B: That’s a very encouraging number. Thank you for staying connected with us and for making VOVWORLD a part of your daily listening routine.
 The 14th National Party Congress marks a significant milestone in Vietnam’s development. |
A: Among the numerous items of correspondence, a number commented on the 14th National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam. From Cuba, Ezequiel Hernandez Gomez wrote: “I am very happy to hear that Mr. To Lam has been re-elected as General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, thanks to his prestige, dedication, and vision for the country’s future.”
B: He added that the success of the 14th Party Congress marks a new stage of development, not only for Vietnam but also as a positive signal for the world.
A: From Udonthani, Thailand, Attapon shared his view that the Congress is “very important for Vietnam’s development in a new era of rapid and sustainable growth, self-reliance, deep integration, and comprehensive modernization.”
B: Thank you to all listeners for closely following Vietnam’s political life and sharing such thoughtful perspectives with us.
A: This week, we received a very touching email from 73-year old Erik Oliván Orós of Spain, who has been listening to VOVWORLD for more than 11 years. Erik wrote to us after tuning in to our English broadcast on 11885 kHz and shared his passion for collecting radio souvenirs, including pens, stickers, bookmarks, postcards, station maps, and badges.
B: Erik, thank you for your wonderful letter and for your enthusiasm for shortwave radio. We truly admire your dedication. Please be assured that your reception report has been received, and our English Service will be happy to send you a QSL card to confirm your listening. We hope it will become a special item in your growing collection.
A: Staying with Spain, we also received a heartfelt message and a detailed reception report from Juan Carlos Pérez Montero in Valladolid. In addition to sharing his interest in cooking, Juan Carlos sent an excellent reception report of our English broadcast on February 1, 2026, rating the signal SINPO 45544. He carefully listed the program content, from the report on efforts to preserve the Cham language, to Vietnamese songs performed by Bui Truong Linh.
B: Juan, thank you for your thoughtful letter, kind wishes, and professional-level reception report. We wish you great success with your new culinary adventures and many delicious meals ahead. We hope that you will share your recipes with us so that we can spread them with other listeners through our Food Delight segment.
 Food Delight segment at vovworld.vn provides audience with unique recipes |
A: You can also check out our Food Delight segment on our website vovworld.vn for more unique recipes. Good luck!
B: Now we turn to India, where Chinmoy Mahato, President of the Guide International Radio Listeners Club, sent us a letter full of questions and suggestions. Chinmoy wrote that he enjoys the Letter Box program very much and appreciates the voices of all VOV announcers. Thank you for those kind words.
A: He asked: “If I listen to VOV through the website and send a reception report, will I still receive a QSL card?”
B: That’s a great question. QSL cards are primarily issued for shortwave radio reception reports. However, reports from online listening are still very welcome and valued, even though they are usually acknowledged differently.
A: Chinmoy also suggested including at least 10 listeners’ letters in each Letter Box program. We appreciate your suggestion and will certainly take it into consideration.
B: He expressed interest in Vietnamese village life, admired a flower-growing area in Tien Giang province, and asked about handmade vermicelli.
 Nung village keeps hand-spread canna vermicelli tradition alive |
A: Traditional Vietnamese handmade vermicelli is made from rice flour, soaked, ground, fermented, and then pressed through molds into thin strands before being steamed and dried. Each region has its own techniques, giving the vermicelli unique textures and flavors.
B: For your information, 22 Vietnamese dishes were included in the list of the top 97 noodle soups in the world by the renowned food website TasteAtlas last year. Beef pho ranks 7th, followed by chicken pho at 22nd, vegan pho at 26th, seafood pho at 27th, and sour pho at 96th.
A: In addition to Pho, Vietnam is also considered a "paradise" of Bun (rice vermicelli dishes). Several Bun dishes were featured in the TasteAtlas ranking, including Hue Breakfast Noodle Soup, Tomato and Crab Noodle Soup, and Fermented Fish Noodle Soup.
B: Several listeners from Egypt also wrote to us this week. Sami Mossad shared his deep love for radio on the occasion of World Radio Day, February 13, saying radio has accompanied him since childhood and opened doors to cultures around the world, including Vietnam.
A: Another listener, Mohamed Elsayed Abd Elraheim, expressed his long-standing attachment to VOV and his appreciation for our QSL cards as cultural and historical keepsakes.
B: Thank you, dear friends in Egypt. Your loyalty over the years truly means a lot to us and encourages us to continue shortwave broadcasts amid rising digital media trends.
A: In his correspondence to VOV this week, Phol Phanit from Phnom Penh, Cambodia, asked whether people in different regions of Vietnam prepare different dishes for Lunar New Year.
A: The answer is yes. While all regions celebrate Tet with family gatherings and ancestral offerings, each region has its own traditional foods, reflecting local ingredients and tastes.
 Vietnamese Lunar New Year feast |
B: Rich or poor, Vietnamese at home or abroad carefully cook traditional dishes to put on the home altar to worship their ancestors during Tet or Lunar New Year festival. Besides common dishes, such as banh chung (square sticky rice cakes) and spring rolls, Lunar New Year meals in different regions have their own touches.
A: In the north, only ranking behind banh chung in importance, boiled chicken is an essential part of the New Year feast. Some believe the dish represents a lucky new start to the family.
B: Many people usually prepare other dishes such as pickled onions, pork paste, frozen meat, spring rolls, and bamboo shoot soup. While people in the north prefer banh chung, residents in the central region prefer banh tet, the cylinder sticky rice cake.
A: While banh chung and banh tet are the items that people in the central region inherited from ancestors who came from the North, pickle is an ‘endemic’ Tet dish for locals as it is an accompaniment to banh chung and banh tet in order to enjoy a combination of different tastes - sweet, salty, fatty and spicy.
B: Blessed with a lot of sunlight and rich soil to grow plants and vegetables all year round, the southern region enjoys an abundance of fruits, vegetables and seafood. Their Tet foods, apart from the banh chung and banh tet, are easy to cook, with some of the more popular dishes being pork cooked in coconut milk and a soup cooked with bitter gourd stuffed with mushrooms and pork.
A: Vietnamese Lunar New Year is coming and at VOVWORLD, we’re preparing multiple stories to celebrate our biggest festival. So, stay tuned for those interesting stories to learn more about Vietnam, its land and people.
B: And that brings us to the end of today’s Letter Box. Please keep your letters, questions, and reception reports coming.
A: Until next time, this is A…
B: …and B, saying goodbye and wishing you good listening on VOVWORLD.