B: And the first participant is Mrs. Nafisa Khatun of West Bengal, India. After reading her answers, we found that she has put much effort into them, showing that she listens to our program frequently and checked all the information carefully. She also shared her opinions, impressions, and comments in detail on our programs both on shortwave and on the internet.

Many streets in Hanoi are covered in the gold-coloured leaves during the last days of April

A: Ms. Nafisa Khatun, we highly appreciate your participation in our contest. We’ll send you a gift as an acknowledgement for being the first participant in our contest. We hope that the gift will reach you when flights resume after COVID-19 cancellations.

B: We have received a lot of emails over the past few days from our listeners praising the launch of the contest.

A: After reading the information about our contest on the internet at vovworld.vn, Vicentiu Daniel Gheorghe wrote: “Congratulations to VOV for the contest. It’s very interesting and you can find out more about Vietnam. Success to all participants!”

B: Thank you, Mr. Gheorghe, for your comment and greetings. We look forward to your entry.

A: Last week, members of Radio Listeners’ Clubs in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India told us that they like the contest and will participate in it.

The sight of the yellow leaves covering the pavement signals the imminent start of the summer.

B: Thank you all for sharing your enthusiasm in our programs and contest, which gives you the opportunity to test yourselves on how much you know about Vietnam, its land and people and things happening in the country. This is also an opportunity for us to feel your love for VOV and Vietnam.

B: We have posted 6 questions and contest requirements on our website at vovworld.vn.  You can find them on our Letter Box segments or in the “About Us” segment on the website.

A: By listening to our programs regularly and reading stories on our website, you can easily find the answers to these questions. In addition, if you share your stories about Vietnam and your thoughts on the Voice of Vietnam with us, you will receive extra scores for your entries.

B: The contestants who submit the 3 best entries will win a free 5-day trip to Vietnam. Good luck to you all!

B: We also hope that you are safe and sound during the pandemic, which is spreading around the world. You can get updated on the situation in Vietnam in our stories on shortwave and the internet. By Wednesday morning, we had entered the 6^th straight day having no new cases of COVID-19. Of 268 confirmed cases, 215 have been discharged from the hospital. And elsewhere in the world, the situation has seen some positive signs too. We hope that together we can combat the disease and resume our normal lives soon.

Many local people think it is a shame that they are missing out on the opportunity to snap beautiful photos of nature in Hanoi due to the COVID-19 epidemic.

A: Because of Covid-19, some people have turned to a new hobby – listening to the radio. Andreas Muecklich of Germany wrote: “Dear friends in Hanoi. 

Springtime is arrived in Berlin. It is warm and sunny outside, but is not allowed to go out. It is time of Covid-19 in the most parts of the world. Museums, theaters and restaurants are closed. Many people are sick or die. It is not really a good year. I am hoping that will find an end soon. I am looking very often for a diversion and find it on shortwave. It is good to have radio stations like the Voice of Vietnam. So I can find information about Vietnam and listen to reports and music from this beautiful country. Thank you!”

A: Thank you, Mr. Muecklich, for tuning in to the Voice of Vietnam. We’d like to acknowledge your report for a VOV broadcast from 19:00 to 19:30 UTC on April 15 on the frequency of 7280 kHz with stories about social distancing extended for high-risk localities, including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, a 42 million USD agreement signed with the US to advance Vietnam’s competitiveness, ASEAN’s unity against COVID-19, and the Letter box. We’ll send you a QSL card to confirm your report. We hope that you will keep listening to us and send us your feedback.

B: This week, we received a comment from Kokje Kishor on our story about Vietnam following East Sea developments. He said he has been listening to VOV over the past 35 years and is crazy about Vietnam.

A: We greatly appreciate your loyalty and devotion to VOV. Thank you very much for having been with us and supporting us for so many years.

B: This week, our loyal listener Amir Jameel of Pakistan sent us greetings on Easter Day: “Warmest thoughts and wishes to you and your family on this occasion. I hope that your Easter basket is filled with joy, blessings, and love. Happy Easter!”

A: Happy Easter! And thank you Mr. Jameel. Celebrations this year weren’t as festive as in previous years due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In Vietnam, Easter celebrations were held online or live streamed as a result of social distancing.

B: Adora Athoy of Bangladesh listened to our program on April 17 on the frequency of 7220 khz and expressed her interest in stories about villages in Vietnam.

Duong Lam ancient village

A: Vietnam is famous for its natural beauty and with no doubt a destination to visit mesmerizing towns and villages from south to north. In today’s program, let’s visit Duong Lam ancient village in Son Tay town, 40 km to the west of Hanoi. It is a must-visit tourist destination near the capital city because of its unique historical, architectural, and cultural values, which are characterized by banyan trees, river wharves, communal house yards, and pagodas.

B: Duong Lam is famous as the birthplace of Phung Hung, a military leader who briefly reigned over Vietnam during the 8th century, and King Ngo Quyen, who ruled in the 10^th century. Ten of the 97 ancient houses in the village have been recognized as national relics with 50 other sites, including temples, pagodas, shrines, and ancient wells.

B: The most ancient features of Duong Lam village are its gates and the Mong Phu communal house. The village gate is built of laterite and has a curved arch. Duong Lam once had five gates, a main gate and four secondary gates facing four directions. The sole remaining gate was built in 1833. A sentence carved on top states that in any dynasty there is talent in the village.

A: Duong Lam’s gate stands beside a banyan tree, a lotus pond, and several rice fields. The beauty of the village and its gate has provided an abundant wealth of inspiration for artists and photographers.

Narrow alleys in Duong Lam village are enlightened by aterite’s color.

B: The Mong Phu communal house was built on the highest point of land at the center of Duong Lam village in 1684 during the reign of King Le Hy Tong. The architecture of the communal house is typical of the ancient Viet people. A wooden floor raised above the ground, simulates the architecture of a stilt house.

A: The courtyard is lower than the surrounding foundation. When it rains, water runs out of the yard through sidewalk sluices. Inside are many antiques which have been preserved by generation after generation.

B: For more stories about Vietnamese villages, don’t forget to turn in to our  Village Life segment every Friday. Thank you all for your reports and feedback on the program content and technical reception. They are extremely helpful for us to improve our transmission. We’ll send you QSL cards to confirm.

A: We welcome your feedback at: English Service, VOVworld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at our new email address: englishsection@vov.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Good bye!