(VOVWORLD) - This week, we’d like to welcome back to VOV Mr. Otto Schwartz of the US. It has been a long time since we last heard from you.
B: Mr. Schwartz sent us reception reports for our English program on May 19th, June 1st and June 8th on the frequency of 7315 Khz and rated SINPO between 4 and 5. He wrote: “I continue to enjoy listening to your broadcasts, especially the culture and music programs. The report on Children Day activities on June 1st was especially interesting. Though we celebrate Mothers’ Day, Fathers’ Day and Grandparents’ Day here in America, we don’t have a Children’s Day.”
 Celebration of Children's Day in Vietnam |
A: In the context of international integration, Vietnamese people, especially young people, have in recent years celebrated Mothers’ Day and Fathers’ Day as well as other imported holidays like Valentine Day or Christmas Day. On Children’s Day, we organize many activities to create a festival for children. We also observe June as Action Month for Children.
 Celebration of Valentine Day has become more popular in Vietnam |
A: Mr. Schwartz sent us several newspaper pieces telling stories about Vietnamese food enjoyed in the US. One article focused on overseas Vietnamese Andrea Nguyen, her recipes for Vietnamese food, and her cookbook “Vietnamese Food Any Day” full of simple, classic dishes.
B: It’s interesting to hear that Vietnamese dishes are popular in the US.
A: Thank you, Mr. Schwartz, for tuning in to our broadcast and sharing with us those articles. If you’re interested in food, check out our “Food Delight” segment which is available on our website at vovworld.vn every week. There, we talk with Vietnamese and foreign cooks about the culinary culture of Vietnam and other countries and share recipes for various dishes. Check it out and give us your feedback. We hope to hear from you more regularly.
B: Ken Hunt of the US, an editor of the Jazz Wire, sent us a report on our June 22 program on the frequency of 9840 khz. Ken used an ICOM R75 receiver with a 110-foot, horizontal, inverted-v dipole antenna. He wrote: “Great to hear the Voice of Vietnam from Hanoi. My last reception report in April noted your English transmission via WRMI. I enjoy the music and cultural information on your station. Hope to visit some day.”
A: Do come to Vietnam. We’re sure you will have a good time. Meanwhile we’ll send you QSL cards to confirm your reports.
B: I’m reading an email from Kanchan Kr Chatterjee of India. He wrote: “June 21st was the fifth International Yoga Day observed across the world. Some members of the VOV Natun Radio Listeners Club joined in an event in a field with other yoga enthusiasts. It's so great to see a field filled with people doing such a healthy thing. I love doing yoga. Do you celebrate Yoga Day in Vietnam?”
A: Yes, we do celebrate Yoga Day in Vietnam. More than 1,200 people in the central coastal city of Da Nang joined a yoga event in celebration of the 5th International Yoga Day (June 21).
 Over 1,200 people join yoga performance in Da Nang city (Photo: VNA) |
B: Themed “Yoga for green life”, the event was jointly sponsored by the Vietnam-India Friendship Association in Da Nang, the Embassy of India in Vietnam, and the Baoviet Life Corporation.
A: This week, Jayanta Chakrabarty of India sent us an email asking about Internet use in Vietnam, its connectivity and popularity and whether the Vietnamese government is testing 5G technology as India is doing now.
B: After more than 20 years of Internet integration, with more than 60 million users, Vietnam ranks 18th in the world in terms of the percentage of Internet users and is one of the 10 countries with the most Facebook and YouTube users.
A: 98 percent of Internet users in Vietnam have made purchases online, up one percentage point since 2017. Increasing convenience of online shopping has strengthened the online shopping habit, according to the 2018 Nielsen Connected Commerce Report.
B: Fashion, travel, books and music continue to account for the largest proportion of online transactions
A: Revenue from online retail in Vietnam is forecast to hit 10 billion USD by 2020, five percent of the total retail market.
B: The first call on a mobile network using 5G technology in Vietnam was made by the Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group and its partner Ericsson of Sweden in May. With this event, Vietnam became one of the first countries to successfully test a 5G network. The first call used Viettel's 1.5-1.7 Gbps terminal, far exceeding the theoretical limit of the LTE 4G network, equivalent to commercial fiber-optic cable speed.
A: Many countries and network providers have wanted to pilot 5G creating a challenge for Vietnam to get ahead in this area. Viettel now plans to expand its pilot 5G mobile network in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.
B: Next, we’d like to acknowledge emails and letters from Grant Skinner of the UK, Peter Ng of Malaysia, Fumito Hokamura and Hayato Furukawa of Japan, Ratan Kumar Paul, Siddhartha Bhattacharjee, and Shyamal Kumar Banerjee of India, Sultan Mahmud Sarker and Muhammad Aqeel Bashir of Pakistan, Abdul Manne and Abdur Razzak of Bangladesh, and Muneer K P of the United Arab Emirates.
A: We’ll send you all 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.