B: Besides reception reports, they had some interesting questions for us. Tjang Pak Ning asked us to send him a photo of the English announcers and their Vietnamese names. We are very happy that you’re interested in our program and want to see our staff. We’ll find some flattering photos to send you. In the mean time, please visit VOV’s website at radiovietnam.vn and click on VOV5. There you will see photos of the English section.  

A: We use our real names on air. I’m Ngoc Huyen.

B: I’m Mai Phuong. It’s often difficult for foreigners to catch Vietnamese personal and place names so when we present the news and features, we try to remember to read proper names slowly.

VOVworld-English section: Thu Hoa, Ngoc Huyen, Mai Phuong, Greg Nelson (American editor), Hong Hanh, Cam Thi, Bao Tram

A: This photo was taken in the winter after the Lunar New Year holiday. These are some of VOV staff. We have another three men and three women, who were out on assignment. Gerald Kallinger of Austria said he would like to get more information about tourism in Vietnam. What kind of tourism activities can be found in Vietnam? Is it similar to Thailand since Vietnam is a neighbor of Thailand, which is very famous for beach holidays?

B: Three quarters of Vietnam's territory consists of mountainous or hilly terrain. Forests cover 50 % of Vietnam's total land area. These features and a 3,260 km coastline give Vietnam many advantages in developing various types of tourist activities such as trekking through tropical forests, making off-road exploration of remote mountain areas, relaxing on flat stretches of soft white sand beaches, surfing the longest, most beautiful beaches in all of Southeast Asia, and kayaking through the breathtaking grottoes and islands of Halong Bay.

Ha Long Bay of Vietnam has been included in the list of “100 trips you must take in your lifetime” released by the US magazine Business Insider.

A: Vietnam tourism offers more than beautiful beaches for swimming and beach games. Foreign tourists are attracted by the country’s wonderful natural beauty, from the green rice fields in the north to the fascinating bustle of the Mekong Delta in the south.  Tours of the northern mountain region offer a fantastic opportunity to explore deep forests, conquer Mount Fansipan, dubbed “the Roof of the Indochina”, admire terraced rice fields on steep mountain sloops, and participate in the daily life of ethnic minority groups.

Terraced rice fields in Hoang Su Phi district, the northeastern province of Ha Giang, are recognized National Relics

B: The capital city of Hanoi is the political and cultural center of Vietnam. Its 1000-year history has produced many attractive things to offer to tourists, such as traditional festivals, temples and pagodas, and a blend of oriental and European architecture.

The wooden red-painted The Huc, Morning Sunlight Bridge, leads to Ngoc Son, Jade temple, on Hoan Kiem, Returning Sword Lake, in the center of Hanoi

A: Ha Long Bay is situated in northern Vietnam within a 120-kilometer coast line. Its name means “Bay of Descending Dragons”. The top tourist attraction in Vietnam, this bay features more than 2,000 islands and islets, which form a spectacular seascape of limestone pillars. Several of the islands are hollow, with enormous caves. Others have lakes, and some support floating fishing villages.

B: Traveling southward, you’ll find ancient cities, former royal citadels, and beautiful beaches. The seaside resort town of Nha Trang is located on one of the most beautiful bays in the country. Nha Trang’s beautiful beaches offer fine, clean sand and clear ocean water with mild temperatures. It’s the scuba diving center of Vietnam.

Nha Trang hosts the annual international sailing boat tournament

A: A famous historical site that nearly every foreign visitor to Ho Chi Minh city visits is the Cu Chi Tunnels, an immense underground network used by Vietnamese soldiers and guerrillas as a hiding place during the war.

B: We’ll have no time to read letters from other listeners if we continue talking about tourist destinations in Vietnam. Let’s get back to the letters. Here I have an email from Adam Rawling of Middlewich, Cheshire, in the UK. He wrote to us after listening to yesterday’s program at 20:30 UTC on 9730 khz. Adam said: “I was interested in hearing about human organ transplant programs in Vietnam. We have the same issue in the UK regarding a shortage of organs. Our government is considering making “assumed consent” compulsory for organ donation, unless individuals specifically opt out. I was also interested to hear about organic fruit and vegetable production in the Hanoi area.”

A: Thank you Adam for your prompt feedback on our broadcast. Your technical comment was also very helpful: “at my location in Cheshire, England, your transmission was heard loud and clear with signal strength of S9 + 10dB and a SINPO of all 5s.”

B: From India, Debakamal Hazarika wrote on July 4^th: “I’ve listened to the Discovery Vietnam edition. It always feels pleasant to enjoy your nice and important programs. In today’s edition, I heard about a tour to Vietnam’s islands. The music was so sweet.” In that Discovery Vietnam edition, we talked about the submerged islands and coral reefs of the Truong Sa archipelago.

A: Another Indian listener, Jawahar Almeida tuned in our broadcast on June 26^th on a frequency of 12020 khz. The reception was fairly good with no interference. Jawahar used a Sony ICF SW7600 GR with a 10-meter long outdoor wire and rated SINPO at 45544. He wrote: “I listen to your station quite often as you are one of the few remaining stations worldwide that are still on shortwave and thank you for the nice programming that you broadcast. I also have an interest in music from various countries and that is the reason for my listening to shortwave.”

B: Jawahar introduced himself: “I live in the state of Goa located on the southwest coast of India. Goa was a Portuguese colony until 1961. The climate is warm and humid. I work as a sailor in the merchant navy and have visited your country in the past.”

A: It’s interesting to learn some personal information about our listeners. Jawahar, we hope you’ll have an opportunity to visit our country again in the future. 

B: Last but not least on today’s show, we’d like to acknowledge letters from Suchona Sumas Kulyan Sungo of Bangladesh, Raghib Ali Jamali, Siddhartha Bhattachajee, Debakamal Hazarika, and Vijaya Krishna of India, and Toshiya Nishimura of Japan.

A: Thank you all for spending time with us and for your detailed feedback. We’ll confirm your reports with our QSL cards soon. Before we go, let us remind you once again of our address:

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 at www.vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Good bye for now.