A: The visit to Vietnam by the Indonesian group, known as “DX Tour 5 Vietnam”, included 19 members from various localities such as Pontianak, Wonosobo, and Sunakarta in Indonesia.
 VOVWorld welcome a delegation of Indonesian listeners |
B: The oldest member this year was 74 years old, and the youngest was 23 years old. Despite their different occupations and ages, they all share a common love for VOV and Vietnam in general.
A: For Mr. Rudy Hartono, President of the Borneo Listeners Club and Head of “DX Tour 5 Vietnam”, this is his fourth visit to Vietnam, yet his emotions remain as vibrant as they were the first time.
“For me, Vietnam is like my second home. I have been to Hanoi three times and Ho Chi Minh City once. But this time was very special for me because I was accompanied by 18 other members who visited VOV and Hanoi on the occasion of the 58th anniversary of the Indonesian Language Service. I’m very touched because I have fulfilled the wishes of many listeners, some have listened to VOV for more than 50 years, like Thedja Haryanto and some of our other loyal listeners to VOV,” said Rudy.
B: Mr. Thedja Haryanto, who has listened to VOV for 52 years, shared his special love for VOV.
“For more than 50 years of listening to VOV, I have witnessed the daily changes and developments of Indonesian Radio Programs, especially in improving their content, making the programs increasingly attractive and highly interactive. This time presented a rare opportunity in my life to meet all the announcers of the Indonesian program right at VOV5. This is truly a joy beyond my imagination.”
A: Many members have been listening and attached to VOV for over 30 years, a duration longer than the careers of some Indonesian program announcers. However, there are also new listeners who have just started tuning in to VOV in the past few years.
 Indonesian listeners had many beautiful experiences in Vietnam |
B: During their Vietnam tour, the listeners visited VOV headquarters, offices, and studios and met broadcasters. The “DX Tour 5 Vietnam” club members was hosted by Mr. Tran Minh Hung, Vice President of the Voice of Vietnam and Chairman of the Vietnam-Indonesia Friendship Association. He expressed his happiness and gratitude for the affection of Indonesian listeners for VOV.
 The delegation is welcomed by VOV's Vice President and Chairman of the Vietnam-Indonesia Friendship Association Tran Minh Hung |
Hung said:“The Voice of Vietnam is proud to have broadcast programs in Indonesian language nearly 60 years ago and received enthusiastic reception from Indonesian listeners. Every year, the VOV Indonesian Service receives about 1,000 letters from listeners. This has empowered our reporters and editors to invest, innovate, and further enhance program quality to better serve listeners.”
A: We’re very moved to meet Indonesian listeners in Hanoi, and we welcome other listeners to Vietnam as well.
B: Over the past week, VOVWorld received more than 400 letters and emails from listeners around the world.
A: In his email to VOV this week, Antonio Angel of Spain wrote: “In addition to the Spanish programs, I also tune into VOV5 in other languages to enjoy Vietnamese music programs. I hope you continue to promote shortwave radio, because while new technologies are beneficial, there are still many people around the world who can only access your programs through radio receivers.”
B: José Moacir Portera de Melo of Brazil, shared: “I enjoy the music program featuring beautiful Vietnamese songs, as well as the programs about your country’s traditions and education.”
A: Listener Ivan Lebedev sent a letter from Russia with the message: “From faraway Vietnam, the Voice of Vietnam programs talk about the lives of heroes and ordinary workers, showcasing the wonderful beauty of your country. Even though I haven’t written in a while, VOV remains one of my favorite stations to this day and hopefully for many years to come.”
B: Thank you very much, our dear listeners, for sharing with us your affection with VOV and comments on our programs. We’d like to congratulate Anand Mohan Bain of India for being elected President of a Listeners’ Club with 317 members and highly appreciate your efforts to organize some contests about the Voice of Vietnam. We hope to receive more information about your club and the contest and wish you success.
A: Next, we’d like to thank Paul Jamet of France who wrote: “I welcome your efforts in recent times to enhance the reputation of the Voice of Vietnam among international radio stations. However, I would really like you to have more columns or news articles about the international geopolitical situation”.
B: Thank you for your comments and suggestion for our program. Stories about the international geopolitical situation are covered in our daily “Current Affairs” section but we will delve further into this topic as you suggested.
A: In an email to VOV this week, Japanese listener Yanai Yasushi asked about lotus flowers and products made of lotus in Vietnam as summer is the lotus flower season.
 Every year in June, when the pink lotus flowers bloom, Hanoi people wake up at dawn to cut the lotus flowers, and so prepare a new harvest. |
B: The lotus is the cherished flower in Vietnam thanks to its noble presence and pure beauty. If you are in Hanoi these days, you can see the immense lotus fields in West Lake and small lakes in the neighboring areas.
A: Lotus in West Lake are famed for their light pink color and layers of petals with a fragrance sweeter than other varieties.
B: This time of the year is the lotus season, which is also a busy time for lotus tea makers around the lake. Lotus flowers should be cut in the early morning, between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. Lotus tea is a noble drink, containing the essence of nature. It has become a specialty of Hanoi.
A: Half-bloom lotus flowers are chosen to infuse the tea as they have abundant anthers where the pollen is stored and are very aromatic. The flower is prepared before dried tea leaves are put into the center of the blossom. Almost no part of the lotus goes to waste in this process. At least 1,000 lotus blossoms are needed for 1 kilogram of anthers, the most aromatic part of a lotus flower.
B: Dried tea leaves are mixed with lotus anthers. They are left there for half a day before wrapping the mixture inside a half-blooming lotus and putting it in the tea drier.
A: Pure fresh water ensures good tea quality, and a proper tea set are among the most important factors to bring along the best flavor for the tea.
B: Lotus-scented tea should be made in a traditional baked clay tea set. After cleaning the tea set with boiling water, the tea should be mixed with boiling water for around three minutes. Then the tea is poured onto cups.
A: For real tea aficionados, they want to enjoy the soul of the drink, not just sip it aimlessly, while other people like to enjoy the lotus tea with a soothing song in the background. It brings them closer to nature.
B: We hope that our listeners can arrange to visit Vietnam and Hanoi in particular and explore its culture, beauty, tradition, and lifestyle.
A: Thank you all for your interest in VOV. 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. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye!