B: Mr. Perry used a Drake R8B receiver with a 165-foot loop skywire antenna in his backyard in a suburb of Chicago. He went on to say: “Having resided in Southeast Asia for 25 years during an international career, prior to moving to the Chicago area to retire in 2010, I am very familiar with Vietnam and its wonderful people, food and music.  I have been tuning in to shortwave radio stations for decades and first verified reception from you in the 1970s.”

A: Welcome back to VOV’s English program after a very long absence, Perry. Our program has changed a lot since the 1970s. But we have stuck to our principle of informing foreigners with up-to-date, precise, and subjective information about Vietnam’s politics and society. We have several new features reflecting Vietnam’s history, culture, and customs, including “Colorful Vietnam, Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups”, “Discovery Vietnam”, and “Vietnam’s new rural landscape”.

B: Thank you Perry for listening and writing to us again. We’ll send you a QSL card to confirm your reception together with some VOV souvenirs as you requested. From the UK, Vikram Keshvala monitored the frequency of 9730 khz from 20:30 – 21:00 UTC and rated SINPO at 55455. His receiver is an Eton G3 Globe Traveler with built-in telescope antenna. He wrote: “It’s a pleasure listening to VOV. Thank you for broadcasting on shortwave while other broadcasters are leaving it. I liked the Colorful Vietnam segment on May 27 which gave an insight into Vietnam that no other media here can provide.”

A: Thank you, Keshvala, for your prompt report after listening to our program on Tuesday. The “Colorful Vietnam” segment was about Vietnam folklore reflected in folksongs combined with performance genres such as cheo (popular opera), tuong (classical drama), and water puppetry. Thank you very much for your detailed report on our program. We’ll definitely confirm your report with a VOV verification card.

B: We welcome Melvyn Pitt of Germany who has written to us for the first time, saying: “I have just started to listen to shortwave radio as I have retired from my working life and now have the time to follow my hobbies. I was very excited as I realized that I was listening to Radio Voice of Vietnam from Hanoi. Thank you for your effort and please keep up the good work. Too many countries are closing down their shortwave stations, which is a big shame for world communication.”

A: Many listeners write to us to express their regret at the disappearance of well-known shortwave stations. Based on listener surveys to determine listeners’ interests, the number of new listeners each year, and the best frequencies for each area, we find that shortwave broadcast is still an effective way to introduce Vietnam to the world. We hope to receive your regular feedback on our program, which inspires us to improve our work.

B: Thomas Will is another German listener, who recently began listening to shortwave broadcasts. He uses a portable short-wave receiver and a 50-year-old tube radio. Recently he came across programs from the Voice of Vietnam in both English and German. He wrote: “I listened to VOV several times, usually in the evening, with changing reception quality. I tried other published shortwave frequencies but was only successful on 9430 khz and 9470 khz.”

A: Listeners in Europe, we suggest you try the frequencies of 9625 khz at 17:00 UTC, and 7280 khz and 9730 khz at 16:00 and 18:00 UTC. We’ll send you our latest frequency list for English and German programs. From the US, regular listener Bob Nagel wrote to say he found our program on disabled people in Vietnam interesting. Nagel wrote: “In the US, we have many disabled people who work. They don’t have any self-pity.”

B: The Vietnamese Ministry of Labour, Invalids and Social Affairs estimates that there are 5.1 million persons in Vietnam with disabilities most of them war casualties, and over half a million victims of cerebral palsy. The Vietnamese government and social organizations are working to integrate disabled people through rehabilitation, education, job training, and employment programs. A majority of them are doing handicraft work. Many people with disabilities start companies to generate jobs for others in the same situation.  

8 year-old Nguyen Viet Hung in Thanh Hoa province writes by his foot (photo: pwd.vn)

B: Last week, Nick Vujicic, the well-known Australian speaker who was born without arms and legs, visited Vietnam.  He has become an inspiration to millions around the world by surmounting his disabilities and living his life to the fullest without the use of any of his four limbs. He gave talks to nearly 20,000 people in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh city during his 4-day visit to Vietnam. Through his entertaining and educational speech he conveyed the message that ‘We are all here for a reason and all life is meaningful.’

A: Before the talk, twenty-four Vietnamese people with disabilities who have made significant contributions to society were honored. Among them were translator Nguyen Bich Lan, struck by muscular dystrophy when she was a teenager; Nguyen Phi Long, director of a Sand Paintings Company, who suffers from hearing impairment; Nguyen Huong Duong, head of Huong Duong Audio Books Library for the Blind, who lost two legs in an accident when she was 25; and retired teacher Nguyen Ngoc Ky, who uses his legs to do everything because his arms are paralyzed.

B: Hundreds of thousands of people with disabilities have transcended their disabilities to exploit their abilities and help others. They are role models not only for people with disabilities but for all people. Before we run out of time, we’d like to acknowledge letters from Joaquin Ruiz Blazquez of Spain, Siddhartha Bhattachajee of India, Claudio Vittorini of Italy, Matt Richards of the US, and Istavan Hegedus of Hungary. We’ll definitely send all of you QSL cards to confirm your reports.

Thank you all for spending time with us and for your detailed feedback. Before we go, let us remind you once again of our address:

English section, Overseas Service, Radio Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.org.vn. You’re invited to visit us at www.vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Good bye for now.