A: This week, listeners around the world sent us letters and emails with greetings on President Ho Chi Minh’s 128th birthday, May 19th. Shivendu Paul of India wrote: “Greetings to birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh and to all staff and listeners of the Voice of Vietnam. Saturday was the birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh and your reporting in the program about President Ho Chi Minh was nice and informative. The weekend music session was very beautiful.”
 A performance at the 2018 Sen village singing festival in Nghe An province marking the 128th birth anniversary of President Ho Chi Minh (May 19) |
B: Thank you, Mr. Paul, for your regular reports on our broadcasts. Over the past few days, activities have been held in Vietnam and overseas to mark President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday. In your country, India, for example, a ceremony was held at the Nehru Memorial Museum in New Delhi, on Monday to mark the occasion.
A: With Prime Minister Jawarharlal Nehru, President Ho Chi Minh laid the foundation for Vietnam-India ties. From 1924-1931, Ho Chi Minh wrote many articles on the struggle of the Indian people against colonialism and showed great respect for Mahatma Gandhi.
B: A similar event took place in Bhubaneswar, the capital city Odisha state and the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in Kolkata, West Bengal held a conference on President Ho Chi Minh’s thought on Tuesday.
A: Regarding Mr. Paul’s question on the popularity of electric vehicles in Vietnam, we’d like to quote a Nissan-commissioned study called “Future of Electric Vehicles in Southeast Asia” by Frost & Sullivan, a global growth consulting company. The report said up to 33 percent of Vietnamese buyers are considering an electric vehicle (EV) as their next car, demonstrating Vietnam’s strong interest in clean transportation. The study was based on 1,800 online customer responses and face-to-face polling in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
 Tesla Model X in Vietnam |
B: Two out of three respondents identified safety as the most important factor in purchasing an EV. Charging convenience was identified as the second-most important factor. Contrary to common perception, cost was not a deterrent—in fact, customers surveyed were willing to pay more to own an EV compared to a conventional car.
A: The study, however, showed that lower costs would prompt more people to consider an electric car. Three of four respondents said they were ready to switch to EVs if taxes were waived.
A: In Vietnam, electric vehicles are seeing signs on of market expansion. The current progress in EV manufacturing and record global sales are spreading to Vietnam.
B: In Vietnam, the Vinfast automobile company is the first domestically-invested company to commit to automobile manufacturing, including EVs. Recent cooperative deals in technology and production between Vinfast and global firms like Bosch and Siemens are driving Vinfast closer to its goals.
A: Though no electric car charging stations are available in Vietnam, at least two auto firms – which are members of the Vietnam Automobile Manufacturer Association (VAMA) - are conducting research to bring e-cars to Vietnam. All they are waiting for is a green light from the government.
B: Listening to our broadcast on May 20 on the frequency of 7220, Siddhartha Bhatttacharjee of India sent us audio clips of the programs and a question about the popularity of television serials in Vietnam.
A: Television serials are very popular in Vietnam. One of the first popular serials on Vietnamese televisions was Simply Maria, a Mexican soap drama produced by Ignacio Sada, which was introduced to Vietnam in the late 1980s. La Piovra, “The Octopus”, an Italian television miniseries about the Mafia, was another popular series in Vietnam during those years.
 "Living with mother-in-law" is a popular TV serial in Vietnam in 2017 |
B: Nowadays, not only Vietnamese but also Indian, Chinese, and Korean serials are very popular on both national and local channels. One of the most popular foreign serials on TV in the past few years was Balika Vadhu (“Child Bride”). It topped Vietnam’s TV soap charts in 2013, drawing millions of viewers, particularly housewives, every evening.
A: According to statistics from HCM City Television (HTV), the number of Vietnamese and foreign television soap operas aired on local channels in 2014 was equal - 30 of each. In the first 6 months of 2015, there were 15 Vietnamese series and 13 foreign series.
B: On national television (VTV), the proportion of foreign series is a little higher. However, primetime for the two kinds is similar. Vietnamese series usually have 30 to 40 episodes while foreign series have hundreds of episodes. Indian soap operas can have 2,000 episodes.
B: The Filipino show Vietnam Rose, which traces the journey of a woman whose family was separated by the Vietnam War, was a major success in Vietnam in the mid-2000s. Fabulous, another soap from the Philippines, currently airs on VTV, Vietnam’s state-owned television network. The Chinese show Scarlet Heart, about a young 21st-century girl reborn as a medieval woman was a draw on Vietnamese TV a few years ago.
A: Korean shows have spawned an entire hallyu “Korean wave” subculture in Vietnam and they cater to a taste of modernity that Vietnamese youth are prone to.
B: In recent years, Vietnamese film producers have introduced many suspenseful TV serials for Vietnamese audiences. Among the most popular series last year were “Living with mother in law” directed by Vu Truong Khoa, “Walking on Old Street” by Trinh Le Phong and “the Judge” by Khai Anh.
A: Next, we’d like to acknowledge emails and letters from Malik Allah Bachaya Khokhar of Pakistan, Dilipkumar Sarkar of India, and Muneer KP of the United Arab Emirates. We greatly appreciate your feedback and comments on the technical aspects of our programming. We’ll confirm your reports with QSL cards soon.
A: We welcome your feedback at: English section, VOVworld, Radio the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.org.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Check out our VOV Media App available on both 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. Good bye until next time.