The impressive scenery of Ha Long Bay in Quang Ninh province is one symbol of Vietnamese tourism (Photo: vietnamnet.vn)

B: Many listeners of the English Section expressed an interest in the availability of our English broadcasts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Many of them said they hoped our English programs will soon also be available on other platforms like Podcast, Youtube, and Tiktok. 

A: Odilón Ramos Boza of Peru wrote: “I’m an amateur radio listener. I really want to become a professional radio listener but I can’t. When I became a teacher, I often listened to radio at night and I also often listen to radio with my students. I hope you will help me connect with other radio listeners around the world and want to call for donations of schoolbooks, notebooks, school supplies and clothing for my students, many of whom became orphans due to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

B: Mr. Boza, we appreciate your love for radio and for VOV broadcasts and we hope we can connect you with other listeners around the world to address your students’ difficulties. We’re looking forward to receiving more regular feedback from you.

Nguyen Thi Uyen of VOV Online speaks at the ceremony after receiving the award in the Digital media category for her piece “The small alley.”

A: Many listeners congratulated the Voice of Vietnam for winning multiple prizes at the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Awards and expressed their confidence that VOV will have many more achievements and will always be a close friend of listeners around the world.

B: Thank you, dear listeners, for your words of congratulation. The Voice of Vietnam won three prizes ABU 2022 Prizes. "Bon Phuc" by reporters of VOV’s News and Current Affairs Department (VOV1) won the News Reporting category, and “The small alley” by VOV Online won the Digital Media category.

A: The third winner, “Overcoming adversity” by reporters of VOV’s Ethnic Minority Department (VOV4) received the special commendation in the Radio Perspective Award category.

B: This year, VOV submitted nine stories to the competition, including six radio stories, two television stories and a digital media piece. Six of the entries made the final round, and three won a prize. This was the first time VOV has won a prize in the Digital Media category.

This year, the Voice of Vietnam won three awards.

A: Since 2010 VOV has won the most prestigious program awards in the Asia-Pacific region – ABU Awards for the best Radio, best Television and best New Media content.

B: Olya Booyar, Head of Radio for the ABU, said the winning piece really surprised her, a Jurywoman. “I was very pleased to hear a story about conserving nature that profiles an everyday hero. This work was elaborately produced and touched the heart of every member of the jury. The way the character's voice was used and the way he sings is very special. One piece by VOV and 3 pieces from 3 different Chinese stations made the final round, and VOV’s piece won. That was a big surprise.”

A: This week, we continued to receive feedback from Bidhan Chandra Sanyal of India, who expressed his interest in Vietnamese cheo traditional theater: “It’s good news that the 2022 National Festival promotes Cheo folk music to the modern world. Cheo has long been an integral part of the cultural and spiritual life of the Vietnamese people.  This year's festival attracted 1,500 Cheo artists from 16 groups.  All presentations were creative and engaging.”

A Cheo performance by Ha Nam art troupe at the opening ceremony of The 2022 National Cheo Festival. (Photo: hanamtv.vn)

B: Cheo is a traditional form of Vietnamese stage art, which developed strongly in the northern region, particularly in the Red River Delta. It originated in the 10th century from folk music and dance and is still popular in the north. When farmers in the Red River Delta finish a harvest, they organise a festival to thank the gods who helped them. The genre has had a long history and has had a deep influence on Vietnamese life.

A: Cheo theater consists of folk songs with pantomime, instrumental music and dances, combined with instructive or interpretive sketches that take their themes from legends, poetry, history and daily life, plus acrobatics and magic. Cheo recounts tales of chiefs, heroes and lovely maidens and offers a popular mix of romance, tragedy and comedy.

People’s artist Thuy Ngan performs Cheo, one of the traditional theatrical art forms from the country.

B: For foreign audiences, who don’t know Vietnamese, the action and music of Cheo plays teaches them about Vietnamese life. In recent years, the Cheo stage, instruments and costumes have been reformed to make the art more appealing to a modern audience. Plays have been adapted from foreign stories to give a fresh style to Cheo.

A: Cheo is currently seeking UNESCO recognition as a cultural heritage of the world.

B: This week, many VOV’s listeners expressed their interest in our story about a ceremony to mark 250 years since poetess Ho Xuan Huong’s birth and 200 years since her death. At the ceremony, UNESCO Chief Representative in Vietnam Christian Manhart presented a Resolution honoring Ho Xuan Huong.

A: Poet Ho Xuan Huong, who was born in 1772, is known as the "Queen of poetry in ancient Vietnamese". Her new ideas, innovative poetic style, and simple, creative language have her work significance and a lasting vitality. Her poems are concerned with gender equality and the liberation of Vietnamese women.

B: Within the framework of its 41st General Assembly in Paris last month, UNESCO joined Vietnam in celebrating the birth and death anniversaries of Ho Xuan Huong and another Vietnamese poet Nguyen Dinh Chieu, who was born on July 1, 1822, and became a famous poet despite his blindness.

B: This week Javier González Nungaray of Mexico praised Vietnam for manufacturing of electric buses and exporting them to the US. He wrote: “This is a remarkable step and a big jump for Vietnam.”

A: 1,000 Vinfast VF8 smart electric cars were exported to the US in November, the first time made-in-Vietnam cars have entered a foreign market.

At a ceremony to export Vietnam's smart electric cars

B: It was the first batch of Vinfast cars to be exported out of the 65,000 VF8  and VF9 models sold so far. The cars will be delivered to their buyers in December. In 2023, Vinfast will deliver VF8 cars to customers in Canada and Europe.

A: Thank you all for tuning in to VOV and sending us your feedback. 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.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 platforms, 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!