B: From the UK, Vikram Keshvala regularly monitors the frequency of 9730 khz from 20:30 – 21:00 UTC. He wrote: “It’s a pleasure listening to VOV. Thank you for broadcasting on shortwave while other broadcasters are leaving it. I liked the Colorful Vietnam segment on May 27 which gave an insight into Vietnam that no other media here can provide.”

A: Our regular listener Fumito Hokamura of Japan sends us 4 to 5 letters every week. He said the Colorful Vietnam – Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups segment is another of his favorites because he learns about Vietnam’s blended culture and customs as well as the unique features of each ethnic group.

B: Another listener from the UK Alan Roe noted: “I’m very much enjoying your new Monday program “Colorful Vietnam- Vietnam’s 54 Ethnic Groups”. It is proving to be a fascinating series and very informative. When I first saw the program title mentioned, before the first edition aired, I assumed that the program was going to be only about the minority ethnic groups, and was slightly surprised that you started with the majority ethnic group. Actually, in retrospect, that makes perfect sense. However, I do look forward to hearing about the other 53 ethnic groups as time goes by”.

A: Thank you, dear listeners, for your positive feedback on our program. In the first series of the “Colorful Vietnam- Vietnam’s 54 Ethnic Groups”, we featured various aspects of the Kinh majority ranging from its wet rice cultivation, musical instruments, lifestyle, architecture, and food. At present, we are introducing the Brau, one of the 5 smallest ethnic groups of the Vietnamese nation. With a population of more than 400, the Brau community primarily lives in the valleys of Se San and Nam Khoong Rivers of the central highlands. We have already posted online 4 articles about the Brau featuring their traditional music, festivals, and attire.  

B: We will continue to shed light on the uniquely interesting characters of other ethnic groups in the future. If you have any specific questions, send your letters to us now and we’ll try to bring you the information you want to know. From India, Jayanta Chakrabarty emailed us on June 10^th to say: “I report on the excellent audio/video quality of the Voice of Vietnam Radio, English service, as well as its website. It’s a special treat to tune in to your broadcasts. I can get the news and reports on the latest happenings in Vietnam, Asia, and the world. The website is well-constructed and the content of the programs is of high quality. Music of various genre is offered on a flick of a key. Radio Voice of Vietnam is one of the best radio stations in Asia. Please keep up the good work.”

A: Thank you Jayanta for your kind words. We’ve checked your reception report. It tallied well with our station log so we’ll send you our QSL card soon to verify it. Rana Dewan Rafiqul, President of the Bangladesh’s Friends Radio Club, wrote to us again after a rather long absence. He said he continues to listen to VOV. He asks to please tell him some things about Vietnamese currency.

B: The Vietnamese currency is called Dong and is available in the form of coins and banknotes. The denominations of coins range from 200 Dong to 5,000 Dong while banknotes range from 1,000 Dong to 500,000 Dong. The current exchange rate is roughly 21,000 Dong per 1 USD.

A: The use of coins in Vietnam is unpopular because of the lack of vending machines and because it is inconvenient to carry coins.  On the face of all banknotes is the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh. The reverse has various images of Vietnam. For example, on the polymer series, issued in 2003 to replace the cotton banknotes, there are images of an offshore platform, a food canning factory, the Nha Rong port where President Ho Chi Minh departed to France to seek ways to save the nation in 1911, the Temple of Literature, Ha Long Bay, and President Ho Chi Minh’s birthplace.

The current 500,000 Dong banknote of Vietnam (Photo: southernbank.com.vn)

B: In the Vietnamese language, "đồng" can be used as a generic term for any currency by adding the name of a country and its currency as a qualifier. This practice is more common in some overseas Vietnamese-speaking communities for example Dong USD dollar, Dong euro, Dong yen of Japan, and Dong bath of Thailand. 

A: That’s a brief history of Vietnamese currency. Let’s continue to read letters from other listeners. Peter Ng of Malaysia tuned in our way on June 12^th at 23:30 UTC using the frequency of 12020 khz. Peter used a SONY ICF SW11 portable shortwave receiver with the telescopic aerial. He rated signal quality SINPO at 454.

B: As usual, this week we received 5 letters from Fumito Hokamura of Japan. He sent us accurate and neat reports on some programs early this month. In each letter, he shared with us his feeling of the program or the little gifts we sent him. In a letter on June 6, Fumito thanked us for sending him beautiful postcards and verification cards. They brought him a warm feeling for Vietnamese people and folk music. In another letter, he said he wanted to visit Vietnam to walk on Hanoi streets in winter or spring.

A: Well, it’s summer time in Hanoi now. It’s not the most convenient time for walking in Hanoi because the average temperature is over 30DC. And the autumn will not come sooner than in more than 3 months. We hope to meet you one day in Vietnam Fumito. This week, we acknowledge letters from Chena Ram Barupal and Muhammad Shamim of India, Toshiya Nishimura of Japan, Richard Lemke of Canada, Nicos Agapiades of Greece, Tang Xiyao of China, and Sumanto Kumar of Bangladesh. We have processed your reception reports and will send you QSL cards to confirm them together with the items you requests such as stamps, maps, postcards, T-shirt, and cap.

B: Thank you all for spending time with us and for your detailed feedback. 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.