A: I hope all of you are doing well and staying safe through the virulent time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
B: The coronavirus pandemic is raging in many Asian countries with thousands of new infections and deaths breaking records day after day. Even though vaccination rates are increasing, several new coronavirus variants are spreading faster than the original virus.
A: Yes, the outbreak isn't just a crisis for people in India, Cambodia, Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia, the US, or the EU, it's a crisis for everyone. The WHO’s chief scientist says the virus doesn't respect borders, nationalities, age, sex, or religion. And what's playing out in India right now unfortunately has played out in other countries.
 To live safely in the COVID-19 pandemic - 5K message from Vietnam's Ministry of Health: wearing masks, using disinfectant, keeping a safe distance, avoiding large gatherings, and making health declarations |
B: Recent harrowing scenes from India have shocked the world, as it struggles with soaring cases of Covid-19. A new variant that emerged in India has been dubbed the "double mutant" because of two mutations on the virus.
A: We’d like to express our sympathy for the hardships and losses caused by the second COVID-19 wave in India. We hope India will soon overcome this difficult time.
B: Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Nguyen Quoc Dung on Tuesday received Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Pranay Kumar Verma, and affirmed Vietnam’s readiness to stand side by side with the Indian government and people in the fight against the pandemic.
A: Currently Vietnam has no COVID-19 infections in the community. Later this week, we will have 4-day national holiday. People will use the time to enjoy a vacation because domestic travel is unrestricted.
B: Because of the serious situation in neighboring countries, Vietnam is being vigilant and has strengthened preventive measures against another COVID-19 outbreak. Tourist sites, hotels, restaurants, and other public places remain open but cities and provinces have cancelled festivals, firework displays, carnivals, and other large gatherings.
A: Vietnamese have been following the Health Ministry’s recommendations – wearing masks, using disinfectant, keeping a safe distance, avoiding large gatherings, and making health declarations.
B: Obviously we have to be careful and stay prepared, but not panic.
A: This week, Johnny Antonio Ramírez López of Peru listened to VOV’s program and visited our website. He said: “It is one of my favorite radio shows in all of shortwave! Thanks, VOV! Thank you, English language service, for your interesting information.”
B: He commented on a story about tourism to orchards in Vietnam’s Binh Thuan province. We posted a photo of visitors to a dragon fruit farm. Johnny said he has never seen dragon fruit in South America. He thought it looks like tuna fruit or cactus fruit – known in some places as prickly pear.
 Binh Thuan province is Vietnam's dragon fruit hub. (File photo) |
A: Dragon fruit is actually a cousin of the prickly pear. But dragon fruit seeds are soft and edible, like a kiwi fruit. In comparison prickly pear seeds are crunchy like those of the passion fruit. Unlike the prickly pear, the dragon fruit does not have spines on its scaly skin.
B: Dragon fruits are very nutritious – high in fiber and vitamin C. Vietnam has two kinds of dragon fruit and their flavors are very different. The white-fleshed fruit is gorgeous on the outside and has a subtle sweetness and slight tang. The kind with dark-purplish red flesh tastes like a sweet, juicy, meaty watermelon.
 Binh Thuan produces 70% of Vietnam's dragon fruit. (File photo) |
A: Vietnam’s dragon fruit is sold in the EU, the US, Australia, Japan, China, and elsewhere. Vietnam's Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has reported that the production area for dragon fruit in Vietnam totals 57,000ha and produced more than 500,000 tons of fruit.
B: Pravotorov Kostiantyn of Ukraine tuned in to our program on April 26 on the frequency of 12020khz and rated SINPO at 44544.
A: He said the signal strength was strong. There was slight interference from other stations including China Radio International in Korean on 12025 khz. The overall quality was good.
B: Thank you for sending us recordings of our broadcasts. Our technicians can use them to assess our transmission.
 Binh Thuan dragon fruit brand is protected by the Intellectual Property Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology in Vietnam and 36 countries. |
A: I’m reading an email from Siddhartha Bhattacharjee of India. He listens to our program and sends us feedback almost daily. This week he wants to know about digital transformation and e-government in Vietnam.
B: In the United Nations’ 2020 E-Government Survey, Vietnam moved up two places from the previous year to rank 86th of 193 UN members. Though Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei, and the Philippines all scored higher, Vietnam is making quick progress and hopes to be among the top four Southeast Asian nations by 2025.
A: The E-Government Development Index measures the scope and quality of online services, the status of telecommunication infrastructure, and the existing e-government capacity. While income level is a predictor of e-government development, a country’s political will, leadership, and commitment to digital transformation can improve its ranking.
B: Vietnam has responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by using digital tools to disseminate information, perform contact-tracing, deliver healthcare services, and facilitate working and learning from home. The Vietnamese government has made greater use of government portals, which saw significant surges in traffic.
A: The finance, banking, insurance, healthcare, and commerce sectors have all embraced digital transformation during the pandemic. Vietnam’s digital healthcare capacity in particular has been strengthened. In addition to services and platforms provided by numerous health tech start-ups, a remote medical examination and treatment app called Bluezone was launched nationwide to collect information on individuals who have been in close contact with a known COVID-19 case and alert them about their risk of infection.
B: Last June, the government approved the National Digital Transformation Program by 2025, which aims to create a digital government, digital economy, and digital society while establishing globally competitive digital businesses. The program builds on previous efforts to make Vietnam a digital society in the next decade. It establishes national databases, makes more government services available online, and continues to develop and expand access to 4G and 5G networks across the country.
A: Revenues from the IT sector in 2019 totaled 112.5 billion USD, doubling since 2015. Products like mobile phones and computers are among Vietnam’s top exports.
B: VOV just launched a new program called “Digital Life”, which will present in-depth stories on Vietnam’s digital transformation and its impact on various aspects of life.
A: The “Digital Life” will air every Wednesday and you can read the stories on our website at at vovworld.vn.
B: Thank you all for listening and sending us your feedback. 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. Goodbye until next time.