(VOVWORLD) - Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all VOV’s listeners. We’re entering the final week of 2020, also called the COVID-19 year, in which a world-wide pandemic has been affecting all aspects of our lives.
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 The joyous Christmas vibes have reached every corner across Vietnam. At churches and dioceses, all the preparations have been completed to celebrate a merry and cozy holiday
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B: We are wishing that the New Year – 2021– will bring the best of luck and happiness and that all our friends will remain safe and sound.
A: This week, we received lots of greetings from our listeners around the world. In an email, Mouad Belgrid of Morocco wrote: “Greetings to all of you. I wish you lasting success. I am happy to communicate with you or receive mail from you on the occasion of the New Year 2021. I extend my warmest congratulations to all the staff. And blessings, thank you. We spent the year 2020 with you. Yes, it is very difficult because of the spread of this virus on the global level, but we are happy with you and in the end, please accept my warm thanks.”
B: Thank you, Belgrid, for your greetings and for tuning in to our broadcast. Welcome to the Voice of Vietnam. We hope to continue to receive your feedback on our programs and wish you a very happy New Year 2021.
A: In an email to VOV’s English Service this week, Shivendu Paul of India wrote: “Happy New Year 2021 to all staff and listeners of Voice of Vietnam and greetings to all the Vietnamese people. The Voice of Vietnam is the window of Vietnam. Now it is not only a radio station but a multiplatform, multimedia agency with a digital media website and social media platforms."
B: “In this pandemic period of coronavirus, many radio stations have reduced their programming or stopped broadcasting their foreign language programs altogether, but Vietnam is one of the countries that have successfully contained COVID-19. This has enabled Vietnam to host ASEAN events as Chairman, while VOV has organized its “What do you know about Vietnam?” contest, and conducted a listener satisfaction survey to improve programming.”
A: “Voice of Vietnam’s programs are very nice and informative. My favorite program is the Letter Box, which features feedback from listeners and answers to interesting questions about Vietnam. I am very proud of the Voice of Vietnam.”
B: “In our Bengali New Year celebration, we dress up with men wearing Punjabi Pajama and women wearing sharee. We visit our relatives, friends and neighbor’s house and wish them Happy New Year. Many shops open their new accounts, cash books and invite their customers with sweets, snacks and distribute New Year calendar with their shop name. Many organizations organize cultural programs. We have two celebrations for the New Year but this year we already miss the Bengali New Year last April due to the epidemic and 1st January will be celebrated with restrictions and maintained social distance.”
A: Thank you, Shivendu Paul, for your appreciation of Vietnam and VOV and sharing a story about New Year celebration in your country. We wish you a very Happy New Year 2021 and hope to continue receiving feedback from you.
 This is also an opportunity for youngsters to capture the memorial moments of Christmas (Photo: VNA) |
B: We’d like to thank Urbe Ialam, Lamia Khandaker, Besakha Akter, and other members of the VOV5 Listeners Clubs of Bangladesh and India for sending us season greetings. We wish you all the best of luck and happiness in 2021.
A: This week listeners asked about the popularity of reality shows in Vietnam. Never before have game shows and reality shows been more popular in Vietnam. On most State-owned and private TV channels, it’s easy to find these shows. Many families watch them while eating dinner and their popularity is unlikely to abate.
B: The number of people registering to take part in these shows is so high that producers will not have to search for participants for years to come.
A: The shows include many imported formats: The Voice, Vietnam Idol, Vietnam’s Got Talent, Familiar Faces, Who Wants to be a Millionaire, Master Chefs, Vietnam’s Next Top Model, the Amazing Race, and many others…
B: The Voice is one of the most popular music game shows in Vietnam. The Vietnam version has acquired the copyright of Holland’s version and developed a format similar to the US version. Since it debuted in Vietnam in 2012, the show has gone through 7 seasons and many of its winners have gone on to successful music careers.
 (Photo: Pinterest.com) |
A: Vietnam has also adopted many game shows and reality shows from South Korea, like “I can see your voice” a show that discovers amazingly talented singers who are not yet in K-biz, or “Dad! Where are we going?”, a reality show in which five celebrity fathers and their children travel to rural spots to go camping.
 Vietnamese version of “I can see your voice” show of South Korea |
B: One of the most popular reality shows on YouTube in Vietnam is “Who is single”, a show that originated in Thailand. Girls sign up for the show to find their Mr. Right. It’s a show where contestants sometimes come out as LGBT. In each episode guests give the girl advice on choosing Mr. Right from among five male candidates.
A: Another hot show is Comedians Challenge, where contestants have one minute to make the audience and judges laugh. It’s a simple premise, but it attracts a wide variety of performers. Some people do stand-up, while others act out wild scenes of buffoonery and misfortune. Then there are people who are hilarious just because of how awkward they are.
B: Continuing with the reality television, we have Vietnam’s version of the USA TV show: The Face. This show puts up-and-coming models together with big names in the fashion industry in hopes of making them the next big thing.
A: Having the copyright of one of the most famous reality shows of South Korea, Running Man, the Vietnamese version atracts a huge number of audience. The participation of top stars in Vietnam makes it much hotter. The show draws the attention of most of the youth in Vietnam who are seeking for entertainment and find ways to support their idols.
A: There are too many shows right now for us to describe them all. Most of them are Vietnamese versions of programs popular throughout the world.
B: We always 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.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs.
A: 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.