B: Thank you, Fumito, for your weekly letters to tell us which programs you enjoy, the quality of our broadcast in Fukuoka-ken, and something about your life and your country.

A: You said Japan is in the rainy season from May to July. Here in Hanoi and the northern part of Vietnam in general, we are in the summer, which is a hot and wet season from April to September. Vietnam has a tropical monsoon climate. Generally, the weather in Vietnam is dictated by two seasons: the southwest monsoon from April to September and the northeast monsoon from October to late March or early April. The southwest monsoon is warm and wet and the northeast monsoon cool and not so wet.

Hanoi was flooded after a heavy rain

B: On Tuesday a downpour left many streets in Hanoi under 30 to 60cm of water. The National Meteorological and Hydrological Forecasting Center said the heavy rain in Hanoi was due to a low pressure system that has been moving through the north of Vietnam. In just about an hour, 50mm of rainfall was recorded in key parts of the capital city, while some low-lying areas were swamped by 80mm to 90mm of rainfall.

A: I was on my way to the office on Tuesday when I encountered a heavy rain accompanied by strong winds. I had to seek shelter under eaves over the pavement. In half an hour, the street in front of me turned into a river and people and vehicles tried to negotiate the rising water. My motorbike tires were half submerged. The Weather Center forecasts more heavy rain over the next few days, flooding low-lying areas and posing the threat of flash floods and landslides in mountainous areas.

B: The heavy rain accompanied by strong winds that struck downtown Hanoi came as both a blessing and a curse after a record-setting heat wave. Temperatures in Hanoi hit a scorching 40 to 43 degrees Celsius a few days before it rained. From now on the northern part of Hanoi will have intervals of burning hot days and rainy days.

A: Following the rain, the weather is very pleasant. And the summer is always a great time of outdoor activities. Richard Nowak of the US emailed us to say he enjoyed the show on June 12 on 7315 kHz, listening with a Hammarlund HQ-120 hooked up to an indoor active loop. Reception was perfect at all 5s.

B: Richard wrote: “Major cultural and sports events mentioned were the Documentary Film Festival and the Vietnamese Heritage Festival, with more than 20 activities, including a kite competition. Sounds like fun! Vietnam won 14 medals in the Asian Tae Kwan Do Championships. Congratulations, this is great! The Sunday Show described typical summer days in Hanoi with a lake surrounded by tall trees, a French man making documentaries living in Hanoi for a year was interviewed. Students were dancing to Latin music around the lake. Sounds like a fun place and Hanoi must be wonderful in the summer!”

Art performance in pedestrian-streets in Hanoi's Old Quarter

A: There’s a Vietnamese saying: “Live in a gourd, you grow round. Live in a tube, you grow long”. We have adapted to our weather. We reduce outdoor activities during day time. In the early morning and evening, it’s more pleasant for activities at public places, parks, and lakes. Children have summer holidays and families flock to beaches or cool mountains and forests to escape the hot, muggy atmosphere of the city.

B: Malik Allah Bachayakhokhar of Punjab, Pakistan, wrote a letter to tell us that he and his friends of the Sungat Radio Listeners Club are regular listeners to VOV’s English section. Malik, who listens to our program daily, says “All the programs are very informative and interesting. The reception was good. These programs provide us information about culture, literature, and news of Vietnam and the world.”

Listeners' letters

A: We thank you, Malik, and your radio club friends for listening to VOV. We’ve added your names and addresses to our contact list. We welcome your feedback and reception reports and we’ll send gifts to every one of you and your club.”

B: Roger Roussel of Canada listened to our program on May 9 on the frequency of 7315khz and rated SINPO at all 5s. We’re very happy that many listeners have reported that the signal on 7315khz to the US, Canada, and Latin America has been very good recently. Thank you, Roger, for listening to our broadcast. We’ll send you a QSL card to confirm your report. 

A: I have to tell you that it gives us great pleasure to read listeners’ letters to find out what they think about us and what programs were received by them. Another thing is the interesting stamps we get from many countries. Roger Roussel’s letter from Canada has stamps featuring Star Trek characters -- Captain Jean-Luc Picard and Captain Benjamin Sisko. I have collected Japanese stamps of flowers and folk toys and games. I know many countries’ iconic structures and scenic spots because of stamps.

B: Me too. I love these little images of countries. Stamp collecting is detail-oriented work and I’m patient enough to separate and categorize them. I collect the stamps we send our listeners. We often send you Vietnamese stamps that came on other listeners’ letters.

A: I’m reading an interesting email from Paul Walker Jr. He has an idea for a short segment on our radio show and website. “What if you did short interviews with each of the English Section staff about what their job is in the English Section and maybe a little about themselves outside of work. Then you could also take some pictures of the studios where you record and produce your shows and maybe some pictures of the offices. You could post the interviews and pictures on the VOV5 English Section website and Facebook page.”

B: Wow, I’m excited about this idea. Since we’ve been working here, we’ve had our voices heard but are seldom seen. We’ll consider your proposal to reveal more about work and activities at VOV. We think many of our listeners would love a behind-the- scenes look at the station and staff.

A: In the “About us” column on our website, we have news and stories of VOV’s activities in general, not just the English Section. In addition to professional programs such as cooperation with foreign radio stations and journalism courses, VOV is involved in lots of community activities such as charitable activities for poor children and ethnic children, and co-organizing the National Futsal Championship. Maybe we’ll follow Paul’s suggestion and talk more about VOV’s English section on our fanpage.

B: We’ll verify your reception reports and we hope you’ll receive our verification cards soon. Please send your reports to 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.