(Photo: internet)

B: We’re now nearing the end of 2021 with the hope of containing and eliminating COVID-19 which has seriously affected everybody’s life.

A: Christmas is almost here and New Year 2022 is fast approaching. We wish you all the best of safety, peace, luck, happiness, and success.

B: In our Letter Box today, we’d like to welcome to VOV Danilo Nonato of Brazil, who listened to our broadcast from 19:00 to 19:30 UTC on December 12 on the frequency of 11885 khz. 

A: He wrote: “I'm passionate about radio listening, especially shortwave broadcasting worldwide. I'm also quite curious about and fascinated by Vietnamese culture and I'd like to know more about you. I follow the daily broadcasts the Voice of Vietnam on 11885 Khz via shortwave. The shortwave signal is excellent in Brazil.”

B: Welcome to VOV, Mr. Nonato. Thank you very much for tuning in to our broadcast and sending us your feedback. We highly appreciate your comments. Our program is now also available on the internet at our website vovworld.vn and our VOV Media app. We hope you will continue to listen to our program on whatever media is most convenient for you. We want to receive more feedback from you.

A: Today, we’re going to talk about Vietnamese culture, we can’t help mentioning Vietnamese cuisine, which has been praised by many of our listeners.

B: In the past few days, many listeners have mentioned the Day of Pho, which is observed on December 12.

A: Shivendu Paul of India, a regular VOV listener said in his email on December 14: “Greetings! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2022 from India. Best wishes for Vietnam’s Pho Day.”

B: Pho is a symbol of Vietnamese cuisine. Since 2018, December 12 has been observed as the Day of Pho to honor Vietnamese cuisine at home and around the world.

A: The Day of Pho has even been acknowledged by Google. 20 countries, including Vietnam, the UK, the US, Canada, Israel and Austria on December 12 displayed a Google Doodle of pho.

B: In their caption for the Doodle, Google wrote “today’s Doodle, illustrated by artist Lucia Pham, honors pho, Vietnam’s national dish – an aromatic soup brimming with savory broth, soft rice noodles, fresh herbs, and thinly sliced meat.”

A: The culinary arts are a big part of Vietnamese culture. It would take days to say all we want to say about Vietnamese noodles and months to sample all the types of noodles available in Vietnam.

B:  Vietnamese cuisine is quite diverse but is mainly based on rice. From rice and other ingredients, Vietnamese people make a variety of noodles and noodle dishes which have become an important part of Vietnamese cuisine.

A: You can find noodle dishes in almost every corner of Vietnam from the north to the south. Noodle dishes are something you shouldn’t miss when you visit Vietnam.

B: We’ll mention just a few of the different types of Vietnamese noodles: Bun or rice noodle is slippery and can be thin or thick. This type of noodle is used for many dishes including Bun Cha or grilled pork noodle, Bun Rieu cua or crab noodle, and Bun Bo Hue or Hue beef noodle.

A: Another type of noodle is Pho. It is like Bun, but flat, not string-shaped. It’s used to make Pho noodle; Pho rolls and stir-fried Pho.

B: Banh Canh which looks like Japan’s udon noodle, is made from tapioca flour or tapioca and rice flour.

A: Mi is a noodle made of wheat or potato flour is cooked with seafood or beef to make stir-fried egg noodle.

B: Hu Tieu, or clear rice noodle, is a squarish rice noodle that can be served with or without soup.

A: Mien or glass is a gray, opaque noodle, made from mung bean or tapioca flour. It’s chewy and slippery. Mien goes well with chicken broth.

B: Cao Lau noodle is used to make a dish called Cao Lau. It is said to come from China or Japan. Its texture is very special, it is chewy, soft, and dry.

A: Banh Da is another type of noodle which can be white, reddish-brown, or yellowish-brown. It is thinner and more translucent than Pho.

B: From all the different types of noodles, the Vietnamese people have created a variety of noodle dishes: from hot noodle soup to dry noodles to noodle rolls. Each region adds different ingredients, uses different cooking techniques, and creates unique dishes.

A: In many of our previous broadcasts, we’ve introduced you to noodle dishes like Pho noodle soup, grilled pork noodle or Bun Cha, Bun Rieu Cua or crab noodle soup and several others.

B: Commenting on our video featuring mussel noodles Hanoi, viewer Le Van wrote “I like Hanoi food. If I get a chance, I’ll go to a restaurant there to enjoy some!”

A: Hanoi food is definitely worth trying. It has some unique flavors that make for a wonderful culinary adventure.

B: The best dishes are found on the streets and eaten at a low plastic table while sitting on a tiny stool. For an authentic Hanoi food experience, you must put aside any hesitation about eating on the streets. Sit down with the locals and try some of the delicious local specialties of Hanoi.

A: You can be sure we’ll have more stories about Vietnamese cuisine in upcoming Letter Box segments.

B: Here is an email from Mr. Sreenivasa Raju of India, who sent us a reception report for a program from 16:00 to 16:30 on December 12 on the frequency of 7220 kz. He expressed an interest in Vietnamese music.

A: Thank you, Mr. Raju, for your feedback. Vietnamese music is getting better known around the world.

B: Many Vietnamese singers and songwriters have been honored with international awards and acclaim from international fans on digital platforms like TikTok and YouTube.

A: Two young Vietnamese artists were winners at the 2021 Mnet Asian Music Awards (2021 MAMA) – the world’s leading K-Pop music awards. Singer Quân A.P was named Best Asian Artist Vietnam and Hoàng Duyên was named Best New Asian Artist Vietnam at the Awards in Seoul last weekend.

B: The emerging star of the Vietnamese Gen-Z artists, singer Trương Mỹ Anh, will perform at the Round Music Festival in South Korea next January.

A: Last month, Mỹ Anh was the only Vietnamese artist at the 2021 Head In The Clouds Music Festival in the US.

B: An MV called “Precious Birds In a Cage” by singer Van Mai Huong won the Best Music Video award at the 26th Asian Television Awards. Last weekend, it beat entries from the Philippines, Chinese Taipei, Singapore, and India to win the top honor. The video has garnered more than 6.7 million views on YouTube since premiering in July.

A: Rap queen Suboi has become the first Vietnamese artist to release a music video on 88rising’s YouTube channel.

B: The 31-year-old Vietnamese female rapper premiered her music video “N-SAO?” (Why?) on the YouTube channel of 88rising, a famous American mass media company that has gained popularity as a music platform for Asian artists.

A: This is not the first time that Suboi has appeared on 88rising. She had previously introduced herself to the international audience when she performed “Life” live on this channel in November 2016.

B: These are just a few of Vietnamese music’s appearances on the international music scene.

A: Now, we’d like to acknowledge emails and letters from Giuliano Petrarulo of Switzerland who listened to our broadcast on the frequency of 11885 KHz, Ratan Kumar Paul of India who listened to the frequency of 7220 khz and other listeners who posted comments on our Facebook Fanpage.

B: That concludes today’s program. 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@vov.org.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 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.