B: Stephen said: “I sincerely thank you for all your past replies to me, including the beautiful VOV calendars. I have your 2019 calendar hanging in my lounge room. Your programs are always enjoyable, interesting, informative, and fun to listen to. May peace, success, and health be with you all.”
A: Thank you, Stephen, for those wishes. We’ve checked your reception report for our program on February 6 on 9840 khz and will send you a QSL card to verify it. We hope to receive regular feedback from you.
B: Misayo Tanaka, a 51-year-old Japanese living in the UK, sent us a reception report for our February 20th program on 7280 khz. She rated SINPO at 45343 using a Sony CFM-23L with a built-in telescopic antenna.
 Japanese lion dance
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A: She told us that it has been about a year since she started listening to VOV broadcasts. Reception was not always good and she often struggled to find a signal. On February 20, reception was quite good and she was able to enjoy the program.
B: Tanaka wrote: “The talk about spring festivals interested me so much that I searched for some photos later on the internet. The Vietnamese lion dance is vividly colorful and very different the one in my homeland. And what a distinctive building the One-pillar Pagoda is! Each time I listen to your broadcast, I learn something new and interesting.”
 Vietnamese lion dance
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A: I’ve just searched the internet to see a Japanese lion dance. Wow, the Japanese lions are totally different from those in Vietnam. But the lion dances of both countries around the New Year have the same meaning – to drive away evil spirits and attract good luck. The lion runs, vaults, spins and lands to the music of flutes and drums. Taking off. Touching down.
B: The Japanese lions bite people’s heads as they bound into the audience, because the Japanese believe a bite on the head brings you good luck.
 Vietnamese lion and dragon dances
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A: In Vietnam, a lion or unicorn dance is a joyful entertainment at Tet festivals and other events. Well-to-do families pay a Unicorn Dance team to come and dance at the opening ceremony of a new business or in front of their house as the first caller on New Year's Day. The Unicorn, a symbol of power and prosperity, is believed to protect the family and help their business prosper.
B: Here I have a letter from Fabio Galeffi, a keen short-wave hobbyist who lives in Rome with his family. Fabio says his passion for radio began in 1980 when he started listening to broadcasts around the world. He’s proud to have been able to contact other radio operators in almost every country.
A: It’s great to correspond with you, Fabio. We’ve checked your reception report for a Vietnamese language program on February 14 on 7280 khz. We’ll forward your report to our Vietnamese section to verify it. We’ll also send you a frequency list and English program guide in the hope that you’ll tune in to our English program some day and send us your feedback.
B: Fabio told us: “I used to have a pennant collection of all the broadcasters I contacted in my youth, but unfortunately these were lost. I’m trying to rebuild my collection, contacting all the radio stations that, in the past, had sent me their pennants. It’s an expensive and difficult job. If you have a pennant, I would be very happy to receive one.”
A: We’ll definitely send you some VOV souvenirs to build your collection. We really want to see your collection of shortwave stuff. From Northern Ireland, Jordan Heyburn, sent us a reception report for a program on March 11th on 7280 khz between 1605 and 1627 UTC.
B: Jordan told us about his radio set up: “In 2018 I sent my receiver and a spare laptop to a friend in Finland who set it up for me to remotely access my radio from here in Northern Ireland. I'm a very keen DX'er, particularly on AM, and I've picked up VOV's domestic broadcasts on 1242 khz many times!”
A: He reported that the March transmission was good with SINPO at 54444. He said: “I really enjoyed the show, especially the Current Affairs section about what goes on in Vietnam. It's really cool to hear this particular type of detail as opposed to the brief overview given in the world news.”
B: We’ve checked your reception report and a QSL card to verifying it will be sent to your address soon. Our regular listener Richard Nowak of the US listens to our program whenever and wherever he goes. He told us that he recently enjoyed our show from a 5th floor apartment in Miami Beach, listening with a Knight Star Roamer tube receiver hooked up to an indoor active loop antenna. Reception was perfect with SINPO all 5s.
A: Richard said that after the news, Current Affairs had an interesting segment on coffee and how it has always played a role in the Central Highlands. Vietnam has 660,000 hectares of coffee. Specialty coffee is now being promoted because it is a global trend and commands higher prices. There are 50 specialty coffee producers in Vietnam.
B: As usual, your report was detailed and we’ll send you a QSL card to verify it. Mahesh Jain, an Indian teacher, told us that his hobbies are stamp collecting and Dx’ing. On March 9th, he tuned in to VOV on 7220 khz and noted SINPO at 44334. Personally, he liked our story about preparations for the DPRK-USA Hanoi summit, particularly the food served to the participants.
A: He said: “I liked the statement of the Head of the Tourism Advisory Board, that each dish has its own story and message which makes foreign visitors want to explore. Food is like an ambassador that promotes the image of Vietnam as well as the local tourism sector”. Indeed, it will help Vietnam to put itself on the tourism map internationally, Mahesh said.
B: Mahesh was also interested in a story about a Plastic Waste Cleanup Day campaign in Ho Chi Minh city to protect the environment. The campaign disseminates information on the hazardous effects of plastic waste and calls on people to reduce their use of plastic and nylon products.
 Volunteers collect plastic waste on the beach
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A: Mahesh shared this view: “Single-use plastic is making the environment toxic. There is a need to reduce its use and replace it with bio friendly products. Many Indian cities have banned plastic bags, but they are still very easily accessible and easy to use. A complete ban is required, but very difficult to implement.”
B: Yes, it’s a long and difficult process to change people’s awareness and behavior. But it’s possible. Vietnam is strongly committed to reducing plastic waste nationwide, and eventually eliminating it altogether.
 The launch of Earth Day 2018 in Hanoi to call for an end to plastic pollution
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A: Hanoi has launched campaigns to reduce the use of plastic bags in street markets, supermarkets, and shopping centres. The city plans to increase the percentage of enterprises in industrial parks using eco-friendly technologies to 60-70 percent. Public service announcements have been encouraging enterprises to replace single-use plastic products and nylon bags with recyclable materials.
B: Similar campaigns have been launched in major cities and provinces by volunteers.
A: Thanks you, listeners, for keeping radio alive by turning on your radio every day. And thank you for supporting for VOV. We welcome your feedback at English Service, VOVworld, Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Our email address is englishsection@vov.org.vn. Goodbye until next time.