A: We’d like to welcome back to VOV Mr. Otto Schwartz of the US after a very long time. In his letter dated March 1, 2019, Mr. Schwartz wrote: “Please forgive me for not having written you in so long. I’ve had great difficulty hearing your shortwave broadcasts due to poor reception conditions. However I have tuned in to them on my smart phone where the broadcasts were very clear. It was exciting to hear the news and views about the DPRK-USA summit directly from Hanoi.”
 US President Donald Trump met DPRK Chairman Kim Jong-un during their second summit in Hanoi on February 27 and 28, 2019 (Photo: VNA) |
B: Expressing his impressions of VOV’s coverage of the summit, Mr. Schwartz said: “I was much impressed by the awesome ceremonies that were accorded to the two leaders. I was deeply moved by the presentation of a bouquet of flowers by a little girl to President Trump, the playing of the national anthem by a military band, the waving of flags by little girls.”
A: Mr. Schwartz also expressed his joy in listening to our stories about culture, tourist destinations, and every day events in the lives of Vietnamese people. Thank you, Mr. Schwartz, for tuning in to VOV and your feedback on the program. We’ll send you our new frequency list and program schedules and confirm your report with a QSL card. We look forward to hearing more from you.
B: We’d like to welcome to VOV Brian Penney, a new listener in the US. Using a receiver with a loop antenna, Mr. Penney caught our English program from 00:00 to 00:27 UTC on February 27 on the frequency of 7315 khz. He wrote: “I listen to your broadcasts on shortwave multiple times a week and I always enjoy your program. The quality and diversity of your programming is greatly appreciated. I have been a shortwave listener since 1971 and I believe very strongly in the value of shortwave broadcasts from international broadcasters such as the Voice of Vietnam. Thank you for continuing to find importance in broadcasting on the shortwave band.”
A: Thank you, Mr. Penney, for tuning in to VOV. VOV’s shortwave broadcasting was launched in 1945 and has been continuously maintained ever since. Despite the boom of new technologies and multi-media, VOV intends to continue its shortwave broadcasts introducing Vietnam to listeners around the world. VOV broadcasts in 13 languages to serve listeners around the world: English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Cambodian, Lao, Thai, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese.
B: In addition to shortwave, we also make our program available on the internet at vovworld.vn and on a mobile app called “VOV media”. We’ll send you our frequency list and program schedule as well as a QSL card to confirm your reception. We hope to hear more from you. Thank you.
 An elephant parade at the opening of the 2019 Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival |
A: This week Saleem Ahhtar Chadhar of Pakistan expressed interest in our stories about the 6th Ban flower festival in Dien Bien province and the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival in Dak Lak province.
B: Many festivals take place in Vietnam throughout the year, especially in the spring. Today’s program will introduce you to some more of them.
A: The Khau Vai Love Market Festival in Ha Giang province is held in the spring, often in May. It is a true love market for several ethnic minority groups from four mountainous districts on the Dong Van Plateau and certain communes in Cao Bang province.
 Mong girls in traditional costume at Khau Vai Love Market (Photo: VNA) |
B: According to local elders, the love market began in the early 1900s. The market attracts young single people looking for a partner as well as couples who love each other already but cannot wed for one reason or another.
A: On the day of the market session a likely that both the wife and her husband together go to the market but they look for their own partners to share emotions. If one of them has to stay at home, he or she is not jealous in love because the dating at the marketplace is really a faithful feeling exchange.
B: The festival features food and drink culture, song performances and folk games. Ethnic costumes, jewelry, ethnic musical instruments and culture and art publications are on display at the market, reflecting activities of the local people.
A: Taking place from the 10th to the 12th day of the second lunar month at two temples, Da Hoa and Da Trach, in Hung Yen province, Chu Dong Tu festival is dedicated to Chu Dong Tu, one of four immortal gods in the Vietnamese pantheon.
B: During the festival, pilgrims in elaborate costumes come to the two temples. There is a procession to remind people of the legend, life and work of Saint Chu Dong Tu, a poor fisherman who married a princess of the 3rd Hung King thousands of years ago. Heading the procession are the two richly-decorated dragons controlled by dozens of young people moving to the rhythm of a drum. The procession includes musicians, a God palanquin and eight ornamental weapons. Participants sit in dozens of boats, row to the middle of the river and scoop water into pots for later offering at the temple.
 A procession at Chu Dong Tu festival |
A: The festival includes various forms of entertainment such as wrestling, fighting with sticks, human chess, and traditional dances. The dragon procession, martial arts competitions, lion dance, and folk songs combined to make this festival grand, colorful and wildly popular.
B: Thay pagoda festival in the outskirts of Hanoi is also a popular festival during the early months of the year. Tu Dao Hanh was a Buddhist monk in the Ly Dynasty which reigned Vietnam from the 11th to the 13th century. He had outstanding merits regarding the popularization of Buddhism, the treatment of diseases for people and the creation of many games original to Vietnam, including water puppetry. The Thay Pagoda Festival is held on the seventh day of the third lunar month in remembrance of his merits.
A: A statue bathing ritual takes place before the opening of the festival. Pieces of red cloth are used to clean the statues. When the ritual ends, the used water, the holy water the Buddha bestows, will be scattered all over the pagoda in a wish for bumper crops and prosperous life.
A: The procession of Tu Dao Hanh’s worshiping tablet takes place on the 7th day of the third lunar month, with the participation of local villages.
B: Among fascinating games in Thay Pagoda Festival, water puppetry stands out. It is performed on a pond in front of the pagoda. Tu Dao Hanh is said to be the founder of this artistic performance.
A: We received another letter from Mr. Stephen Hogan of Australia this week. Thank you for your report on the weather in Australia and reception report for the program on February 25 on the frequency of 12020 khz.
B: We also want to acknowledge letters and emails from Jayanta Chakrabarty and Miss Karobi Hazarika of India, Eddy Prabowo of Indonesia, Richard Nowak of the US, Gerry Neumann of England, and Dildar Ahmed Laghari and Abid Hussain Sajid of Pakistan. We’ll send you all QSL cards to confirm your reports. 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. Thank you for listening to VOV on shortwave and following us online. Goodbye until next time.