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

A: First on our show today, we’d like to thank Robert Krolikowski from the US for his warm greetings to us. In Vietnam, it’s now spring, which is the season of festivals across Vietnam. The biggest is the traditional lunar New Year festival, which ended a month ago. Robert, we wish you all the best and hope that you’ll keep tuning in to our broadcasts.

B: In an email to VOV this week, Charlie Wardale reported listening to our broadcast on March 25 on the frequency of 9730 khz from 20:44 to 20:59. He wrote: “I have received VOV broadcasts a number of times during March and always enjoy listening to information about the cultural, scientific and geographical aspects of Vietnam”.

A: Charlie continued: “In this broadcast, there was information about the upcoming IPU conference that Vietnam will be hosting. This was followed by details about the weather in Vietnam and then the Letter Box. This is always interesting as it shows the broad spectrum of people and countries that are listening to your broadcasts and the equipment that is used to receive them. My equipment for receiving your broadcast is Tecsun PL-600 and 15 m-long wire antenna”.

B: Thank you, Charlie, for your feedback on our broadcasts. We’ll send you a QSL card to confirm your report. Amir Jameel of Pakistan, one of VOV’s regular listeners, recently sent us several emails with some interesting suggestions. Amir is interested in the weather in Hanoi in recent days and also wants to know about the national game of Vietnam.

A: The weather is getting warmer. Today and for the next few days, the weather in Hanoi will be sunny and hot and the temperature could reach as high as 36 degrees Celsius.

B: As for the national game of Vietnam, actually, we don’t have any official national game. Vietnam is a multi-ethnic country with 54 ethnic minorities. Each group has its own traditions, culture and festivals. Folk games are big part of these festivals.

A: Vietnam is seeking UNESCO recognition for “Rituals and Tug-of-War folk games” as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. Vietnam has joined the Republic of Korea, Cambodia and the Philippines in submitting a multinational dossier on their traditional tug-of-war games.

B: Tug-of-war is a folk game that appeared in Vietnam long ago and is often organized during spring festivals to pray for favorable weather, a good crop, happiness and prosperity. The tug-of-war game symbolizes the strength and unity of farmers.

A: According to Professor Ngo Duc Thinh, a member of the National Cultural Heritage Council, tug-of-war is not only a game, but also a spiritual competition. After winning the game, the winners go to the Communal House and Temple to worship the Genie who, according to their belief, blesses them and their friends to with future rewards and honour. So, in addition to being entertaining, folk games reflect the people’s traditional customs and spirits.

A: Tug-of-war is very popular among other ethnic groups around Vietnam.  Ropes made of different materials, wooden sticks, or even just hands are used in the game. The rules of the game vary in different regions but above all, the game represents strength and unity.

B: In modern society, tug-of-war remains a popular game, especially among students and workers. UNESCO recognition of the tug-of-war ritual and game as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity would help Vietnam further promote this ancient folk game.

A: Another popular folk game in Vietnam is ‘Bịt mắt bắt dê’ or “catching a goat while blindfolded”. After a whistle is blown to start the game, there is shouting and applause for the blindfolded player trying to catch the goat as he runs around inside a fenced enclosure.

B: Children are allowed to climb onto the fence made of bamboo stakes to see better while the adults whistle, scream, and shout encouragement.

A: The original game was played as follows: one player volunteers to be the “goat” and another, the “goat catcher”. Other people form a circle around the players.

B: The goat and goat catcher are both blindfolded with handkerchiefs. The game begins when the referee yells, “Go!”. The goat can move wherever he or she likes but must occasionally bleat. The catcher listens for the bleats and gropes to find the goat. The goat must move quietly to avoid being caught. Since both players are blindfolded, both the goat and the goat catcher must use their ears and wits to win.

A: The other people try to distract the goat and the goat catcher and make them turn in the wrong direction. This creates hilarious moments and prolongs the game. A new round begins once the goat has been caught. Other players who want to join the game may ask to play the goat or goat catcher.

B: “Human chess” is a popular game at village and temple festivals in Vietnam. Human chess is a variant of chess, in which people assume the roles of the various chess pieces (king, knight, pawn and so on). This is typically done on an outdoor terrain, with the squares of the board marked out on the grass. A move that involves a piece being captured causes a choreographed fight to be enacted to determine whether the piece is actually taken.

A: In human chess, the pieces are all people: 32 people in all. One side usually consists of 16 boys and the other of 16 girls. The teams dress in contrasting colors. The atmosphere often turns lively. In the early morning, people start to gather to await the competition. Often three drum-rolls signal the start of the game.

B: Two players in traditional Vietnamese costumes and seat themselves on two high platforms behind the chessmen. The first player starts the game by shouting and a chessman leaves his position, performing martial arts techniques as he moves to another position on the chessboard. The second player shouts and one of his chessmen moves and performs skillful martial arts moves. If a chessman is captured, he has to leave the chessboard.

A: The spectators cheer an especially nice performance inspiring the chessmen to do their best to show off their skills. A game usually lasts about two hours. Often the spectators don’t want to go home, and press the organizers to continue the game. 

 B: Those are just a few of the numerous folk games still played at Vietnamese festivals today. We’ll tell you about some other Vietnamese folk games in future programs. So stay tuned.

A: Over the past few weeks, we have been receiving entries to VOV’s quiz: What do you know about Vietnam? Most of them have been sent by email. We greatly appreciate your participation in our quiz. The entries are all very informative and interesting and reflect a love for Vietnam and an interest in our broadcasts. We hope to receive more entries from other listeners around the world and encourage you to send your entries in hard copy with pictures, or something else that will make your entry unique and impressive.

B: Before we go, we’d like to inform you of frequency changes for our summer broadcasts. Starting March 30 VOV’s English programs beaming to England and France at 17:00 and 17:30 UTC will be on 9625 khz. Our broadcast to Eastern America and the Caribbean at 01:00 UTC and 02:30 UTC will be on 12005 khz. We’ll also remind you individually by email or post mail.

A: We welcome your feedback at: English section, Overseas Service, Radio Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.org.vn. Tune in to our English program on the Internet at vovworld.vn.  Good bye. See you next time.