 Dennis Allen of Australia sent VOV a number of stamps of Australia |
B: In his letter set to us this week, Mr. Allen enclosed a report for the program on February 3 on the frequency of 9840 khz. Rating the program with SINPO of 45333, he wrote: “Reception was spoiled by fading noise which sometimes distorted the sound.”
A: Commenting on the program in general, he continued: “The program was very interesting and I like to hear the news from the place where it is happening. By the way, I enjoyed the song before the sign-off.”
B: Thank you, Mr. Allen, for coming back and sending us your feedback on the program. We also appreciate the stamps you sent us. They are very beautiful and useful for us to know more about Australia because each stamp tells a story about the country it comes from.
A: In the era of digital technology, postal letters have become less frequent and have been replaced by e-mails and other e-communication like social networks and many chat applications.
B: But stamp collecting is still a hobby in Vietnam. For philatelists, collecting stamps is a way to learn about history, culture and art.
 tamp:"The little guerrilla" has traveled to 167 countries- Photo:xahoithongtin.com.vn |
A: According to philatelists, a stamp has a lot of value because a stamp is a miniature museum of a country and a witness to history. Stamps are miniature works of arts that elicit great passion from aficionados.
B: Vietnamese stamps depict animals, plants, landscapes, war, and famous figures. A stamp is issued just once, and the older it is, the more valuable it becomes. Stamps with strong historical and cultural traces and limited issuance are considered more precious.
A: For example, the stamp “The little guerrilla”, which was printed in 1967 to mark the fall of an American aircraft in northern Vietnam, has traveled to 167 countries.
B: The stamp collection “Marking the 700th Death Anniversary of revered teacher Chu Van An (1292-1992) became valuable because of its rareness despite printing faults. The painter drew Chu Van An wearing glasses though in his time, there were no glasses.
A: In 2017 Vietnam launched a special postage stamp to welcome the APEC Economic Leaders’ Week. The stamp visualized the theme of 2017 APEC ‘Creating new dynamism, fostering a shared future’.
B: Designed by painter To Minh Trang, the stamp symbolizes APEC Viet Nam Year 2017 with stylized images of oars and lac birds on a Dong Son bronze drum together with 21 sun rays representing the 21 APEC member economies. The lower part of the stamp carries signature images of Vietnam's major cities including Ha Noi, Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City. Notably, there is a domain name “.vn” on the stamp.
 Stamp celebrates the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam by To Minh Trang |
B: To Minh Trang is also the author of a stamp celebrating the 90th founding anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam on February 3 this year. The stamp, which made its debut on January 31, features the number 90 on the Party’s flag with the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh, the founder of the Party.
A: It also shows the image of a dove which implies peace and national independence, along with some structures representing the country’s achievements in economy, industrialization and modernization under the Party’s leadership.
A: Also, to celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Rat 2020, the Vietnam Postal Corporation of the Ministry of Information and Communications issued a stamp collection by painter Nguyen Quang Vinh. The collection features the happy family reunion atmosphere through the images of Chung (square sticky rice) cakes, Tet (cylinder-shaped sticky rice) cakes, peach blossoms, and yellow apricot flowers and lively rats. Of note to stamp enthusiasts, the painter uses cutting layer techniques for the collection.
B: We’ve briefed you on stamp collecting in Vietnam. Please share with us stories about stamp collecting in your countries. Is it still popular today?
A: We are now reading an email from Christer Brunström of Sweden. He wrote: “ On 23 February 2020 I tuned in to VOV at 16.00 UTC on 7280 kHz with a SINPO rating of 35333. Fortunately reception of your broadcasts is improving after the difficult Winter months when the shortwave bands tend to fade out during the hours of darkness. I enjoyed your broadcast and especially the beautiful songs. Last year the Swedish Crown Princess made a state visit to Vietnam. Vietnam used to be an Empire - it would be interesting to know about an imperial dynasty in Vietnam?”
B: Thank you, Mr. Brunstrom, for sending your feedback on our program after such a long time, more than 6 months. For today’s Letter Box, let’s check out the last imperial dynasty in Vietnam. The Nguyen dynasty (1802-1945) began in 1802 with the reign of king Gia Long, who was the dynasty’s founder, and ended in 1945 with the reign of king Bao Dai who was the last monarch of Vietnam.
A: In 1802, after he defeated the forces of Tay Son, Nguyen Anh, who was a descendant of the Nguyen Lords, unified the country and established the Nguyen dynasty. During his reign he took the name Gia Long. Phu Xuan became the capital of the country for 143 years until 1945.
B: Succeeding Gia Long, the twelve kings of the Nguyen dynasty built up Phu Xuan as the powerful political and cultural centre of a unified Vietnam. The last king of the Nguyen dynasty Bao Dai abdicated on August 30th 1945. At Ngo Mon Gate, with the witness of thousands of people, he handed over his authority to the Provisional Revolutionary Government of Vietnam.
 Khai Dinh tomb |
A: The Nguyen dynasty left a huge heritage including a number of national historical books, national gazetteers, a repertory of the administrative regulations, epitaphs, royal edicts, land registers, and family records.
 King Bao Dai, the last King of Vietnam |
B: Most importantly, the tangible cultural heritage of not only this dynasty but also of the earlier dynasties were all well restored and preserved during the Nguyen dynasty. Due to this policy, many heritage buildings such as One Pillar pagoda, Tran Quoc pagoda and Dau pagoda, remain until the present day.
A: The greatest achievement of the Nguyen is the outstanding cultural values represented by three cultural heritages that have been recognized by the UNESCO. They are two World Cultural Heritage Sites including the Hue Monument Complex and Hoi An Ancient Town, together with Vietnamese Court Music, listed as part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
B: This week, Jayanta Chakrabarty of India sent us a long letter praising our Sunday Show segment about the heroic deeds of crime fighters in Ho Chi Minh city. He wrote: “My family and I enjoy your shows everyday. It's really the voice of peace. Thanks to the VOV team for the excellent work you are doing. I am here to report on your Sunday Show programme showcasing the heroic deeds of the crime fighters of Ho Chi Minh City. This daring squad of young people under 30 years of age is doing a yeoman's job of keeping the cities of Vietnam safe and secure for its citizens, especially the vulnerable section of society like women and children.”
A: Thank you, Mr. Jayanta Chakrabarty, for your comments on our programs. We are happy that you like the story and hope to hear similar stories from your countries.
B: We’d like to acknowledge letters and emails from Deep Paul and Shivendu Paul of India, H.M Tarek of Bangladesh, and Malik Allah Bachaya Khokhar of Pakistan. Thank you all for your reports and feedback. We’ll send you QSL cards to confirm. 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.