A: First on our show today, we’d like to welcome to VOV a new listener in the US, Dan Dankert, who listened to VOV on January 24 on the frequency of 7315 khz.
B: Thank you for tuning in to VOV. We’ll send you a QSL card to confirm your report as well as our frequency list and program schedule. Our program is also available on the internet at vovworld.vn. You can also check out VOV’s Mobile App called “VOV media”. We hope to receive more feedback from you.
A: We’d like to say hello to Mr. Montorsi Sando from a radio association in Italy. Using a Kenwood R5000 and a long wire antenna, he listened to our broadcast at 16:00 UTC on January 27 on the frequency of 7280 khz and got good reception.
B: Thank you for tuning in to VOV. We look forward to your regular comments on our program.
A: We’d like to thank Peter Ng of Malaysia for sending us a beautiful New Year card. We also wish you a New Year of luck, happiness, and success.
 Huong pagoda festival opens on the 6th day of the new Lunar Year |
B: Welcome back, Mr. Ng. It has been a long time since we last received feedback from you. This week we continued to receive Lunar New Year greetings from listeners around the world even though the holiday ended a week ago.
A: Well, the official Lunar New Year holiday may have ended but the festive atmosphere lingers on. Vietnamese people have a saying “January of the lunar calendar is the month of fun, February is the month of games, and March is the month of festivals.”
B: That means we will continue to celebrate through March. Because there are a lot of spring festivals being held now drawing thousands of visitors.
A: The festival of each region has its own distinctive features, drawing on the culture and customs of the local people. The North has the most diverse festivals. Notable festivals are the Hung Kings Temple Festival, the Saint Giong Festival, the Dong Da Mountain Festival in Hanoi commemorating King Quang Trung who defeated northern invaders in the 18th century, the Perfume Pagoda Festival, and the Yen Tu Festival in Quang Ninh province.
 Yen Tu Spring festival draws millions of visitors |
B: Major festivals in the central region and the south are the Fish Worship Festival in Thua Thien-Hue, the Mother Earth Festival in An Giang, and the Ba Den Mountain Festival in Tay Ninh.
A: The Huong (Perfume) Pagoda Festival is the largest festival in northern Vietnam. It begins on the 6th day of the lunar year and continues for 3 months. The Huong Pagoda complex has 18 pagodas, shrines, and natural caves, which were developed between the 18th and 19th centuries and are scattered amid some striking mountain scenery.
B: Huong Pagoda is located in My Duc district, 70 kilometers south of Hanoi. The Huong Pagoda Festival draws millions of pilgrims with its sacred Buddhist shrines and heavenly scenery. More people visit Huong pagoda since the construction of a cable car shortened the trip from the foot of the mountain to the main cave on top. It is believed that going to the top of Huong Tich Mountain will bring you fulfillment and great success in life.
A: At the beginning of the festival, tourists will be overwhelmed by the white apricot flowers covering Huong Son mountain. At the end of festival, you will have chance to enjoy the irresistible flavor of apricot juice.
B: We’ve been talking about the Huong pagoda festival, the largest and longest festival in Vietnam. Now, let’s get back to our listeners.
A: Ivan Lebedev of Russia wrote: “Of course, there are quite a lot of interesting monuments in Vietnam. And not only monuments of material or cultural significance, but also those of Buddhism. One is the One Pillar Pagoda, which was built in Hanoi in the 11th century. Could you tell us more about this architectural structure?”
 One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi |
B: The One Pillar Pagoda was built in 1049 near where the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum was later built in Ba Dinh district, Hanoi.
A: The legend is that King Ly Thai Tong was worried because he had no son. One night, the King dreamed about Guan Yin, the Goddess of Mercy, sitting on a lotus, holding a boy and offering the boy to the king. Shortly after, the queen gave birth to a son. The king built a lotus-shaped pagoda and named it Dien Huu Pagoda (Eternal blessing).
B: The original pagoda was much larger than the current pagoda. Through later dynasties, the One Pillar Pagoda was rebuilt several times; each restoration changing both the pagoda and the surrounding landscape.
A: In front of the Dien Huu pagoda, a large stone column was built. On the top of the column was a statue of Guan Yin sitting on a lotus.
B: The One Pillar Pagoda has a unique architecture: a square wooden floor on a stone pillar in the middle of a pond. Around the stone pillar is a system of curved ironwood bars to support the floor. The structure looks like a lotus upright from the water.
A: Today, the One Pillar Pagoda is just one part of Dien Huu Pagoda architectural complex. Together with the Temple of Literature (Vietnam’s First University), One Pillar Pagoda is commonly used as a symbol of Hanoi’s thousand year culture.
B: We hope you can arrange a visit to Hanoi to admire its beautiful architecture which is a blend of styles.
A: In an email to VOV this week, Richard Nowak of the US expressed his interest in our Sunday Show. He wrote: “Sunday Show was great with a segment on the Cat Lion Dance. The Cat Lion Dance is performed in households to chase away ghosts and get good luck. It’s a traditional dance performed on the Lunar New Year and the Mid Year festival. The Cat Lion Dancers were colorful costumes. The Cat Lion Dance segment was fascinating. It was great to learn of this cultural tradition. Thanks for the show and your support of shortwave.”
B: Thank you, Mr. Nowak for your regular feedback. Next on today’s show, we’d like to acknowledge letters and emails from Jayanta Chakrabarty of India and James Camili of the US. Due to time constraints, we’ll have to answer their questions about Vietnam’s economy and Vietnamese bicycles in a later show.
A: We’ll send you our QSL cards to confirm your reports. We welcome your feedback at English Service, VOVworld, Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Our email address is englishsection@vov.org.vn. Thank you for listening to VOV on shortwave and following us online. Goodbye until next time.