Hello and welcome to VOV’s Letter Box, our weekly feature dedicated to listeners throughout the world. We are Mai Phuong and Ngoc Huyen. 

A: First on our show today, we’d like to remind you that now you can listen to our English program on the internet at the same time as on shortwave. Please log in to our website at www.vovworld.vn to listen to our program with stable quality.

B: This week, we continue receiving New Year greetings from listeners around the world. Jayanta Chakrabarty of India wrote: “My family joins me in wishing all the wonderful members of the Voice of Vietnam and their family all success, happiness, peace and prosperity for the New Year 2015. It has been a wonderful experience with the Voice of Vietnam in 2014. We hope that the same high quality of programs and friendly interaction with you will continue in the New Year”.

A: Well, the New Year atmosphere seems long lasting. In Vietnam, in addition to welcoming the solar New Year, we are now preparing for our traditional lunar New Year, which is Vietnam’s biggest holiday. This year, the traditional lunar year is a little bit later than in previous years because according to the lunar calendar, this year was a leap year in which we had two Septembers.

B: Phuong, it’s interesting that we have two lunar Septembers because when we talk about a leap year, we only mention February 29^th, which means that a year has one more day making 366 days in the year.

A: A lunar calendar is based on cycles of lunar phases. Because there are slightly more than twelve lunations months in a solar year, the period of 12 lunar months- approximately 354.37 days is referred to as a lunar year.

A: A solar year is not equal in length to an exact number of lunations, so without the occasional addition of an extra lunar month the seasons would drift. To synchronise the year, a thirteen-month year is needed every two or three years.

A: Lunar and solar calendars differ as to which day is the first day of the month. In some combination lunisolar calendars, such as the Chinese and Vietnamese calendars, the first day of a month is the day when a new moon occurs in a particular time zone. In others, such as some Hindu calendars, each month begins on the day after the full moon or the new moon. Others, such as the Hebrew calendar were based in the past on the first sighting of a lunar crescent.

B: The length of each lunar cycle varies slightly from the average. In addition, observations are subject to uncertainty and weather conditions. So to avoid uncertainty, attempts have been made to create fixed arithmetical rules for calculating the start of each calendar month.

A: The average length of a lunar month is about 29.5 days. For convenience months generally alternate between 29 and 30 days sometimes called hollow and full months.

B: In Vietnam, we use a combination lunisolar to schedule traditional activities and overseas community activities. It prescribes the date for traditional holidays, and helps people select a lucky day for a wedding or funeral, for starting a venture, or relocate a home or a business.

A: Using both solar and lunar calendars, Vietnamese people have a lot of celebrations in a year. And I think that’s really great.

B: You’re right. We have two New Year celebrations for example. In addition to several spring festivals held during first lunar months of the year, our major celebrations include the celebration of the Death Anniversary of the Hung Kings, which falls on the 10^th day of the 3^rd lunar month, Vietnam’s National Day on September 2^nd, the Mid Autumn Festival on the 15^th of the 8^th lunar month and also Christmas.

A: That’s a brief introduction to the lunar calendar and how Vietnamese people use it. Here’s a letter from Allen Dean of the UK, who wrote to us last week after a year’ absence. Allen wrote: “Thank you for the lovely calendar I received a couple of weeks ago. It now takes pride of place on the wall in my office. Although it’s been a year since I last wrote I continue to hear you regularly. Your broadcasts continue to be of interest giving a good insight into life and events in Vietnam, and long may they continue. After all, international shortwave broadcasting is still the best way to reach the world, even in these days of modern technology”.

B: Allen, welcome back to VOV. We’ll confirm your reception report with a QSL card. I’m now reading a letter of Allan Loudell of the US. He reported a good reception for a VOV program on December 20^th from 3:30 to 4:00 UTC on the frequency of 6175 khz. He rated SINPO at 45544.

B: Thank you, Allan, for tuning in to our broadcasts. Yoshihiro Kusanagi of Japan reported listening to our program on July 2, 2014 from 11:30 to 11:58 UTC on the frequency of 12020 khz. Rating SINPO at 45343, he reported a good reception of the program.

A: Yoshihiro wrote: “I’m a Japanese shortwave listener. I like Vietnamese and other foreign broadcasting. I’m interested in the amazing development of Vietnam. I’m looking forward to your next weekend programs”.

A: This week, Dermengi Eduard of Romania asked whether we can make programs about radio amateurs in Vietnam. In Vietnam, Radio the Voice of Vietnam is the national radio channel and in each of our 63 major cities and provinces, there is one TV and radio station. So, here in Vietnam, there are no private or amateur radio stations and while there may a few shortwave hobbyists, there is no organization devoted to amateur radio.

B: VOV is a reliable information channel in Vietnam and throughout the world with four formats - radio, print, online, and television - reflecting all aspects of life in Vietnam: politics, economics, culture, and society. VOV’s websites - www.vovworld.vn, www.vov.vn and www.radiovietnam.vn – are a source of information about Vietnam in 11 foreign languages, 12 ethnic languages, and Vietnamese, where listeners can listen to all of VOV’s radio programs. VOV’s websites are multimedia, including video clips as well as live and recorded radio programs. 

B: On today’s program, we’d like to acknowledge letters and emails from David Smith of the US, Fahim Montasir Sovon of Bangladesh, SB Sharma of India, John Bradford of the US, Fumito Hokamura of Japan, Dennish Allen of Australia, Anna Uspenskaya of Russia, Sandipan Basu Mallick of India, and Peter Ng of Malaysia. We’ll send you QSL cards and the souvenirs you requested soon.  

A: We welcome your feedback at: English section, Overseas Service, Radio 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 www.vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Good bye until next time.