A: The most significant political or diplomatic events in 2020 include the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam, the 75th anniversary of National Day, and the 130th birthday of President Ho Chi Minh, among others.
B: Answering the question: “What events impressed you most?”, many listed President Ho Chi Minh’s birthday.
 Banners to promote the campaign to study and follow President Ho Chi Minh's ideology, morality, and style. |
A: Johnny Antonio Ramírez López of Peru, who listens to our Spanish service, said: “President Ho Chi Minh, the founder of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, now the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, was a brilliant poet, military strategist, and leader of Vietnam. He was an important and respected figure of the 20th century.”
B: Sergey Afanasyev of Ukraine, who listens to our Russian service, called President Ho Chi Minh “a great person”. Sergey said he will visit Uncle Ho’s stilt house if he gets a chance to visit Vietnam.
A: Rabi Sankar Bosu of India, who listens to our English service, told us that he has been greatly touched by the life and legacy of President Ho Chi Minh since he was a pupil.
 President and children in the Central Highlands |
B: He said: “Vietnam has a special connection with the people of India, particularly Kolkata, the capital of West Bengal. Vietnam and Ho Chi Minh are familiar names in Indian households, particularly in West Bengal. To express solidarity with Vietnam during its long, difficult years of liberation wars between 1945 and 1975, the people of Kolkata displayed images of Ho Chi Minh and chanted in Bengali: “Your name, my name, Vietnam-Vietnam” and “Ho Chi Minh – We will win – We will win.”
A: Some listeners said the 75th Vietnamese National Day was the most impressive event. C.R. Nurdin of Indonesia, said “Vietnamese National Day on September 2, 1945, opened a new chapter in Vietnam’s history.”
B: Rutchapon Ploythet of Thailand, who listens to our Thai service, chose the 45th anniversary of the Liberation of South Vietnam. He wrote: “The victory showed the bravery of the Vietnamese people to fight against foreign forces that divided the Vietnamese nation.”
A: Thank you all for participating in our contest.
B: I’m reading a letter from David Ansell of England. He listened to VOV’s English program on October 6 on the frequency of 7280khz. He said the signal was good, with SINPO at 45534.
A: Grant Skinner, another British Dx’er, said he tuned in to VOV’s English program on September 19 on the frequency of 7280khz. He said the transmission was plagued by noise that sounded like crackles.
B: He commented: “It’s very interesting to hear your news and views which tell me about events in Vietnam. Voice of Vietnam has excellent news service. I appreciate the opportunity to tune in to your radio station and hear your broadcast.”
A: Fumito Hokamura of Japan sent us a reception report for a program on September 20 on 12020khz. He said the signal was audible. He often listens to VOV’s programs in both Japanese and English.
B: Mark Versteeg of Australia tuned in to VOV’s English program on October 28 on the frequency of 9840khz. He rated the overall signal at 4 and said: “Reception is reliable and the stronger transmissions only suffer from occasional fading.”
A: Mark told us: “I have listened to VOV for many years and I have learned a great deal about your country. It has been interesting to hear about the Vietnamese government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions that have been instituted in Vietnam.”
B: About VOV’s programs he said: “The news is varied enough to provide listeners with a well-rounded perspective of Hanoi along with the interrelations with Vietnam’s neighbours. The delivery is neither rapid nor relaxed, and this I feel engages the listener. The tourist information given is valuable and I do hope to visit the 'Hanoi Hilton' as described in one of your programs, along with the many smaller villages and hamlets that have been described in many of your broadcasts.”
A: Mark continued: “Your 'Village Life' segment is very interesting as it provides an insight into the perspectives of everyday Vietnamese farming and lifestyles not so easily discovered by occasional tourists. It is good that you interview people and don’t simply script a narrative that is read by the presenter. The living standards of villages as described is honest and frank and this adds to the credibility of your overall programming in my humble opinion.”
B: Mark said “'Culture' is an interesting segment. It’s good to hear about the active arts scene in Vietnam.” He told us that he has studied with many Vietnamese students at university, who told him a lot about hiking, food, and tours, but none of them mentioned the many galleries and exhibitions in Vietnam.
A: Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts about Vietnam. We hope you’ll continue to tune in to VOV’s shortwave broadcasts and visit our website for updated information about Vietnam.
B: Last week many of our listeners expressed their condolences for the Vietnamese victims of recent storms and floods. Historic flooding and deadly landslides left at least 159 dead and 71 others missing in the central region last month.
A: Storm Linfa, which hit on October 11, and Storm Nangka, several days later, worsened conditions and caused landslides in several parts of the region.
B: Storm Molave, one of the most powerful storms ever to hit Vietnam, made landfall in Quang Nam and Quang Ngai province last Wednesday, bringingheavy rains and deadly landslides to an area already battered by multiple storms and historic flooding.
A: Storm Goni entered the East Sea on Monday morning and is forecast to hit Vietnam’s central coast from Da Nang to Phu Yen on Thursday. With Storm Goni approaching, authorities have closed all public beaches and evacuated people from high-risk areas.
B: Thank you, all you listeners who have expressed sympathy for those Vietnamese people who are suffering from the recent disasters.
A: We always welcome your feedback at: English Service, VOVworld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platform, 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 until next time.