The Huc pedestrian bridge at Hoan Kiem Lake leading to Ngoc Son Temple.

B: Fumito Hokamura of Japan asked “Is it the beginning of the rainy season in Ho Chi Minh City? I’m waiting for the rainy season in Fukuoka, Japan. I like sudden rain shower on summer days. I’m thinking about showers in Hanoi.”

A: In general, all parts of Vietnam experience hot, humid weather in June. It’s one of the few months in the year when all parts of the country share a common pattern of weather.

B: The summer thunderstorm season in Hanoi usually begins in May and ends in late August. It’s hot from morning until late afternoon, and then a thunderstorm arrives, bringing heavy rain throughout the evening to lower the temperature.

Tourists take a cyclo tour in downtown Hanoi.

A: June is the time for summer vacation when people head for the mountains, forests and beaches, which are numerous from the north to the south. Vietnam is a beautiful country to visit, no matter what time of year, and June, despite the hot weather, is a fine time to enjoy wonderful visit.

B: After a 2-year lockdown and travel restrictions due to COVID-19, tourism in Vietnam is booming again. All localities and tourist sites are receiving a growing number of visitors after Vietnam removed COVID-19 restrictions like pre-flight testing and medical declarations.

A: In the first five months of the year, 365,000 foreign tourists arrived in Vietnam, 80% of them by air, according to the General Statistics Office.

B: It’s a good time to book a tour to Vietnam now. Travel agencies are offering lots of promotional programs. We hope our listeners who told us that they had to cancel their trip to Vietnam during the pandemic can resume their plan soon.

Pho with beef

B: This week, Fumito Hokamura sent us several letters and reception reports for our English broadcast on the frequency of 12020 khz. One of many questions that he asks us this week is about popular breakfast dishes in Vietnam.

A: I think because in Vietnam the weather is hot almost all year round, Vietnamese people wake up early so that they can begin working before it’s too hot. A lot of people do morning exercises as early as 5 am in a park or on the sidewalk.

B: Vietnamese people do not have any rules for specific breakfast food. It depends on one’s appetite of eating wet for dry food, hot or cold, working conditions, and the weather as well. People usually start the day with noodles, vermicelli, porridge, bread, steamed glutinous rice, dumplings, or steamed-rolled rice pancakes.

Vietnamese banh mi

B: You can see pho restaurants all over Hanoi, serving customers from early morning to late evening. A bowl of pho contains thin slices of beef or chicken and a greasy broth of scallions, fresh lemon, pepper, and chilis. Some diners may opt for eggs, rare beef, well-stewed beef, dried beef, flank, tendon, or tripe. People may replace pho with cassava vermicelli, rice vermicelli, instant noodles, or other variations of rice noodle. 

A: Having bread for breakfast is popular across Vietnam. A French baguette is often stuffed with butter, cheese, grilled meat, pork paste, sausage, fresh aromatic herbs, pickles, and slices of cucumber and carrot.

B: Each banh mi shop adds its signature sauce to a perfect blend of warm crusty bread, juicy meat, and mixed fresh vegetables.

Lotus sticky rice

A: People who do farm or other manual work prefer to start the day with a heavy breakfast of sticky rice. Sticky rice is the best choice because it provides a feeling of fullness for the eater. Sticky rice is available on almost any corner.

B: The main material is sticky rice, and to make it more delicious, the seller can process in many ways such as fried sticky rice, and sticky rice with black beans, green beans, peanuts, or lotus seeds. Plain steamed sticky rice can be eaten with braised pork, eggs, pork paste, or boiled chicken.

A: A steamed rice pancake called banh cuon is a popular dish for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. The process for making banh cuon resembles the process for making crepes. The main difference is that the rice pancake is steamed instead of being fried. This gives the thin pancake a delicate texture.

B: The accompanying sauce is a mixture of fish sauce, sour, lime, Vietnamese pork sausage, and fried onions. Vegetarians can avoid the meat by requesting a plain banh cuon, which tastes almost as good.

Banh cuon

A: A complete breakfast should be ended with some kind of drinks. Popular morning drinks are tea and coffee, served hot and strong or weaker with ice. Many people prefer fruit juice, cow’s milk, or vegan bean milk.

B: On our website we describe other Vietnamese dishes in a feature called Food Delight. It has other useful recipes for cooking your own Vietnamese food at home. 

A: I’m reading a letter from Dr. Jyrki Hytonen of Finland dated May 17^th. He told us: “As a forest researcher I’m interested in nature and forests in Vietnam. I also study afforestation. I visited Vietnam for 2 weeks before the pandemic and saw with my own eyes the fast development of your country. Now I want to learn more. VOV is a good way to find out what is going on in Vietnam. I hope the pandemic is soon over.”

B: Mr. Hytonen said: “I listen to VOV in English and visit your web page. I have also listened online to some of your programs in Spanish. I want to keep my Spanish skills fresh.”

A: Thank you very much, Mr. Hytonen, for tuning in to VOV’s programs. Vietnam dropped all COVID-19 testing requirements for international arrivals on May 15. We hope you will arrange a visit to Vietnam when you can.

Over 1,000 people join a yoga session to mark World Yoga Day 2022 in Hanoi.

A: Siddhartha Bhattacharjee of India asked about the World Yoga Day in Vietnam. He said: “Yoga's incorporation of meditation and breathing techniques can improve a person's mental well-being. Regular yoga practice creates mental clarity and calmness, increases body awareness, relieves chronic stress, relaxes the mind, centers attention, and sharpens concentration.”

B: Yoga is very popular in the major urban areas of Vietnam. Almost every fitness center offers yoga classes. Yoga studios and small yoga groups permit people to practice at their convenience. In recent years there have been a lot of Indians teaching yoga in Vietnam.

A: Last week the Indian Consulate General and HCM City’s Union of Friendship Organisations celebrated the 8th International Yoga Day with an event involving 1,000 people. Themed “Yoga for Humanity”, the event promoted community spirit and a sustainable lifestyle in harmony with the Earth.

A:  Quang Ninh province coordinated with the Indian Embassy to hold a similar event in Ha Long city. 3,000 people representing 99 yoga clubs from 16 provinces and cities took part.

B: Indian Ambassador Pranay Verma said that in 2022 Vietnam was selected by the Indian Government as one of the countries included in the Global Yoga Ring program. The widespread love for yoga in Vietnam has brought about a strong cultural connection and people-to-people exchange between India and Vietnam.

A: Thank you all for tuning in to VOV and sending us your feedback. We welcome your comments at English Service, VOVworld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam.

A: Our email address is: englishsection@vov.vn. You’re invited to visit us online and leave your comments at vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye.