book of Vietnam and the world.
A: The diversity of its flora and fauna, the beauty of its nature, and its many cultural and historical features make the area an attractive destination for tourists. Cuc Phuong National Park’s Center for Ecotourism and Environmental Education offers various tours.
 An autumn day in Cuc Phuong (Photo: Facebook of Cuc Phuong National Park) |
B: The ideal time to visit Cuc Phuong is from late autumn to early winter, between September and December. But in every season, this forest has a different beauty that deserves to be discovered.
A: Summer is the season of insects, the most beautiful of which is the butterfly. In April and May, 400 different species of butterfly appear about the same time. The forest becomes a huge garden of color. Summer is also a productive time for different types of reptiles.
B: Tourists can choose a one-day, two-day, or three-day tour. They can walk or cycle to the rescue center for primates and turtles, the garden for preserving valuable plant genes, ancient caves, ancient trees, and White Cloud Mountain which rises to 648m above sea level.
A: Tourists can also follow paths in the forest leading to ancient trees and caves where traces of prehistoric men 7,500 years ago were discovered. There is a skeleton of a reptile which is between 200 and 230 million years old. This is one of the earliest skeletons discovered in Southeast Asia.
 Cuc Phuong stream (Photo: Facebook of Cuc Phuong National Park) |
B: The most popular activities for tourists are camping in the forest, observing wildlife, hiking in the heart of the forest, learning about the 300 plus bird species, and boating or kayaking on Mac Lake or Yen Quang Lake. Tourists are often accompanied by a professional guide who ensures their safety. Cuc Phuong National Park welcomes over 10,000 visitors a year, mostly foreigners.
A: Next, we’d like to welcome Igor Belevich of Russia to VOV. This week, he sent his very first correspondence to VOV reporting his reception of our broadcast on the frequency between 11880 and 11895 khz. He also expressed his interest in VOV programs in various languages on the shortwave.
B: Pichest Thoong Phoom of Thailand wrote: “I have read your stories about the commemoration of the War Invalids and Martyrs Day on July 27 in Vietnam. I appreciate the Vietnamese Party and State care for war invalids and families of martyrs who sacrificed their youth and blood for national defense. Thailand also conducts similar activities for paying gratitude. The contributions of war invalids and martyrs will be remembered forever. I’d like to express gratitude for brave soldiers.”
A: Christoph Paustian of Germany wrote to us this week expressing his interests in Vietnam’s land and people.
B: Keo Rithy of Cambodia said he wants to know about Vietnamese conical hats.
 Conical hat market of Hanoi’s Chuong Village (Photo: Lan Anh) |
A: The Vietnamese conical hat, better known in Vietnam as Non la, has come into casual life not just a part of Vietnam national custom but a cultural trait. For centuries, conical hats or Non la have symbolized Vietnamese women and the Vietnamese countryside, expressing the simple beauty of the country’s femininity and their hard work and love for their family. The hats were worn by women everywhere, protecting them from the sun and rain.
A: The most famous place for conical hat making in northern Vietnam is Chuong village. The craft of making the Vietnamese traditional hat dates back three centuries in the village. Nowadays, Chuong village, which is located over 30 kilometers away from Hanoi’s center is frequently visited by local and international tourists not only to buy hats but also to see how the hats are made.
B: Conical hats can be made by Chuong village’s artisans all year round, but summer is their peak season. Each family prepares lots of raw materials to make thousands of hats. There are many parts to the hat-making process: some families focus on leave making, some on hats, and others on laths.
A: Besides the Non la, other types of hats are also made in Chuong village, such as Non Ba Tam (palm hats with strap tassels) or Non Thung (hats in the shape of baskets).
B: In order to meet the taste of tourists and consumers, local artisans have to be innovative. They might combine cotton or straw or other materials on a single hat, paint them with a lotus pattern or other decorative patterns.
A: Conical hats from Chuong village are now available in every part of the country and exported to China, Japan, and European countries. Thanks to efforts by Chuong village artisans, the craft of hat making will be preserved and passed down to the next generations.
B: In his email to VOV this week, Abdul Mannan of Bangladesh said he listened to VOV’s program on July 26 from 16:00 to 16:30 on the frequency of 7220 khz with SIO of 4s. In another email, he wrote: “I’m a regular listener of your English program. I listen your English program on 7220 khz. Excellent reception condition is very good when I tune your English program on radio. Few weeks I could not send any reception reports because my daughter's marriage ceremony was held on 15 July 2022. I was very busy. My daughter's marriage ceremony was successful. I am very proud.”
A: Congratulation to you, your daughter and your family. We’re happy to receive your note again.
B: Today’s we’d like to particularly acknowledge a letter from Daniele Mezzatesta of Italy who listened to our broadcast on May 30 on the frequency of 9730 khz. We hope to hear more from you.
A: We’d like to acknowledge letters and emails from Bidhan Chandra Sanyal and Ratan Kumar Paul of India, Saleem Akhtar Chadhar of Pakistan and other listeners who sent us emails or posted comments on our Facebook fanpage, VOV5 English Service.
B: That concludes today’s program. We welcome your feedback at: English Service, VOVWorld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs.
A: Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platforms, to hear our live broadcasts. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye.