Christopher said: “I tuned in to the program at 00:17UTC, just in time to hear the host read some letters and reception reports from the audience. The first listener was Stephen from Australia. I was very surprised to be able to receive your station as I was using my small Tecsun R9012 from inside my home. Reception was good with minimal fading and interference.”

B: Thank you Christopher for your support for VOV’s English program. You said you will definitely be tuning in to our station again in the future, as you would love to learn more about Vietnamese culture. You can hear stories about 54 ethnic minority group segment on Monday, Discovery Vietnam on Thursday, and Village Life and Culture on Friday. We’re eager to correspond with you, Christopher, and we await more feedback from you.

Some letters from listeners

A: Grant Skinner of England listened to VOV’s English programs on April 6^th and 7^th on 7280khz. He said the broadcast quality was degraded by electrical noise that sounded like wind. The voice was there but sounded far away in the distance, not understandable because of constant electrical noise.

B: It’s a pity to hear that the broadcast was inaudible. We’ve forwarded your comments to our technicians. We hope you’ll continue to monitor our broadcast in your locality and give us your feedback.

A: Thank you, Grant, for your compliments, which provide motivation for our work. You said: “Voice of Vietnam is one of my favorite and most listened to radio stations and is my major source of news from Asia. I like the relaxed, friendly style of VOV, the excellent variety of programs, and the listener policy of your station.”

B: I’m reading a letter from Fabio Galeffi of Italy. He sent us a second letter after a reception report for a program on February 14. Fabio tuned in to program on April 19 on the frequency of 9730khz and rated SINPO 45444. The signal quality was very good, he said.

A: Many thanks, Fabio, for your regular feedback since you began writing to VOV earlier this year. We’ll send you some QSL cards to build your collection of broadcaster pennants.  US listener Richard Nowak said he enjoyed our program on May 5^th on 7315 khz. Reception was perfect with overall quality 5, he said.

B: Richard said the news was comprehensive and informative, particularly the celebration of Good Deeds Day, which included a parade of workers and 2,000 other people to promote environment friendly products and waste collection.

Dong Son bronze drums displayed at the National Museum of Vietnamese history

A: Our Sunday Show is always a favorite. Last Sunday we discussed the Hung Kings’ Temple and the Dong Son bronze drum. A famous drum was found here. Richard was most interested in hearing that the drum was beat on the battlefield to encourage soldiers to fight on. Bronze drums are different in Vietnam than in China and the rest of Southeast Asia. The drums are powerful symbols and are considered art. The drum is the symbol of the ancient civilization of Vietnam.

B: As usual, Richard listened closely to our program and wrote a detailed reception report. Thank you, Richard. We’ll send you a QSL card to confirm your report.

Ngoc Lu bronze drums at the National Museum of Vietnamese history.

A: Mr. Bhaikan Hazarika of India’s Universal DX Club emailed us a reception report for our program on May 4^th. He called it a fantastic program with some wonderful songs in the Weekend Music Segment dedicated to national heroes. All the songs played on the show were really enjoyable, he said.

B: Much of Vietnam’s history has involved war. Vietnam’s Revolutionary songs are often played during national holidays. This music genre, which began soon after the 1945 August Revolution to inspire and celebrate the Vietnamese people’s staunch wartime spirit, is much loved by the public.

A drum performance at the Hung Kings' Temple Festival

A: At this time of the year, Vietnamese people commemorate the glorious Dien Bien Phu victory of 1954, resulting in the signing of the Geneva Accords on ending the French resistance war and restoring peace in Indochina. This week we received a reception report from Deep Paul of India for a program on April 27 on 7220khz. Mr: Paul rated SINPO all 4s. We listened to audio clips he made of our program and were pleased to find that the audio quality was good. We’ll surely send out a QSL card to you.

B: Deep Paul wanted to know about typhoons in Vietnam. Vietnam’s East Sea coast is prone to typhoons. While its geography makes Vietnam ideal for trade, seasonal typhoons often cause loss of life and damage to property.

A: The typhoon season is from April to September in the South, batters the central coast from August to November, and moves to the northeast from October to March.

B: A report from the Central Steering Committee on Natural Disaster Prevention and Control said that 2 years ago Vietnam was struck by 16 tropical storms that killed 390 people and injured 670, mostly in the northern and central regions. In 2018, 13 typhoons and tropical depressions hit Vietnam, causing severe flooding and landslides in all coastal provinces. 180 people were killed and 37 were reported missing as of last December.

A: In 2017 Damrey, the strongest typhoon to make landfall in southern Vietnam in 16 years, left at least 106 people dead with hundreds of homes destroyed.

B: The UN Central Emergency Response Fund reported that typhoon Damrey affected 15 Central and South-Central provinces, causing widespread flooding and destruction. An estimated 4.3 million people were affected, including 400,000 people who required humanitarian assistance. 

A: Vietnam has been deemed one of the five countries most vulnerable to climate change. Floods and storms are the most common calamities, accounting for more than 40 percent of all natural disasters. According to the World Bank, about 70 percent of Vietnam’s population is exposed to the risk of typhoons, floods, droughts, storm surges, salt water intrusion, landslides, forest fires, and occasional earthquakes.

B: This week we acknowledge reception reports from Eddy Prabowo of Indonesia, who listened to our program on May 3^rd on 7315 kHz. He rated SINPO all 4s and noted that the audio was relatively good, with some noise splatter, minor noise, and minor fading.

A: Andreas Mücklich of Germany has resumed sending reports to VOV after a break. He heard VOV’s English program on April 30^th at 16H UTC on the frequency 7220 kHz. He said the signal strength was fair and it was possible to note some details. His report was accurate so we’ll send him a QSL card.

B:  Omar Lassas of Algeria sent us special greetings on the 44^th anniversary of the liberation of the South and National Reunification Day on April 30^th. He said: “I’d like to take this opportunity to wish you and all the Vietnamese people more progress, evolution, and more success. May your country always live in freedom, peace, and prosperity.”

A: Thank you all for tuning in to VOV’s English program and sending us feedback. We’ll send you QSL cards to confirm your reports. We welcome your letters 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.