(VOVworld) - This week we got a letter from Denis Ironman of England, whose last letter to us was back in 1971. We’re happy to welcome you back after 45 years. Wow, such a long time! Most of the people who worked here at that time have retired.

In addition to the exquisite landscape, music, and cuisine, Bia hoi (draught beer) is another attraction in Vietnam. Trying Bia hoi in the Old Quarter of Hanoi or tasting Western-style beer at brewery houses is an unforgettable Vietnamese experience.

(VOVworld) - Many listeners told us that they were impressed by last week’s Discovery Vietnam report about the Cuc Phuong national park. Bhaikan Hazarika of India wrote: “Your information about this national park was really very informative and helpful. I enjoyed it very much.”

The traditional Vietnamese wedding is one of the most important ceremonies in Vietnamese culture with influence from Confucian and Buddhist ideologies. In Vietnam, as in many other countries, an engagement ceremony occurs from a week to half a year or so before the wedding. In the past, most marriages were arranged by the parents. The bride and groom met for the first time on the day of their engagement. However, in the last few decades, Vietnamese women and men have begun to choose their own marriage partners.

(VOVworld) - It’s getting colder in Hanoi as we are at the beginning of winter. The average temperature these days is 25DC during the day and 20DC at night. As the season changes, warm, humid days alternate with cold days, making it easy for people, especially children, to catch a cold with annoying symptoms like coughing and a running nose.

(VOVworld) - This week we received letters from several listeners who haven’t written to us for quite a long time. Stephen Hogan sent us a warm spring greeting from the town of Glen Innes in Australia, where spring fever is taking over the state of New South Wales.

This week, we’d like to talk about Tet, Vietnam’s traditional lunar New Year festival. It is the most important celebration in Vietnam. Tết celebrates the arrival of spring based on the Vietnamese lunar calendar, which usually falls in the month of January or February. This year, Tet festival will begin on February 18- New Year’s Eve. The first day of the new lunar year will be February 19.

The Vietnamese Ao Dai (traditional long dress) has graced the world’s catwalks, acclaimed for its elegant appearance and its softness and lightness. The beauty of the traditional long dress rests on hand-made silk from traditional craft villages throughout the country. Vietnamese designers are using home-spun materials to wow fashion circles in Paris and Milan.

(VOVworld) - First up we would like to inform you of a frequency change for our winter broadcast beginning October 26. Listeners in Europe, Central America and the Caribbean, and Eastern America, please take note of the following changes.

A: Vietnamese women have always played an important role in Vietnam's history. When we talk about heroic Vietnamese women, we often think of the Trung sisters, Trung Trac and Trung Nhi, who in the 1st century led a rebellion to get rid of To Dinh, the corrupt Chinese governor occupying Vietnam. The Trung sisters are often praised for their military skills and courage and their image is often used to illustrate women’s role in Vietnamese society.