B: We thank Karmiz Fatema, Eti Mone, Zosna Khatun and Nusrat Jahan of Bangladesh for sending your wishes to VOV5 on this occasion. We know that the festival is observed by 1.6 billion Muslims across the world and marks one of the most important events in the Islamic calendar.
A: This week we welcome Faria Rahman, a college student of Bangladesh. He has been listening to VOV5 for 3 months, but this is his first letter to VOV. Rahman said he is always a great fan of Vietnamese music and VOV’s Saturday Music Show is his favorite program.
B: He wrote: “I love listening to the Letter Box and all the comments from around the world about the news and their favorite programs. I regularly listen to VOV5 on my Grundig 80 radio on the frequency of 7220khz. I also visit your website which is colorful and informative.”
A: Thank you Rahman for supporting VOV and shortwave broadcast. We hope to receive more regular feedback from you. Rahman said he’s interested in Vietnamese museums. And now we’ll give you some information about museums in Vietnam.
B: There are 120 public museums and around hundreds of private museums across Vietnam. Fascinating museums in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City are bound to make you fall in love with the country’s culture and people.
A: The War Remnants Museum in HCMC was listed among the world’s top 10 museums by the US travel site TripAdvisor. Founded in 1975, the museum is a must-see destination in Vietnam. It keeps more than 20,000 artifacts, films and documents. Most of its exhibits feature the wars in Vietnam and the first Indochina War involving French colonialists. The museum welcomes more than 500,000 visitors each year.
B: The War Remnants Museum is at 10th place on Trip Advisor’s list, but leads Asia. Also presented in the list of top 25 museums in Asia are the Vietnam Women’s Museum in Hanoi, in the 7th place, the Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi, the 10th place, and the Robert Taylor Museum of Worldwide Arms in the southern province of Vung Tau holds the 16th place.
A: The Vietnam Women’s Museum in Hanoi showcases the roles of women in Vietnam. With subtitles in English and French, the exhibits recount memories about Vietnamese women’s contributions during the war.
 Displays in the Vietnam Women's Museum |
B: Inside the museum are exhibits featuring farmers on rice paddy fields, service workers, street vendors, female business leaders, academics and mothers. Information about marriage, family life, fashion and life changing rituals is also presented.
A: The museum also showcases a stunning collection of propaganda posters, costumes, tribal basketware, and fabric motifs from Vietnam’s ethnic minority groups. Photographs and film footage documenting the life of heroic mothers during wartime are rotating exhibits.
B: The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi offers an insight into the 54 ethnic groups of Vietnam. It is full of information detailing traditional Vietnamese ways of life, from religious events to the symbolic rituals of all Vietnamese ethnic groups. The exhibition hall also features everyday objects representing each ethnic group, a research centre, library and auditorium.
 The Vietnam Museum of Ethnology holds regular events to attract visitors. |
A: The outdoor display area exhibits a variety of Vietnamese homes as full-scale replicas, which vary in architectural styles of ethnic groups and are set within authentic and tranquil gardens. In addition, there are also leisure pursuits on display including traditional water puppet theatre and calligraphy events. The museum plans to showcase cultural practices and civilisations of countries across Southeast Asia.
B: Here I have a letter from David Ansell of England. He listened to VOV on the frequency of 7280khz on July 18. He rated SINPO at 55534 and noted some fading but no interference.
A: We’ve checked your report which tallies well with our station log. We’ll issue a QSL card to confirm it. Thank you for your compliment that VOV’s programs are useful and well-produced and your firm support for shortwave broadcasts of VOV.
B: Late last month VOV hosted the 2nd ASEAN+3 Song Contest, drawing 22 singers from ASEAN countries and 4 guest singers from China, Japan, and South Korea. The Song Contest was held to mark ASEAN’s 52nd anniversary and VOV’s 74th anniversary.
A: Kalab Abbas of Pakistan wrote: “Congratulations to VOV5 to make such a beautiful contest. I’m a VOV5 listener from Pakistan. Especially, congratulations to the winners: Malaysian singer Rosario Ninih Chamini Bianis – 1st place and two runner-ups from Vietnam and the Philippines.”
 The finale of the ASEAN+3 Song Contest 2019 |
B: Radhakrishna Pillai of India wrote: “Thank you so much for the very fantastic, enjoyable and attractive VOV programs. Due to some busy work schedule and trips, I was unable to send letters in the last few months. My special thanks to VOV for stories on community-based tourism in Quang Binh province and grave sculptures of the Central Highlands.”
A: Besides shortwave, he also listened to other VOV programs on our website. He praised the Lunch Show team on Friday for their delightful presentation. He is waiting for a program about popular local cuisine in Vietnam.
B: We’ve noted down all the things foreign listeners want to know about Vietnam and surely we’ll cover them in our future programs. Mr. Pillai, you can explore Vietnamese and foreign cuisine in our Food Delight segment on our website vovworld.vn. We received an email from Siddhartha Bhattacharjee, President of Chaitak Listeners Club in India. He tuned in to our program on August 3rd on the frequency of 7220khz and rated SIO at all 444. We’ve listened to the audio file of our program, which he said was clear.
A: Jayanta Chakrabarty of India, a regular listener of VOV, said: “Vietnam is a fast growing country. The Vietnamese government is implementing various projects and schemes to improve the life of its citizens. In this context it would be interesting to know the status of electrification and supply of drinking water. Has the supply of electricity and drinking water reached all corners of Vietnam?”
B: Access to electricity in rural Vietnam was more than 99%. The information was released at a Conference of the Coordination Committee of the National Target Program for electricity supply in rural, mountainous and island areas in July.
A: Out of 63 provinces and cities nationwide, 19 provinces and cities have reached the target of 100% of households having electricity. The electric sector has set a goal of 100% of households having electricity by 2020.
B: The electric sector has sought renewable energy resources to reduce dependence on fossil and thermal power. The development of solar power including solar power systems on the roof of houses is considered to have a lot of potential.
A: As of April 23, only four solar power plants in Vietnam started commercial operation, but the number rose to 88 currently. Renewable energy, including wind and solar power plants, will add about 4,000MW to the national grid. Renewable-energy power plant projects are mainly in the southern and south-central region.
B: We’d like to thank you all for sending feedback on our shortwave broadcasts and internet content. We’ll send you verification cards to confirm your reports.
A: 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.org.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Check out our VOV Media App available on both the IOS and Android platform to hear our live broadcasts. We look forward to your feedback on the mobile version of vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye until next time.