B: This is the first time Timo Metso and Ismo Kauppi have written to us. They told us: “We spent a week quite isolated at the famous Aihkiniemi radio monitoring base (Aihkiniemi DX cabin in Lapland), nearly 200 miles north of the Arctic Circle in northern Finland.
We both live in southern Finland, but we took a week off from work to travel 1,000 km north to Lapland just to catch rare AM signals.
This was our 3rd annual trip. We also enjoy the beautiful nature and fresh air during our daily hikes.”
A: It’s great to hear about your trip and your DX’ing hobby. We’re impressed with your photos of the radio shack and you checking the long wire antennas outside.
The trees and the ground are blanketed with snow. And there are rainbow clouds.
It’s so beautiful to see snow on the ground all winter long. We’ll post your photos on our website at www.vovworld.vn.
B: Finnish Lapland is the best place in the world to see and experience snow buildings like igloos and ice saunas, and bigger buildings like snow hotels, the famous Lainio SnowVillage, and the biggest in the world – the Kemi SnowCastle.
 The radio shack of Timo Metso and Ismo Kauppi in Lapland, Findland |
A: Vietnam sits in the tropical zone of the northern hemisphere. Most of its territory never sees snowfall, except a few mountain peaks in the northern regions. In winter people work to locate snow because snowfall and icy weather last just a few days or a few mountain peaks.
B: Mau Son summit in Lang Son province is covered with fog almost all year round. In winter, from November to December, it attracts tourists hoping to see snow and ice.
A: Further north and at a higher altitude, Sapa town in Lao Cai province is one of the best places to watch for snowfall in Vietnam. A nice place to experience snowfall in the center of Sapa is the Stone Church with Western architecture that was constructed by the French. If you want a panoramic view of Sapa town in the snow, you should trek up Ham Rong mountain.
 Snowing in Fansipan Mount in Sapa township (photo: VOV) |
B: O Quy Ho, one of the four great mountain passes in Vietnam, is another good place to find snow and ice. Fansipan peak, at an altitude of 1,600m, gets more snow than other places. Standing on the “roof of the Indochina”, surrounded by snow, you’ll have a stunning view of superb mountains and forests.
A: It is quite difficult to reach, but worth the effort. Now that there is a cable car to the summit, more people can realize their dream of seeing snow without having to trek up dangerous mountain slopes in freezing weather.
A: Another place to find snow is Dong Van district in Ha Giang province. To see snow, you must go to a high, remote mountain area like Pho Bang town or Lung Tao, Lung Cu, or Ta Lung commune.
 Snow and ice in Yen Bai province (Photo: VOV) |
B: It’s the end of winter now in Vietnam. Summer is coming with its attractions of white sand beaches and fun aquatic activities. Later in the show, we’ll read some more letters from listeners and talk about Vietnam’s folk culture, arts, and games.
A: Last week we received wishes from Indian listeners to mark the Holi Festival of Colours. Siddhartha Bhattacharjee said: “May God gift you all the colours of life, colours of joy, colours of happiness, colours of friendship, colours of love, and all other colours you want to paint your life.”
B: Rabi Sankar Bosu, the founder and President of the New Horizon Radio Listeners’ Club of India, wrote: “I’d like to convey my warmest Holi greetings to you all at the Voice of Vietnam on the occasion of Happy Holi, the festival of colours. This festival not only kills bad feelings towards each other, it also makes relations stronger. May this festival bring us closer.”
A: Thank you very much for your wishes on this ancient Indian festival. It’s also known as the “festival of spring”, the “festival of colours”, and the “festival of love” which signifies the triumph of good over evil.
B: The Indian community in Vietnam also celebrates the Holi festival of love, forgiveness, new beginnings and, of course, color! The Holi Festival Da Nang was held last Saturday with powder color play, water color play, Bollywood dance performances, a theatrical show, a belly dance performance, a beach bonfire, and tasty food.
A: I’m reading an email from Abdul Mannan of Bangladesh, who tuned in to our channel on March 10th on the frequency of 7220 khz which is beamed to southeast Asia. He rated SIO all 3s with a poor signal and poor sound.
B: Thank you for letting us know the reception conditions when you listened to VOV. We’ll forward your notes to our technicians.
A: Ding Lu, a listener from Jiangsu province, China, said he received VOV’s English program on March 6th at 13:30-14:00UTC on the frequency of 9840KHz. He used a Tecsun PL-310 radio with an external antenna. The signal was very strong and the sound was clear. There was medium noise. He rated SINPO 44333.
B: Karuna Kanta of India emailed us to say that he began listening to VOV’s English program again after a long time when he was busy with his job. Now he is retired. Kanta said he likes the news and our Letter Box program very much.
A: Oikawa Takeshi, a Japanese listener, asked: What does Vietnam do to preserve folk culture, arts, and games?
B: Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day is celebrated annually on November 23 to honor heritage values and promote creative ways to preserve traditional culture. Last year’s Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day held an "All Silk Roads" program that introduced silk products from many traditional silk villages and trendy products crated by fashion designers and garment and textile companies.
A: A fashion show of ao dai and other silk fashions accompanied by contemporary folk music performances was held to promote cultural connectivity across generations. There were demonstrations of traditional fabric production and weaving and Vietnamese tea culture.
 Children jump robe at pedestrian space around Hoan Kiem Lake. |
B: Folk games, part of the childhood of many generations of Vietnamese people, are starting to fade in modern society. With the support of functional agencies and volunteer groups, clubs have been established to popularise and revive folk games.
A: Every weekend they gather at pedestrian streets around Hoan Kiem Lake in Hanoi to play folk games. City residents and visitors from out of town play tug of war, skipping rope, and mandarin square capturing (o an quan).
B: A prominent group in Hanoi is My Hanoi, which organizes folk games in the Hoan Kiem lake pedestrian zone. The My Hanoi club consists of university students from around Hanoi, who share an interest in traditional culture and want to preserve it. They take personal pleasure in organizing these traditional games.
A: The San Dinh group targets schoolchildren and integrates folk games with activities that promote a green lifestyle and environmental protection. They have hosted activities at kindergartens and secondary schools that convey a message of environmental protection via folk games.
B: Thank you all, dear listeners, for tuning in to VOV every day and sending us feedback. We welcome your opinions 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.
A: Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platforms, to hear our live broadcasts. We look forward to your feedback on the mobile version of vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye.