Hello and welcome to VOV’s Letter Box, a weekly feature dedicated to our listeners throughout the world. We are Mai Phuong and Phuong Khanh.
A: First on our show today, we’d like to inform you of some frequency changes for VOV’s winter broadcasts. From September 1st, 2016, VOV’s broadcasts to Europe at 16:00 UTC, to Central Europe at 19:00, and the UK and Central Europe at 21:30 UTC will be at 7280 khz and 9730 khz. Our relayed broadcasts from Cypress Creek to Central America and the Caribbean at 00:00 UTC and 02:30 UTC will be at 7315 khz.
B: If you haven’t jotted down the changes, please go to our website at www.vovworld.vn to confirm them. We’ve sent frequency lists individually by emails and postal mail. We hope to receive your feedback soon.
A: Our 30-minute programs can be listened to on the internet at vovworld.vn at the following hours: 19.00-19.30; 21.30-22.00; 23.30-24.00; 0.00-0.30; 1.00-1.30; 2.30-3.00; 3.30-4.00; 10.00-10.30; 13.30-14.00; 15.00-15.30; and 16.00-16.30 (UTC). B: This week, we have received a lot of congratulations on VOV’s 71st founding anniversary, September 7th, from our dear listeners throughout the world.
A: Amir Jameel of Pakistan called to VOV last week to send his best wishes for VOV on its 71st founding anniversary. He said he had been busy recently and that’s why he could not send us receptions reports regularly.
B: Amir Jameel has been a regular listener of VOV for many years. Thank you, Amir, for coming back after a long absence. Thank you for your wishes and we hope to hear more from you.
A: In his reception report for VOV broadcasts on Wednesday, August 24th, Gerry Neumann of the UK sent us his wishes for Vietnam’s National Day on September 2 and VOV’s anniversary on September 7th.
B: Thank you, Gerry, and we also wish you a very happy birthday. We hope to see you in Vietnam soon. The Voice of Vietnam (VOV) was established immediately after the 1945 August Revolution. Its first program was aired at 11.30 AM on September 7th 1945 with the signature phrase: “This is the Voice of Vietnam, broadcasting from Hanoi, capital of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.” At 11.30 AM on July 2nd, 1976, this phrase was changed to: “This is the Voice of Vietnam, broadcasting from Hanoi, capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.”
A: The English section is one of the first sections of VOV’s Overseas Service, which began its broadcast on September 7, 1945, the founding anniversary of Radio the Voice of Vietnam. This year, we celebrate the 71st anniversary of our station. Thank you very much for your congratulatory messages.
B: In an email to VOV, Sekar of India asked about Ha Long Bay, Vietnam’s natural heritage site recognized by UNESCO.
A: Ha Long Bay, Vietnam’s “Bay of the Descending Dragon”, is located in the Gulf of Tonkin in Quang Ninh province, about 180 km from Hanoi. With its exceptional beauty and geological significance, Ha Long Bay has twice been placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.
B: One day is not enough to explore Ha Long Bay which covers 1,553 square kilometers and includes nearly 2,000 islands and limestone islets emerging from the sea in a breathtaking spectacle. A cruise on the bay gives visitors the feeling of being lost in a petrified legendary world. The shapes of the islands curiously resemble various human or animal forms. Dau Nguoi (Human Head) Island resembles a man looking towards the mainland, La Vong Island looks like an old fisherman, Trong Mai islet looks like a rooster and a hen. With thousands of rocks resembling amazing sculptures, Ha Long Bay is a masterpiece of nature.
A: Ha Long Bay is characterized by a bewildering array of caves and grottoes, each of them with its own beauty. Thien Cung or “the Palace of Heaven”, Dau Go or “Wooden Head” and Sung Sot or “Surprise” are the most famous caves in Ha Long Bay. You can admire various forms of stalactites and stalagmites that are highlighted there by light.
B: Many prefer to admire the beautiful bay at sunset when it offers a fabulous show. Spending a night on the bay is simply magical. The Bay becomes spooky with reflections of light on the surface of the water. The setting and the sound of the waves give visitors an impressive experience.
A: That’s a brief introduction to Ha Long Bay, which has twice been placed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Seeing is believing. Don’t miss a trip to Ha Long Bay if you plan to visit Vietnam.
B: Next, we’d like to talk a little bit about young Vietnamese people and their interests in response to question by Siddhartha Bhattacharjee.
A: Talented, dynamic, creative, and enthusiastic are the adjectives that we’d like to use to describe young Vietnamese people. They have been honored for their talent and success in various fields and for their contributions to the nation.
B: This week, we received a letter from Jahangir Alam of Bangladesh, who listened to our broadcast at 9550 khz from 16:00 to 16:30 UTC on August 21. He wrote: “I hope everybody is very fine. We are hearing your program by new frequency. We are hearing with amazing moment and feeling better. We are acquiring the general knowledge and it entertains us. The reception is good and then interference by other radio stations.”
A: Thank you Jahangir Alam for your report. We’ll confirm it with a QSL card. In his email to VOV this week, Paul Walker of the US wrote: “I was very surprised to pick up your 12005 khz broadcast at 0111UTC from Woofferton, UK on August 14. The signal was not that great but what made it surprising is that I am way out of your target area and even more so, way out of the signal beams area. Because of the extreme noise and fading quality of the signal, I can only really make out one part of the recording.
B: Paul Walker, thank you, for your detailed reports. We’d like to remind you that VOV has made some frequency changes as we have revised our shortwave frequencies and broadcasting times. We have stopped broadcasting our program on the frequency of 12005 khz from 1h-1h30 UTC and on 9625 khz from 0h-0h30 UTC.
A: On the frequency of 6175 kHz we’ll add broadcasts at 00:00- 00:30 UTC and 00:00-01:30 UTC. On the frequency of 9730 kHz and 7280 kHz our programs will be available at 19:00- 19:30 UTC and 21:30-22:00 UTC.
B: For further information, please go to our website at vovworld.vn to check it again. We have sent you letters and emails to inform you of the changes. We hope to receive your technical feedback on reception quality very soon.
A: On today’s show, we’d like to acknowledge letters and emails from Richard Lemke of Canada, Eddy Prabowo of Indonesia, Ivan Lebedev of Russia,Lallol Nath of India, Raul Silva of Portugal, Razzak Hossain of Bangladesh, and Richard Nowak of the US. Thank you for listening to VOV on shortwave and online and for reading our website. 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.