Hello and welcome to VOV’s Letter Box, our weekly feature dedicated to listeners throughout the world. We are Mai Phuong and Ngoc Huyen.

A: First, we’d like welcome Martin Bobek of Vysocina in the Czech Republic to our program. Martin wrote “I’m a 27-year-old radio listener and I like listening to AM radio stations very much. I love every medium, short and long wave broadcast”.

B: We also welcome Eski Uskudar Caddesi of Istanbul, Turkey, who recently tuned in to our program at 2108UCT on 11840KhZ with SINPO rated at 41545. Despite the internet boom, shortwave listening remains popular among many people throughout the world. Through letters we receive from listeners all over the world, we realize there’s a growing number of DXers who share an interest in listening to shortwave, considering it a useful means to learn more other countries in an interesting way.

A: Mr. Muhammad Shamim of Keralam State in India reported listening to our program broadcast to North America via shortwave on 12005 Khz from 0230 to 0300 UTC on September 19 with SINPO rated at 43333. Muhammad found our report about Vietnam and Denmark particularly interesting and said that all the programs were interesting and educational. He also reported that signals in the 25-meter band were average.

B: Thank you Muhammad Shamim for your detailed reports. We are sending you our latest program guide and a QSL card to confirm your listening. From Canada, Richard Lemke, who is a member of the Canadian International DX Club and the World Wide Dx Club of Germany, reported listening to our programs on August 29, September 5, and September 6. Richard wrote “For some time now, I can’t hear you loud and clear on 12005 KHz. The signal is now cut to half the strength. For some reason, it has begun to drop in quality and I am now using 6175 kHz. We will see after the fall equinox seasonal change”.

A: Thank you Richard. We’ll hand over your reports to our technical department for a check of the transmission quality. We look forward to your further comments on our programs and will send you some QSL cards soon.

B: Next is a letter from Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Rajshahi, Bangladesh. Ashik wrote: “I am a radio hobbyist, but I’m also very fond of sports and tourism. I’m always hunting for anything new on these topics and just heard of “Sepak Takraw”, a Vietnamese sport. Is it volleyball? I know Vietnam has been in the Olympics since 1952 and was able to pick up a medal in Taekwondo in 2000 and weight lifting 2008. I know nothing about “Sepak Takraw”. Would you please spotlight this topic”.

A: Thank you Ashik for tuning in to our program. Sepak Takraw, in Vietnamese, is Cầu Mây, or kick volleyball, a sport native to the Malay-Thai peninsula. Sepak takraw differs form the similar sport of volleyball in its use of a rattan ball and only allowing players to use their feet, knees, chest and head to touch the ball. It is a popular sport in Southeast Asia .

Vietnamese Sepak Takraw athletes

B: Regarding the games’ rules, court measurements of court and equipment vary among tournaments and organizations that operate from a recreational to a professional level. We will talk about the rules of international competitions. There are two kinds of matches: regu and doubles regu. A regu match is played by three players on each team while a doubles regu match is played by just two players on each team.

A: Sepak takraw is played on a court similar to a badminton doubles court. The net, similar to a volleyball net, is made of thin nylon cord with a 6 to 8 cm mesh. The most interesting thing about the game might be its ball, which is woven of synthetic fiber.

B: Sepak takraw balls without a synthetic rubber covering, must have 12 holes and 20 intersections, must have a circumference measuring 42–44 cm for men and 43–45 cm for women, and must have a weight measuring 170–180 g for men and 150–160 g for women. It can be a single color, multi-colored, and even luminescent, but it can’t be a color that will impair the performance of the players.

Sepak Takraw ball

A: The sepak takraw ball can have a synthetic rubber or other soft covering to soften the impact of the ball on the player’s body. The type of material and method used to construct or cover the ball must be approved by the International Sepak Takraw Federation ISTAF before it can be used for any competition.

B: A regular regue match is played by two regus or teams, each consisting of three players. One of the three players stands at the back of the court; he is called a “Tekong”. The other two players stand in front, one on the left and one on the right. The player on the left is called a “Left Inside” and the player on the right is called a “Right Inside”

A: The Vietnam Sepak Takraw Federation was founded in 2009, 20 years after the sport was first introduced to Viet Nam. Sepak takraw quickly became a popular sport here and Vietnam has excelled in regional and world competitions over the years. Vietnamese athletes triumphed at the Asian Games when they beat Thailand. Hanoi and Dong Nai have become the two main centers for the sport in Vietnam.

A: In 1997, Viet Nam won a bronze medal at the sport’s debut in the Southeast Asian Games. Viet Nam has continued to dominate the sport and won a gold medal in the World Championship in 2000 and two golds in the SEA Games in Viet Nam in 2003. At the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, in 2006, Viet Nam bagged two gold medals beating the sport’s inventor, Thailand, in the women’s final.

B: Vietnam won two silvers and one bronze medal at the King’s Cup World Sepak Takraw Championships in Bangkok. In their debut at the 1st Asian Indoor Games in Thailand in 2005, the women’s team nabbed a silver medal. Most recently, Vietnam's sepak takraw women's team finished second at the International Sepak Takraw Federation (ISTAF) Super Series behind to Thailand.

A: That’s a short take on “Sepak Takraw” and its popularity in Vietnam. We hope you found it interesting. Here’s a letter from Rafael Rodriquez of Colombia. He wrote: “I recently listened to your station “Voice of Vietnam”. I enjoyed the program despite my limited knowledge of English. I’m an avid radio listener. I especially enjoy listening to shortwave radio. I want to learn more about culture, music and news from other countries. Your program is very interesting and features different themes”.

A: Rafael tuned in to our program on September 24 from 2330 to 2357 UTC on the frequency of 12019.2 khz with SINPO rated at 34333. Thank you Rafael.  Our QSL card is on its way to you. Please keep tuning in to our programs to learn more about Vietnam.

B: On today’s show , we want to acknowledge emails and letters from Sami Niemelainen of Finland, and Ratan Kumar Paul, Bhattacharyya, Jayanta Chakrabarty, and Shri Bhagwan Sharma of India. Thank you for your comments on technical issues and program content. We greatly appreciate this feedback. Dear listeners, your reception reports were all complete enough for us to send you letters of confirmation. If your name wasn’t mentioned this week, don’t feel left out. We’ll try to mention you next time

A: Once again, we’d like to remind you of our address:

English section, Overseas Service, Radio 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 at www.vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. And join us on Facebook at VOV5 English Section. Tata.