A: Lu Dacheng of China told us that he saw the games of Sepak Takraw in Jinhua Central Arena, part of the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games. “Sepak Takraw is a good-looking sport, as it has many difficult and acrobatic postions. It is popular in Southeast Asia. I watched the final match in the women's team of three event in which the Vietnamese team won the silver medal. Congratulations! I’m enclosing some photos that I took.”
B: Thank you, Lu. The Vietnamese women’s Sepak Takraw team brought home one gold medal in the quadrant event and one silver in the team of three event. The Vietnamese men won a bronze medal in the team of three event.
A: I’m reading an email from Geovani Vázquez Reynoso of Mexico, a 22-year-old student who is fascinated with shortwave radio. Reynoso said: “I’m very interested in learning about the lovely country of Vietnam and its unique culture. I also want to learn more about your English and Spanish broadcasting schedules.”
B: While listening to VOV’s English program, he experienced a lot of noise from another station so he sent a reception report along with a YouTube link with a recording of the broadcast.
A: Thank you very much for your report and recording, which are useful to the technicians monitoring our overseas transmissions. Mr. Reynoso sent us some photos of his hometown Zacapu, which means "Place of Stones" in the Purépecha language. Zacapu is famous as the cradle of the Purépecha Empire, and the ancient language is still spoken there.
 Geovani Vázquez Reynoso sent us the photos: "The first photo is of a typical celebration of martyrs in the urbanized streets of Zacapu, traditional Purépecha clothes are worn for this special occasion. Next to it is a panoramic view of "Los Espinos", avolcanic crater lake. The last two photos are of rural areas where they grow sorghum, lentils, chickpeas, alfalfa, and many varieties of maize." |
B: Bidhan Chandra Sanyal of West Bengal, India, sent his best wishes to all VOV staff and listeners on the occasion of the Diwali Festival on November 13. We’re very interested in his story about the Diwali Festival, when every Hindu’s house is brightly lit with lamps on the evening of the new moon.
A: Hindus throughout the world celebrate this religious festival. There are many explanations of the festival, but it’s generally believed that Hindus light up their house to chase away ignorance and welcome goodness.
B: In Vietnam Diwali has become a popular festival celebrated even by non-Hindu communities. Last year more than 1,000 people attended the Indian Diwali Fest Gala in Ho Chi Minh City on October 28.
A: Organised by the Indian Business Chamber in Vietnam (Incham), the gala featured Indian food, traditional Vietnamese dances, and a concert by Aditya Narayan, singer and host of Indian Idol. According to Incham, part of the proceeds were donated to charity.
B: This year Incham Hanoi will organize a Diwali Festival on the evening of December 2 at Hanoi’s Grand Plaza Hotel. Guests will eat Indian food, listen to rock music, and watch Bollywood dancing performed by a professional cultural troupe from India.
 Dr. Jyrki Hytonen of Finland's letter and the brochure of Kainuu region |
A: I’m reading a letter from Dr. Jyrki Hytonen of Finland, who wrote: “As a forest researcher, I’m interested in nature and forests in Vietnam. I also study afforestation. I visited Vietnam on a 2-week vacation before the pandemic and saw with my own eyes the really fast development of your country. I’m now interested in learning more, and VOV is good way to find out what’s going on.”
B: He said he listens to VOV in English and visits our website. He also listens online to some of VOV’s programs in Spanish because he wants to practice his Spanish skills.
A: Thank you, Dr. Hytonen for sending us a beautiful brochure entitled “The perfect destination for visiting nature of Kainuu”, a region in the north of Finland.
B: Hokamura Fumito of Japan listens to VOV’s English program every day and sends us letters weekly. He wants to learn about Vietnam’s traditional medicine.
A: For thousands of years, regions across Vietnam have grown endemic and rare medicinal plants. Over 5,100 medicinal plant species have been recorded, of which 200 are harvested from the wild or cultivated for commercial purposes.
B: The Department of Traditional Medicine and Pharmacy Administration of the Vietnamese Ministry of Health says the 100,000 tons of medicinal herbs used in Vietnam every year are worth about 400 million USD.
 Students from the US and Mexico study at the Department and Renourology Andrology Department, of the National Hospital of Traditional Medicine in Hanoi. (photo: benhvienyhoccotruyentrunguong.vn)
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A: The National Hospital of Traditional Medicine in Hanoi examines and treats 130,000 patients a year, including more than 2,000 critical cases. It has 630 hospital beds, 500 doctors and other staff, and 34 departments of examination, testing, treatment, and surgery.
B: The hospital has modern diagnostic equipment, and combines traditional medicine and modern medicine for maximum effectiveness.
A: It has received students and post-graduates from South Korea, France, Switzerland, Mexico, the US, and Venezuela to study physical therapy, acupuncture, and reno-urology.
 The Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine in Ho Chi Minh City (photo: laodong.vn) |
A: In Ho Chi Minh City, there is a private Museum of Traditional Vietnamese Medicine, which is not only a repository for thousands of artifacts of traditional medicine, but also a popular destination for tourists.
B: Le Khac Tam, the owner of the museum, works in the pharmaceutical industry and has a passion for exploring and researching traditional Vietnamese medicine. After years of collecting and researching, he opened the museum in 2007.
A: The museum has over 3,000 artifacts related to Vietnamese traditional medicine, from the Stone Age to the present day. There is a large collection of exquisite medicinal jars and pots gathered from many different regions. Several items date back 2,500 years. There are herbal knives and herbal grinders from the hometowns of Tue Tinh and Hai Thuong Lan Ong-Le Huu Trac, the most influential figures in the history of traditional Vietnamese medicine.
B: 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.
A: Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platform, to hear our broadcasts. We look forward to your feedback on the mobile version of vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye!