B: They also had lot of questions about Vietnam’s export of fruits, such as dragon fruit, pomelo, and durian, Vietnam’s participation in international sports, and education in Vietnam in the post-COVID period.
A: Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh wrote: “Congratulations to Vietnam for its first-ever women's participation in the FIA Motorsports Games. Congratulations to Miss Nguyen Gia Bao, for being the first Vietnamese female racer on the racing circuit.”
 Nguyen Gia Bao, Vietnam's first female racer to participate in the FIA Motorsport Games, with the 2022 version of the event underway at Circuit Paul Ricard in La Castellet of Marseille in France. (photo: motosaigon.vn) |
B: Many listeners sent their congratulations to the Vietnamese women’s football team for winning a berth at the FIFA Women’s World Cup for the first time.
A: Peter Dolan of the US wrote: “Congratulations on your impressive growth and first participation in the FIFA Women’s World Cup 2023. Looking forward to July 22.”
A: Thank you very much, listeners, for your messages. The Vietnamese female football team will face the US, the Netherlands, and an as-yet-unknown playoff winner after a draw on October 22 put the team in Group E. The fourth team of Group E will be either Thailand, Cameroon, or Portugal.
B: The month-long tournament will kick off on July 20, 2023, in Australia and New Zealand - the first co-hosts in the history of the Women’s World Cup. Vietnam’s game against the US in Auckland will be Group E’s opener.
B: This will be a tough challenge for the Vietnamese female football team. They are currently 34th in the world rankings and will be playing in the World Cup for the first time.
 The Vietnamese female football team (photo: baochinhphu.vn) |
A: The US is the defending and four-time champion (in 1991, 1999, 2015, and 2019) and the number one team in the world rankings. The Netherlands is ranked 8th. Vietnam is one of six qualified teams from Asia, with China, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and host Australia.
B: Footballer Tuyet Dung said after the draw: “I was very excited waiting for the draw result. Previously, I joked that maybe we would meet the US, the world champions. It turned out to be true. This is the first time Vietnam has competed in a World Cup. The whole team will do our best to uphold the image of Vietnam.”
A: Head Coach Mai Duc Chung said it will be a great opportunity to play against the world’s best teams. “We are in a good Group because we would never get a chance to play against the US or Netherlands. They are among the world’s teams. We’re very excited to have the opportunity to play them. These matches will help our players improve and will set a good example for the young female footballers who will follow,” said Mr. Chung.
 Footballer Nguyen Thi Tuyet Dung |
B: The games will be held in Australia and New Zealand in July, which is the middle of winter in the Southern Hemisphere. Le Hoai Anh, Secretary General of the Vietnam Football Federation said the VFF will prepare the best possible conditions for the Vietnamese female footballers.
A: “We encourage them to compete with great determination to gain the experience. They will play in the first leg of the National Women's Football Championship, which is scheduled to take place next February. Then they will prepare for the SEA Games in May. They will attend an overseas training camp, possibly in Europe. The Coaching Board plans to send them to the World Cup early so they can adapt to the weather,” said Mr. Anh.
B: Richard Lemke of Canada emailed us to thank us for sending him a reply. He told us we don’t need to send a verification card for every reception report. One card per month is enough, he said.
A: Dewan Rafiqul of Bangladesh listened to our program on October 28 and 29 on the frequency of 7220 KHz. He rated SINPO all 5s. He said he enjoys the Vietnamese music. It’s beautiful, he said.
B: Sardar Munir Akhter of Pakistan is a long time listener to VOV. He wrote: “Listening to your programs gives us a lot of information about Vietnam’s culture, current affairs, people, travel, and tourism.”
A: Johnny Antonio Ramírez Lopez of Peru was interested in the news of Vietnam exporting durian to China. He said the hopes Vietnamese durian will be available in the Latin American market soon.
B: In late September the Central Highlands provinces of Lam Dong and Dak Lak exported their first batches of durian to China. Currently, Lam Dong has one Production Unit Code and 2 Pack House Codes recognized as eligible to export fresh durian to China. In the coming months, 10 more Production Unit Codes are expected to be granted to local farms and businesses.
 Durian farm in Khanh Son commune, Khanh Hoa province (photo: baokhanhhoa.vn) |
A: Other provinces have also prepared to export durian. Long An province has more than 320 hectares of durian and the authorities are doing their best to access the Chinese market. To be granted a growing area code by the General Administration of Customs of China, durian growers must apply measures of quarantine, food safety, and COVID-19 prevention and control, and keep a production diary.
B: The code will be kept confidential pursuant to the regulations set by the Plant Protection Department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development. Authorities have increased guidance for durian growers following GAP standards and assist businesses with registering packing codes.
A: Recently a number of Vietnamese fruits have successfully penetrated lucrative and demanding markets. Vietnam earned nearly 2 billion USD from fruit and vegetable exports in the first seven months of this year.
B: According to the Plant Protection Department, Vietnam exported dragon fruit, mango, lychee, longan, rambutan and star apple to the US. The export of grapefruit to the US is under final negotiation. It is expected that the US will open its door to Vietnamese grapefruit soon.
A: Vietnam has also exported dragon fruit, mango, longan, and lychee to Japan. Many exporters are turning their eyes to European markets, where their products enjoy a zero percent tax rate under the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement and these markets are seeing increasing demand for tropical fruits and vegetables.
B: A report on the website baochinhphu.vn says the geographical distance between Vietnam and Latin America causes difficulties for agricultural products, namely long transportation times and high transportation costs. We hope these problems will soon be resolved and Vietnamese fruits will be available in Peru and other Latin American countries.
B: Thank you, listeners, for tuning in to VOV and sharing your views. We welcome your feedback at: English Service, VOVWorld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@v ov.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs.
A: Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platforms, to hear our live broadcasts. We look forward to your feedback on the mobile version of vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye.