B: We’re very glad to have a correspondence with you Jose. We’ll send you our frequency list and program guide to make it easier for you to catch our programs. We’re looking forwards to receiving more reports from you soon.

A: We welcome Kristian Kolar of Croatia to VOV’s Dx’ing community. He listened to us on 9730khz on a Tecsun PL-660. The signal was extremely good in Croatia without any trouble.

B Thank you very much, Kristian. It’s great to know that VOV was heard in a country so far from Vietnam. We’ll send you our frequency guide so you can try other frequencies and time slots.

A: And here I have an email from Dr. Ervin Nemeth of Hungary. Actually, he’s not a new listener but is returning to VOV after a long time. He wrote: “I used to be a very active shortwave listener and I received QSL cards and station pennants from your station in the 1980s. In the past two decades I could not listen because the noise from computers and other household electric appliances made it almost impossible to hear SW. However, I recently purchased a garden with a holiday home outside of town.  As there is no electricity in the area there is almost no local noise out there. So when I stay there I often listen to international radio stations in the evenings.”

One of the best bargains in the used shortwave receiver marketplace is the Grundig series of "Yacht Boy" receivers, particularly the YB-400 and YB-500.

B: It’s great to know that you have a good place to relax and return to your old hobby. Dr. Nemeth continued: “In the past month or two I could tune in to the English programs of several stations. Unfortunately, though, it seems that not too many international stations are left. For instance, I used to listen to the BBC every day, but now they don’t have a SW service for Europe. It was very difficult to listen to their African services. I’m glad to see that the Voice of Vietnam still has SW service. I also checked out your website and it’s very informative.”

A: Over the recent past, many big media agencies closed their shortwave stations. It’s really a pity that shortwave broadcast is losing out in the competition with more modern forms of media. VOV has invested in internet broadcasting and websites to keep up with the trend, but still maintains its shortwave broadcast. We feel lucky to still have many passionate DX’ers like Dr.Nemeth. We hope you’ll tune in to our channel regularly to get current information about Vietnam and other parts of the world.

B: I’m reading an email from Staffan Crona of Sweden and I’m very happy to see a photo of his family. Staffan says his family has a tradition of taking a new photo every Christmas.

Latest photo of Staffan Crona's family

A: Wow, let me see. Can you see the differences between this photo and the one he sent us several months ago? 

B: Yes. His daughter is pregnant in the old photo. In this one, she is holding her baby. Congratulations on the beautiful baby. We feel close to your family because you often tell us about your children and grandchildren. Your family photo is on our website.

A: Patrick Travers of England listened to our program on November 2 at 16UTC on 7280 khz. He rated SINPO at all 4s, indicating good listening condition. Patrick said it’s always a pleasure to listen to the Voice of Vietnam and on November 2 he enjoyed listening to the song “When winter comes”. He suggested that VOV translate the lyrics into English and put it on our website.

B: That’s a good idea. But translating song lyrics is really a challenge. Maybe we’ll try to summarize the meaning of the songs. Then the music will help us to convey the message to you.

A: Many other listeners have mentioned their love of Vietnamese music. Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh wrote: “I’d like to thank Japanese listener Ukihiro for his question about Vietnam’s pop music. His interest opened a window in our favorite show Letter Box to swim over Vietnam’s music ocean. I was pleased to listen to “Noon dream” on my Grundig TB 400 on November 9. After the show I surfed the internet and found out more about Thuy Chi.”

B: Every week we update our collection of “Vietnamese music” on our website. We hope that in addition to listening to us on shortwave, you’ll enjoy our internet program as well.

A: Our loyal listener Richard Nowak of the US emailed us on November 11 saying that he enjoyed the show on 7315khz from 1:00 UTC to 1:27UTC with a Hallicrafters S-40a hooked up to an off center fed dipole. The reception was good with SINPO rating at 45444.

B: Richard said that last week he was especially interested in news about the election of Donald Trump as the next US President. He told us his view of the Trump victory and the reaction of many Americans around him. We love discussing news from their country with our listeners. Their diverse opinions give us a lively picture of the situation in their country.

A: Richard mentioned that he heard Nhat Quynh on the air. Yes, Quynh is back with VOV’s English section in Hanoi after a tenure at VOV’s bureau in Washington D.C. You may realize that Pham Huan is not on the air any more. That’s because Huan has replaced Quynh as VOV’s correspondent in the US. 

B: From India, Jayanta Chakrabarty said he wants to know about Vietnam’s Museum of Ethnology in Hanoi. It’s one of the most beautiful and interesting museums in Vietnam. It offers insights into the 54 different ethnic groups of Vietnam and some in Southeast Asia in an effort to preserve cultural heritage and promote socio-cultural diversity.

A: The museum is packed with detailed information about traditional ways of life, religious events, and symbolic rituals of all the Vietnamese ethnic groups. It provides a rich tapestry of Vietnam’s cultural melting pot. The exhibition hall features everyday objects representing each group, a research centre, a library, and an auditorium. The outdoor display area exhibits full-scale replicas of ethnic houses set in a tranquil garden.

B: The museum has over 15,000 artefacts plus photographs and other media such as audiotapes. There are priceless antiques on display alongside everyday objects such as pipes, baskets and knives. Clothes, jewellery, and items related to weddings, funeral ceremonies, and other rituals of the 54 communities offer an incomparable glimpse into their history, heritage, and cultural identity.

A: The museum hosts activities that bring the exhibits to life such as inviting ethnic people to the museum to talk to visitors about their life and culture. The museum is suitable for children and all documents and display signs throughout have been translated into French and English.

B: Thank you, listeners, for tuning in to our program and sending us feedback. We’ll verify your reception reports and hope you’ll receive our QSL cards soon. We welcome your feedback at English Section, 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 online and for visiting our website. Good bye until next time.