B: Omar Lassas of Algeria sent this wish to us: “I wish a very happy and wonderful holiday, to you, your families, and your loved ones and to all the listeners of VOV’s English service. I hope with all my heart that the year 2021 will be a year free from pandemics and diseases, a year of health, prosperity and positive change. I would also like to take this happy opportunity to thank you for all your efforts throughout this year, despite the health crisis, to ensure the daily broadcast of your programs. I appreciate all the efforts that allowed us to continue listening to our favorite radio station.”
 A stamp collection to celebrate the Year of the Buffalo 2020 |
A: Siddhartha Bhattacharjee of India said: “A Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your family. Thanks to your entire broadcasting team for providing us valuable information.”
B: Mitul Kansal of India sent a poem to the VOV family. Here’s the poem: HUG O'WAR
“I will not play tug of war.
I'd rather play hug of war.
Where everyone hugs, instead of tugs
Where everyone giggles, and rolls on the rug.
Where everyone kisses,
And everyone grins,
And everyone cuddles,
And everyone wins.”
A: Thank you very much, Mitul Kansal, for your lovely poem. Your wishes are our wishes and we hope they will come true in the year of the Buffalo.
B: In oriental culture, every lunar year is associated with one animal on a circle of 12 animals. 2020 was the year of the Rat, which signifies renewal and the opportunity for success in new ventures.
 Children tending buffaloes is a popular peaceful image in Vietnam's rural area. |
A: The world did experience unprecedented changes, but not in the way anyone had hoped. The global pandemic has changed our lives. We often joke that in the year of the Rat, which can carry disease, people had to stay inside like rats in their holes and maintain social distancing.
B: Well, 2020 may have been an epic disaster, but the year of the Rat did give us an opportunity to change the world for the better.
A: I agree. We have to reconsider the way we treat the earth and nature. Experts say the legacy of the COVID-19 pandemic will be with us for years. But we can build a better future if we prioritize nature, fairness, and sustainability in the recovery.
B: 2021, the year of the Buffalo, brings a message suggested by the Buffalo’s nature: success will come to those who work really, really hard.
 A typical painting of Vietnam's rural area |
A: In agricultural societies, the buffalo is a strong, reliable work animal. It is muscular and hard-working, and usually does the heaviest farm work. Vietnamese people say “Having a buffalo allows one to start a business.”
B: The buffalo is a close friend of the people and we have been together for thousands of years. Buffalos symbolize Vietnamese agriculture. I just hope in the year of the Buffalo we can go out to work in a coronavirus-free environment.
B: Here are some more letters from other listeners. Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh wrote: “I am so happy to get your official confirmation as a winner of the VOV 2020 Contest and the details of the prize. I understand that due to this pandemic situation, you have decided to send prize confirmations rather than prizes.”
A: We intend to send hard-copy certificates to all winners. Here I have a postcard from Ian Key of Australia, who said: “It has been awhile since I have been able to hear your station. Tonight from 10UTC till 10:28 UTC it was easy to listen to the News, then Current Affairs and the Letter Box. There are not many shortwave stations to listen to now. I find yours is one of the very informative channels from Vietnam.”
B: Thank you, Ian, for tuning in to VOV’s English program. We keep on producing radio programs as we expand to other digital platforms. The majority of radio listeners have migrated to digital platforms to listen to their favorite channels. Now you can just download the app of your favorite station onto your PC, laptop, or smartphone, and you are ready to go.
A: You can access VOV on our website, media app, podcast, Facebook Fanpage, Instagram, or Twitter, whichever is most convenient for you.
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B: Salf Ahamed Utsha of Bangladesh wrote: I listened to VOV5 on December 26th on 7220khz. The signal was good. From the Saturday report I learned about Vietnam’s traditional Cai Luong artists striving to keep their stage alive.
A: Listeners in Bangladesh often listen to VOV on 7220khz and say the signal quality is always good. H.M. Tarek of Bangladesh listened to a story about the Day of Pho, honoring Vietnamese cuisine.
B: Vietnam has much more than Pho to offer. Foreigners are familiar with Vietnamese spring rolls, Banh mi, grilled pork and grilled fish with noodles. Michael Cunningham told us that summer rolls, noodle with rare beef, and three-color sweet porridge are his favorites. They are available at every Vietnamese restaurant in Brisbane, even for takeaway.
A: Vietnamese coffee is famous worldwide. Many of our listeners in India, the US, and European say they buy Vietnamese instant coffee at supermarkets. Some of them have an aluminium or stainless steel filter to enjoy drip coffee.
B: Most people know that Vietnam is a major coffee producer, but you might be surprised to learn that it is now the world’s second-largest exporter of coffee beans, with only Brazil exporting more.
A: Vietnam is a country with a strong and unique coffee culture that is an integral part of daily life, and you won’t have to walk far in Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City to find a coffee shop filled with locals enjoying a cup.
B: Travel websites often say there are two things you have to try if you visit Vietnam. One is the now world-famous phở, the delicious bowl of beef noodle soup that is practically the national dish. The second, of course, is Vietnamese coffee, called cà phê in Vietnamese.
A: Vietnamese coffee is usually brewed using a drip method. Since the beans used are typically of the bitter robusta variety, the coffee is often sweetened with condensed milk – which keeps far better than fresh milk in Vietnam’s tropical climate. The resulting brew is a deliciously thick, sweet drink that is consumed hot or over ice.
B: This week we acknowledge reception reports from Ratan Kumar Paul and Siddhartha Bhattacharjee of India, Adora Athoy of Bangladesh, Mouad Belgrid of Morocco, Kalab Abbas of Pakistan, and Vicentiu Gheorghe of Romania.
A: 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.
B: 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.