Phuc Dien pomelo garden as a dreamy location to check-in as Tet approaches

B: If you were in Vietnam these days, you would witness a busy, bustling atmosphere of preparation for Tet nationwide. Streets, markets, and shopping centers are crowded from dusk to dawn. It’s really annoying sometimes with traffic jams but everyone is tolerant because they share the same concern –ensuring the best Tet for everyone with wishes for a happy, lucky and prosperous New Year.

A: During this time at VOV, we’re busy preparing special programs for this biggest festival. We promise to deliver beautiful, interesting stories about Vietnam, its land and people, its culture, customs, and festivals and more on this occasion. So keep tuning in to VOV.

B: This week, we received nearly 400 emails, letters and phone calls from listeners of 33 countries and territories. Many of them shared their interest in Vietnamese culture and traditions experienced during Tet.

A: Davan of Laos asked about Nhat Tan peach blossom village, the way to take care of peach blossom trees, and other flower villages in Hanoi.

At Nhat Tan peach blossom village

B: Nhat Tan flower village in Hanoi is famous for peach flowers which cover more than 50 hectares. The yearly total of peach trees and branches sold for the Lunar New Year festival reaches into the thousands.

A: An authentic Nhat Tan peach blossom has special qualities, including a round canopy with dense buds and densely scattered blooms. Nowadays, farmers mostly graft forest peach blossom roots with ‘dao bich’ (red peach) for the best trees.

A: Taking care of peach trees is not too hard, but ensuring that each peach tree’s blossoms bloom precisely at Tet is difficult because so much depends on the right climate, according to the farmers. Climate conditions are the key factor to determine when a peach tree’s blossoms bloom and whether they are beautiful or not.

B: During the two months before the Lunar New Year holiday, peach trees, with their leaves having been already trimmed, only require watering and layering moss on the surface of the pot. Nguyen Van Le, a grower in Nhat Tan village, says that to grow a beautiful peach tree a gardener must have skill and a lot of devotion.

Nhat Tan peach blossoms

“Growing peach trees is a traditional occupation in Nhat Tan village. We’re happy to invest time and effort into creating ornamental plants,” said Le.

B: Thousands of blossoming peach trees are drawing crowds to Nhat Tan village to admire the elegant plants and to take photos. A small peach blossom branch costs between 12 and 20 USD, while the bigger ones cost hundreds of USD. A very big peach tree can cost more than 400 USD.

A: In addition to peach blossoms, kumquat trees are iconic of Tet in northern Vietnam. Because of favorable weather, kumquat trees are particularly beautiful this year. They are meticulously trimmed, with big, round fruits and shiny leaves. Growers have created some unique shapes to attract customers.

B: Nguyen Mai Lien, the owner of an ornamental kumquat garden in Tu Lien, Hanoi, said: “This year kumquat fruits are especially big and growing costs are high. More beautiful trees with better fruits will be more expensive.”

A: Farmers in Tu Lien have created exotic bonsai kumquat trees grafted with silkwood, which are attracting a lot of customers despite their higher prices. Nguyen Tien, another kumquat grower, said: “Bonsai kumquat trees are the trend this year. They’re very beautiful.”

Kumquat trees are iconic symbols of Tet, especially in the north of Vietnam (Photo: dangcongsan.vn)

B: Peach blossom and kumquat trees are iconic symbols of Tet, especially in the north. For the growers, this year is proving to be a bumper year.

A: VOV together with other radio broadcasters will celebrate “World Radio Day” on February 13. It’s still nearly one month away from this celebration, we have already received many stories from radio enthusiasts sharing their love for radio.

B: Bidhan Chandra Sanyal of India, one of our dedicated listeners wrote: “Radio is a mass media in the world which has more reach than any other. It is recognized as both a powerful communication tool and a cost-effective medium. Happy World Radio Day! Greetings to all radio listeners and those who tune in to new topics and music on the radio.”

A: Thank you very much Mr. Sanyal for sharing your story with us. For your information, VOV has launched a writing contest about radio enthusiasm for Vietnamese listeners at home and overseas, asking them to share their stories about listening to the radio. Since it was launched two months ago, we have received a large number of entries. Stay tuned – the prize will be a trip to Indonesia. And we hope to share those stories with you in later shows.

A Radio enthusiast creates a cartoon in his entry to VOV's writing contest

B: Next, we’d like to acknowledge a correspondence from Johnny Antonio Ramirez Lopez of Peru, in which he praised Vietnam’s participation at the World Economic Forum Davos 2024. He wrote: “It’s wonderful to listen to the Voice of Vietnam here in my ancestral land of Pararca, in the province of Paucar del Sara Sara in the Ayacucho region, far from the capital city of Lima, 880 kilometers south. I listen to you with my simple mobile phone and write to you on the website. The topics presented and discussed by Vietnamese leaders at the World Economic Forum’s Annual Meeting in Davos are very interesting! I wish Vietnam success in its proposals.”

A: Vicentiu Daniel Gheorghe, who founded the VOV Romanian Club, expressed his impression with Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s visit to Romania saying it is historic visit.

B: Mr. Gheorghe reviewed the development of Vietnam-Romanian ties and Prime Minister Chinh’s busy agenda in Romania: “Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is on an official visit to Romania – a rare event for the head of government of one of Asia's most dynamic economies. In addition to meetings with Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and President Klaus Iohannis, the Vietnamese official had another important item on his agenda: a visit to the faculty he graduated from in 1984.”

Prime Minister Ion-Marcel Ciolacu welcomes Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on an official visit to Romania. Photo: VGP/Nhat Bac

A: Thank you, Mr. Gheorghe for your support for Vietnam and VOV. We hope to receive more regular feedback from you.

B: Kasem Thangthong expressed his impression of Vietnam’s strong economic development and the natural beauty of Vietnam and its people. “Vietnam is an easy country to live in. The food is suitable for most people. Vietnam has many attractive tourist destinations. Vietnam’s inflation rate and GDP growth clearly demonstrate Vietnam’s prowess in its economic growth rate.”

B: Suzuki Tadashi sent a letter from Thailand, sharing: “Restoring traditional craft villages, such as pottery villages, silk villages, and flower villages is one of the Government’s priorities and I believe that Vietnam is moving forward. I heard on the radio that you have very unique and extremely popular traditional craft villages, featuring ceramics and textiles. I look forward to hearing more information from you.”

A: Thank you all for tuning in to VOV and sending us your feedback. We will answer your questions and feature topics you have suggested in later shows. We hope to receive more correspondence from you. Goodbye.