B: Many happy returns of the day. We’ll send you a late birthday gift, maybe some Vietnamese stamps for your collection.

A: This week we got a lot of requests from listeners for detailed information after they listened to our programs. They wanted to know about Vietnam’s relations with its neighbor countries, and social activities like blood donation campaigns, tree planting and environmental protection campaigns.

B: before we answer, we want to check this week’s reception reports. Here’s a letter from John Cooper of the US. He listened to our program on June 30 on the frequency of 7315 khz and rated SINPO all 5s.

A: It’s great to hear that reception was excellent in Pennsylvania. It makes listening time more enjoyable. John wrote: “Tonight I liked the news stories and also the other programs presented. The song that was played was very nice and the singer had a great voice.”

B: Thank you very much, John, for sending this reception report. We’ll verify it with a QSL card. The frequency of 7315 khz is working well in the US, as Richard Nowak has also reported. He gave a SINPO rating of all 5s for the program on June 29. Richard used a Realistic DX-150A solid state analog dial receiver hooked up to an indoor active loop antenna.

A: Richard said he enjoyed the show, which covered lots of fun events and great news about Vietnam’s growing economy, the upgrading of Da Nang’s airport, a food festival and cooking competition for husbands on Family Day, and Vietnam’s Yoga Day celebration.

President Ho Chi Minh initiated the tree planting festival in spring

B: Shivendu Paul, President of the Metali Listeners’ Club of India said his club members regularly listen to VOV’s shortwave programs and visit our website. The students in the club listen to our program on their mobile phones. We welcome your feedback on our mobile web version or mobile apps VOVmedia. While maintaining its shortwave broadcasts, VOV has invested in developing digital-based channels to reach a younger audience.

A: Mr. Paul told us that in the state of West Bengal, the third week of July (from July 14 to 20) is observed as tree planting week. “We plant trees the whole year but this time is especially for tree planting programs and festivals. The government distributes free trees to individuals and organizations.”

B: It’s the same in Vietnam. We plant trees all year long, but the first month of the lunar year is dedicated to spring tree planting festival. The festival derives from President Ho Chi Minh’s teaching, “To benefit in 10 years, we must grow trees. To benefit in a hundred years, we must grow people”.

A: Each year the spring tree planting festival focuses on one target. This year, the festival was launched with a call to protect and ensure sustainable forest growth. Tree planting movements are launched in every locality. In areas where people depend on forests, planting trees and preventing deforestation contributes to economic growth and improves people’s lives.

B: Vietnam now has 14.3 million ha of forest, covering 41% of its land area. It hopes to increase forest coverage to 42% of its land area by 2020. The National Target Program on Sustainable Forestry Development until 2020 aims to raise annual forestry production 5.5 or 6% and earn 8.5 billion USD from wood furniture and forestry product exports. The program hopes to generate 25 million jobs, and improve the lives of people who depend on forests.

A: Last year Thua Thien-Hue province planted 5,840 hectares of forest and 1.2 million scattered trees, raising the total provincial forest area to 90,000 hectares, more than 56% of the province. Forests play an important role in Thua Thien-Hue province. They mitigate climate change, create green spaces, improve ecological environment, and enhance the life and health of local residents.

B: Hanoi’s municipal authority say the city’s green coverage is not enough to maintain the ecological balance and it worries about poor protection of trees, forest fires, and illegal logging. The city plans to plant over 430,000 trees this year and one million trees by 2020.

A: The city’s rapid urbanization and industrialization have posed environmental challenges. Tree planting campaigns have focused on roadsides, office buildings, residential areas, and schools.

B: Last year, Hanoi planted some 45,000 trees along Thang Long Avenue, the longest planting in Vietnam. The tree planting greens up the city from Ba Vi district to the National Convention Centre.

A: We’ll talk about the Vietnam-Lao relationship to answer a question from Koichi Ikeda who said: “I wonder how the relationship between Vietnam and Laos is. Often two countries which share a border don’t have good relations. Are there any border issues between the two countries?”

B: The Vietnam-Lao relationship has been exemplary, faithful, durable, and rare among international relations. World history has seen many different coalitions and alliances, but the Vietnam-Lao relationship is a sincere bond, always consistent, which has been challenged and enhanced through various hardships.

A: Before 1975, the two countries united to fight for national independence and freedom. From 1975 to the present, Vietnam-Lao relations have evolved a comprehensive cooperation between the two Parties and the two States for independence, sovereignty, and mutual prosperity.

B: In 1977, the two countries signed a Friendship and Cooperation Treaty and a Border Delimitation Treaty. Since then the traditional friendship, special solidarity, and comprehensive cooperation between the two countries have become ever closer and more widely developed in all areas, including politics, diplomacy, defense-security, education-training, economics, trade, investment, and science-technology.

A: Currently, Vietnamese businesses are involved in over 440 projects in Laos, with a total capital of over 5.2 billion USD, making Vietnam one of the biggest investors in Laos. The two countries will strive to boost the bilateral trade revenue to 3 billion USD by 2020.

B: Vietnam and Laos share a border of over 2,000 km, which touches 10 Vietnamese provinces and 10 Lao provinces. In 2003, the two sides completed a Vietnam-Laos border map and in 2008 they began a project to restore and add new border markers along their border. This has been widely seen as one of the most important cooperation activities between the two countries in their recent history. Despite some delays, the work is now nearing its end.

A: We’ve talked about the Vietnam-Lao relationship to answer a question from Koichi Ikeda. Before signing off, let us remind you of our address: English Section, Overseas Service, Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Our email address is englishsection@vov.org.vn. Thank you for listening. Please join us again next Wednesday for another Letter Box edition. Goodbye.