 Vietnam women's football team celebrates their victory at SEA Games 32. (photo: VOV) |
B: Johnny Antonio Ramirez Lopez of Peru said: “Vietnam success! Long live sport for being healthy.” He commented: “In the past a female soccer referee or coach was looked at strangely due to the macho attitude of that time. Now we see women's soccer teams with extraordinary marks and technical and tactical records on the soccer field. My congratulations to the Vietnamese women's soccer team for the great victories and advances. May they soon reach the world stage!”
A: Johnny said: “Being champions for the fourth time in a row is not an easy task. In my imagination I see a well-organized, strong, tactical and fast Vietnamese team without jealousy or individualistic selfishness. The joint effort of all makes a great work and therefore a beautiful first place with a brilliant medal. Bravo Vietnam for investing in your human and sports potential. May the colors you wear on your shirt always shine: Your golden star in the infinite crimson. Congratulations!”
B: Thank you very much for cheering Vietnamese sports and the female footballers. Vietnam finished first at SEA Games 32 in Cambodia with 136 gold, 105 silver, and 118 bronze medals. Vietnam’s President held a ceremony to honor all the athletes for their achievements in bringing Vietnam to first place at the Games.
 Runner Nguyen Thi Oanh wins 4 gold medals at SEA Games 32. (laodong.vn) |
A: I’m reading an email from Paul Walker of the US. Paul said: “I’ve been a VOV English listener for many years now. I am also a radio broadcaster and station manager in the USA. Your 11885khz broadcasts are audible in Alaska. But unfortunately, the audio quality is not very good. This problem has been going on for quite awhile.”
B: Paul went on to say: “Please forward this to your engineers for prompt attention. This issue has been going on for a long time. If your engineers would like to tweak or test things and have me listen and provide feedback, or they have questions, please feel free to pass along my email address to them and have them contact me.”
A: Thank you very much, Paul, for your remarks and willingness to help. We’ll forward your remarks to the engineers. Karuna Kanta Pal of India told us that VOV’s “Current affairs”, news, and “Letter Box” are very important to him. He tries to listen most of days. Vietnamese pop music is his favorite. Karuna wants to know about the main food of Vietnam.
B: It’s definitely rice and rice-based dishes. We say eat rice to mean “have a meal”.
A: Vietnam has hundreds of folk sayings and proverbs related to rice, such as “plain rice is one’s natural mother”, “sufficient rice and warm clothes” means fairly well off, and “being served rice and water” means getting the red-carpet treatment.
 Fried rice with beef and fermented cabbage |
B: We have hundreds of dishes made from rice. In February the Australian travel magazine Lonely Planet, in an article “What to eat and drink in Vietnam”, recommended that tourists eat rice when visiting Vietnam.
A: Rice is something Vietnamese eat every day in one form or another. The magazine recommended several rice dishes: com rang – rice fried with egg, vegetables, and other ingredients as com rang, “broken” into short grains and steamed as com tam, and porridge. There’s also steamed sticky rice mixed with sweet gourd, black peas, green peas, corn, and peanuts.
 Hoi An chicken rice (photo: cookpad.com) |
B: Lonely Planet also recommended banh trang tron (mixed rice paper), a student favorite made from a tantalizing blend of dry rice paper, shredded green mango, quail’s eggs, dried shrimp, fresh herbs, crispy shallots, and roasted peanuts, tossed in a sweet and sour dressing.
A: Honorable mentions include spring rolls, crispy in the north, and soft in the south, made with shrimp, pork, and rice noodle.
B: We have a very interesting email from Bidhan Chandra Sanyal of India talking about International Tea Day on May 21st. He told us: “In India many people's day does not start without a cup of steaming hot tea. Some prefer pure Darjeeling tea. Some like to drink tea with milk. For those who are health conscious, there is green tea. Tea is an integral part of life for many people in different countries.”
 The Shan Tuyet heritage tea trees in Tua Chua district, Dien Bien province. (photo: VOV) |
A: UNESCO celebrates International Tea Day and say that tea is the world’s most consumed drink, after water. Tea production and processing is a popular means of livelihoods in developing countries and the main means of subsistence for millions of poor families in the least developed countries.
B: Drinking tea brings health benefits due to the beverage's anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and weight loss effects. It also has a cultural significance in many societies.
A: Tea is the favorite beverage in Vietnam. People drink tea around the clock. We drink it hot or with ice, brewed strong or light. Vietnam ranks 7th worldwide in tea production and 5th in tea exports.
B: According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Vietnam has 170 tea varieties grown on 123,000 ha. Vietnamese tea products are exported to 74 countries and territories, including Pakistan, China, Russia, and Indonesia.
A: Its northwestern mountain region is Vietnam’s tea hub, famous for the Shan Tuyet tea variety. Van Ho district, Son La province has thousands of Shan Tuyet tea trees hundreds of years old. Last year the Vietnam Heritage Tree Council selected 100 tea trees in Son La province for recognition as Vietnam Heritage trees and 2000 ancient trees were designated as trees in need of preservation.
Le Huy Cuong, Head of the Technical Department of the Vietnam Heritage Tree Council, said: “All the tea trees are beautiful, valuable, and worthy of being honored as heritage trees. The ancient tea trees form a very beautiful scene. All the places recognized as heritage tea complexes have become tourist attractions. In addition to harvesting tea, we also help local people develop ecotourism to serve the visitors who come to admire these ancient tea trees.”
B: Experts say that the older the Shan Tuyet tea tree, the greater its health benefits. In the past the local ethnic people harvested and processed the tea buds manually. Now they use machines to increase their profits.
Bui Xuan Hong, Vice Chairman of the Board of Director of the Hung Phat company, said: “The tea trees here have great value. We produce white tea, red tea, and dark tea. We see a huge economic potential in Shan Tuyet tea.”
B: Vietnam won 14 awards for different types of tea at the 2022 “Teas of the World” International Contest of the Paris-based Agency for the Valuation of Agricultural Products. The contest was organized into two sections: “Monovarietal Teas” and “Herbal teas, blends and scented teas.”
A: Tea products made from the ancient Shan Tuyet tea trees of Lai Chau province by the Dai Nam Son Group and the Sin Suoi Ho Cooperative won 4 prizes - two Gourmet Diplomas and two Gourmet Bronze Medals.
B: Thank you all for tuning in to VOV and sending us your feedback. We welcome your letters at English Service, VOVWorld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam.
A: 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.
B: We are PK and NQ. Thank you all for listening. Goodbye!