B: You can send your entry to our email address or to English Service, VOV World, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam.
A: All the entries that have been received so far have been informative and beautifully illustrated.
B: We encourage all listeners to the VOV English Program to participate. You will be competing with contestants who listen to VOV’s programs in 12 other languages. The Indonesian Section’s listeners have sent in the most entries so far. You still have one more month to win a ticket to Vietnam. Good luck to you all.
A: Mr. Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh sent an addendum to his “What do you know about Vietnam?” entry. He wrote: “It's a great pleasure to take part in your "What do you know about Vietnam?" contest. I sent some additional write-ups in my previous email but not an addendum. Today I would like to complete my contest entry.”
B: Thank you, Mr. Tokon, for participating in our contest. Naved Raiyan of India sent us his entry this week. In part of his entry, he wrote: “We are happy to know that Vietnam beat the coronavirus by controlling its spread. It was exemplary work by the patriotic government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the dedicated, disciplined citizens of that country. Your victory over the coronavirus is a bright example for the world. Thank you for sharing this wonderful news. I wish you more progress and success in connecting people around the world.”
A: Thank you for your entry, Naved Raiyan. We appreciate what you said about Vietnam and VOV and the warm feeling you have for us. Naved said: “The Voice of Vietnam enters the heart of every listener and strengthens the friendship between the listeners and the broadcasting team. The great work done by Vietnam is appreciated by Indians like me and we respect you. VOV has continuously revised its content and format, always putting the audience at the center.”
B: This week, we received an entry from Rokeya Khatun of Bangladesh, who wrote: “Thank you, VOV, for delivering shortwave transmissions to listeners. Nowadays technology makes life better and sometimes bitter and VOV’s wonderful and informative web page, makes it easier to tune in to VOV. Choosing a single program from your vast and lovely series of programs is really difficult for me. How do I choose one from this following huge long list: Letterbox, Saturday Report, Culture, Village Life, Sunday Show, Discovery Vietnam, Colorful Vietnam - Vietnam's 54 ethnic groups and many more? Please pardon me, I would like to choose all of them, not just a single program.”
A: We appreciate your obvious affection for VOV, Rokeya. We wish you good luck in the contest.
B: This week, Feoana Rahman of Bangladesh sent us a reception report for a program on July 23 on the frequency of 7220 khz and said he liked the story about Thua Thien Hue and Vietnam’s traditional long dress or ao dai.
A: Images of “Ao dai” are found on Dong Son bronze drums and other artifacts dating back thousands of years. In the early 20th century, most urban Vietnamese women wore tunics made with five long flaps called “áo ngũ thân”, the five flaps symbolize the five elements of oriental cosmology: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
B: The modern “Ao dai” is a tight-fitting silk tunic worn over pantaloons. Although there has never been an official document designating the “ao dai” as the national dress of Vietnamese women, the tunic has long been worn by Vietnamese women for any important or formal occasion such as a national holiday or a traditional festival. Nowadays, following developments of the fashion industry, the Ao dai has been made trendy but retains its original form. There is a wide range of materials one can use to make Ao dai, but, silk has the favorite choice.
A: Through the creativity of fashion designers, modern Ao dai can be worn with jeans, and lately, many brides choose the Ao Dai as their wedding dress. Updating the Ao dai has become very popular in recent years, but each update retains the traditional features of the Ao dai. The Ao dai has stood the test of time and today shines brightly on the world stage.
B: Next is an email from Karniz Fatema Sanu of Bangladesh who reports a good signal for the program on July 21 from 16:00 to 16:30 UTC on the frequency of 7220 khz about fallen soldiers in Quang Tri province.
A: This week, many listeners asked about franchised café chains in Vietnam which is one of the world’s top coffee exporters.
B: There are several café chains in Vietnam with soaring outlet numbers thank to franchising. To name a few, we have Highlands Coffee, Cong Caphe, E-coffee, and Aha Café….
 Cong Caphe in Seoul |
A: The theme and ambience of Cong Caphe outlets bring to mind Vietnam’s subsidy period. Cong's brand is synonymous with a retro experience in today's busy world. Every Cong Caphe in the city displays a military-green décor that has helped to elevate this brand to the level of Starbucks among Hanoi’s youth. Almost always an instant success wherever they open, the cafes have a broad loyal clientele and cover a large area of Hanoi.
B: The chain now owns 50 cafés in Vietnam and two more aboard.
A: Two years ago, Cong Caphe opened its first South Korean location in Seoul’s Yeonnam-dong Street, a popular venue for South Korean youths. The senior barista here is a Vietnamese expat living in Seoul.
 Cong Caphe in Seoul |
B: Cong Caphe chose to establish a presence in Seoul rather than Germany or Thailand, as had earlier been considered by business partners. The reason behind the decision is that Vietnam has emerged as a favoured destination for South Korean tourists, whose number of visits to Vietnam is second only to Chinese tourists. Many South Koreans, therefore, want to taste Vietnamese and Vietnamese snacks like banh mi and peanut candy.
A: Cong Caphe picked Malaysia as its 2nd overseas destination, opening its maiden Malaysia store at Nu Sentral last November.
 Cong Caphe in KL, Malaysia |
B: Vietnam is also a popular destination for Malaysian tourists, who might have visited a Cong Caphe during their travels in Vietnam.
A: A Vietnamese coffee chain in Malaysia like Cong Caphe allows Malaysians who have been to Vietnam to satisfy their craving for Vietnamese coffee without having to return to Vietnam. And those who have never been to Vietnam can get a taste of Vietnamese coffee culture.
B: Cong Caphe’s unique decor is modeled after Vietnam’s command economy in the late 1970s and early 1980s and its staff wear olive green fatigues.
A: The Malaysian café’s decor include a rone of curios and old books shipped all the way from Vietnam.
 Cong Caphe in KL, Malaysia |
B: Cong Caphe is known for its signature drinks – coconut milk with coffee and coconut milk with cocoa. The café serves Vietnamese “phin” (filtered) coffee as well as Western coffee, tea, juices and snacks. Vietnamese hot foods like Banh Mi and rice noodles are also available.
A: Next, we’d like to acknowledge a letter from Sandro Blatter of Switzerland, who sent a postcard of Zurich and a reception report for a VOV program on June 15th on the frequency of 7315 khz. Sandor wrote: “Now it’s possible to send letters to most countries in the world and also to Vietnam. Reception from the transmitter in the US is better than reception direct from Vietnam.”
B: Sandro told us that listening to the radio has been his hobby for 45 years.
A: Thank you, Mr. Blatter, for your detailed reception report. We’d like also to acknowledge letters and emails from Roger Roussel of Canada, Fumito Horamura of Japan, Saleem Akhtar Chadhar of Pakistan, and Payeel Ahmed Pilu of Bangladesh. We thank you all for sending us detailed reception reports. We’ll confirm them with e-QSL cards.
B: We welcome your feedback at: English Service, VOVworld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at our new email address: englishsection@vov.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs.
A : We look forward to your feedback on the mobile version of vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening.