B: Pak Ning Tjang of Indonesia wrote: “Hope Radio Voice of Vietnam will continue its friendly mission with endless efforts to inform listeners in all parts of the world what is going on in Vietnam.”

A: Radhakrishna Pillai of India wrote: “Thanks to Voice of Vietnam for the amazing service in the last 72 years and the valuable information about the great country Vietnam. I regularly enjoy VOV programs to get new and interesting information about Vietnam.” 

B: British listener Patrick Travers wrote: “It gives me great pleasure listening to the Voice of Vietnam. Your station is one of my favourites. Thank you for continuing to use shortwave. My hope is that you'll continue to use it for many years to come.”

A: Many thanks from VOV to all of you. Of course we’ll keep on broadcasting on shortwave. VOV’s overseas service plans to expand its foreign language programming beyond the current 11 languages. We’ll give you details of the new programming soon.

Coco-palms in Ben Tre

B: In addition to its radio channels, VOV has been on developing multimedia platforms, particularly online programs. Now you can listen to all VOV’s programs online by going to our website or using VOV media app. Dr. Shahinur Alam of Bangladesh told us after trying VOV’s multi channels: “I’ve downloaded your app VOV Media and listened to your program nicely. I also try to listen to your programs daily via shortwave. Your website is colorful and documented.”

A: Thank you very much, Alam, for your compliments. Your comments on our programs are always appreciated. Eric Zhou, a Dx’er in China, reported listening to VOV’s English program on September 1 on the frequency of 7315 khz. He noted: “Your signal was very strong. Despite some noise and slight fading, the speech was very clear. I love your wonderful programs and beautiful country.”

They transport coconuts from gardens to markets by boats

B: Your reception report tallied well with our station log. We’ll send you a verification card together with some station pennants soon. From Indonesia Eddy Prabowo sent us a reception report and attached many audio files of the program on September 1 on the frequency of 7315 khz. He used a WebSDR receiver in Michigan, the US, and in Jakarta, Indonesia, used a Xiaomi smartphone.

A: Mr. Prabowo noted: “moderate signal strength came with fading and noise. Towards the end of the program, signal degraded with a little bit strong fading.” Thank you for your specific remarks and recorded pieces which are useful for us to monitor our broadcast in your place. We’ll issue a QSL card to confirm your report soon.

Ben Tre coco-candy with durian flavor

B: Jarmo Patala of Finland  emailed us on September 13, saying that he had the pleasure of listening to Voice of Vietnam broadcasting on 675 kHz on 12th March,  2017, from 1555 to 1605 UTC. He enclosed in his mail a short recording of a local Vietnamese station. We’re not in a position to verify that reception. We’ll send Jarmo a frequency list and the program guide of VOV’s English section, and hope to receive more feedback from him soon.

A: Indian Dx’er Jayanta Chakrabarty said he enjoyed listening to our feature on the "Coconut Island".  The story was about the scenic floating island of Nam Yet in the Truong Sa archipelago, home to some 400 coconut trees. Cuttings from this island have been transplanted to other islands to enhance their greenery and soil quality. Jayanta Chakrabarty told us that that having a long coastline of about 7520 km and interior fertile land, coconut cultivation is also very popular in India. He wants to know more about Vietnam’s coconut production and products.

Handicraft products made from coco-palms and nuts

B: Vietnam is one of the world’s eight leading coconut producers and exporters. Coconuts are grown in several central coastal and southern provinces. The Mekong Delta provinces, particularly Ben Tre province, are considered Vietnam’s coconut “kingdom”.

A: All parts of the coco-palm are used to make different types of products: fresh coconut, dried coconut, coconut fibre, coconut charcoal, coconut oil, candy, milk, jelly, jam, and handicraft items.

Coco-palm roots are used to make decorative things

B: Yes, pretty much every part of the coconut palm can be used by humans in some manner. In summer, coconut water is the most popular drink at beaches along Vietnam’s coast. It is a refreshing, healthful drink very popular for post-workout rebalancing and rehydrating.

A: Coco milk and cream made from the flesh of the coconut are widely used as a non-dairy milk in Asian cuisines. Coconut oil is made from coconut flesh and used in frying, cooking and as a moisturiser. Asian women prefer coco oil for hair and skin care. Particularly in the winter, coco oil helps moisturize and make your skin smooth.

B: I have a long list of coco products such as coco butter, coco flavor, coco yogurt, coco icecream, and coco candy. Ben Tre currently has over one hundred coconut candy manufacturers, making up thirty percent of local enterprises.

Families grow organic vegetable in coconut shells

A: Some people prefer to decorate their homes with eco-friendly products and they look for coco handicrafts such as coconut shell hanging pots, egg-shell coco bowls, and coco-fiber pots. Vietnam’s coconut products are exported to Canada, the US, Argentina, France, Spain, Egypt, Iran, Singapore, China, Australia, and many other countries.

B: Thank you all for your feedback.  Many of you said you haven’t received QSL cards for your recent reception reports. We’ll check our records and if we forgot you, we’ll send your QSL card immediately. If we already sent one to the postoffice and you haven’t received it, it’s really out of our control, but we’ll consider resending.

A: Some listeners did receive our letters and gifts. Richard Nowak wrote: “Thank you for the nice QSL card of the VOV staff, the lovely ethnic paper doll, the conical hat key chain, and the Miss Viet key chain! These are great! Vietnam produces amazing handicrafts. Compliments to the artists! Their detailed work is beautiful and unique. These gifts are wonderful and appreciated! I enjoy these very much.”

B: We hope our QSL cards will reach all of you soon. We welcome your letters at English Section, Overseas Service, Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Our email address is englishsection@vov.org.vn. Thank you for listening. Please join us again next Wednesday for another Letter Box edition. Goodbye.