Hello and welcome to VOV’s Letter Box. This feature airs every Wednesday.

A: To begin this week’s Letter Box, I would like to welcome Fulvio Minerdo of Torino, Italy, to our program. Fulvio is a shortwave listener and listened to our program for the first time on April 24. 

B: Thank you Fulvio for tuning into our program. Please keep listening and we will send you a QSL card to confirm your reception report.

A: Yoshiro Kusanagi of Tokyo, Japan, wrote: “I am a Japanese shortwave listener. Your English broadcast is always strong without interference. I also listen to your Japanese broadcast. Both broadcasts are very strong and stable. I think you choose best frequencies. I usually listen firstly to VOV English program then listen to Japanese one. It’s good for me to study English and the affairs of Vietnam deeply. This time, I’m especially interested with fishing at Ha Long Bay. It should be very exciting. I have never experienced big fishing”.

B: Thank you Yoshiro Kusanagi. We will forward your letter to our colleagues at the Japanese section to add you in their listeners’ list. Yes, fishing is a very nice hobby and since you heard our feature about fishing in Ha Long Bay, it make for a memorable experience to try to come and fish there. I don’t know whether in Japan you have this type of tourism. Why don’t you come to Vietnam and give it a try?

Fishing in Ha Long Bay

A: We hope to see you in Vietnam. Next in our Letter Box today, we welcome letters from Fumito Hokamua, our loyal listener from Japan. In one letter, Fumito asked about the rainy season in Hanoi in particular and the weather in Vietnam in general as the long rainy season will come soon in his home town Fukuoka, Japan.

B: Vietnam is located in both tropical and temperate zones. It is characterized by strong monsoon influences, but has a considerable amount of sun, a high rate of rainfall, and high humidity. Regions located near the tropics and in the mountainous regions are endowed with a temperate climate.
A: The annual average temperature ranges from 22DC to 27DC. In Hanoi, the average temperature is 23DC, in Ho Chi Minh City it is 26DC, and in Hue it is 25DC. In the north, while there are four seasons: Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter, they are best distinguished in two seasons. The cold season occurs from November to April and the hot season from May to October

B: The difference in temperature between the two seasons in southern Vietnam is almost unnoticeable, averaging a 3DC difference. The most noticeable variations are found in the northern provinces where differences of 12DC have been observed. There are essentially four distinct seasons, which are most evident in the northern provinces.

A: The ideal time to visit Hanoi is in summer and especially autumn, when the sun shines and the weather is moderate. In the highlands from Nov-Mar, it is very cold, especially mornings. So if you plan to visit Vietnam during that time of the year, bring a jacket. Meanwhile, in the south, short sleeves  are enough all year around, except in the highlands, where it can be cooler. Summer is very hot and hats are essential to avoid sun stroke.

B: At this time of the year in Hanoi, the weather has cooled down a little bit with scattered showers at night while in the central and the south, it is moderately hot. So, we welcome you to Vietnam.

Prenn Waterfall in Da Lat city

A: Vikram Keshvala from UK listened to our program on May 27 on the frequency of 9730 KHz from 2030 to 2100 UTC with SINPO being rated at 55455. He used the receiver Eton G3 Globe Traveler with inbuilt telescopic antenna. Vikram wrote “I enjoy listening to the Voice of Vietnam programs. It’s a pleasure listening. Thank you for broadcasting on shortwave while other broadcasters are leaving it.,

B: Thank you Vikram for tuning into our program. So far, we have no plans to give up shortwave broadcasting but consider it an effective way to introduce our country, its land and people to people around the world. We are very happy that the number of our listeners continues to increase which has encouraged us a lot to keep up with our work. We will send you some VOV souvenirs and QSL card.

A: Many listeners have sent letters and emails commenting on our new feature “Colorful Vietnam-Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups”. They all share interest in this feature because it brings them an insight into the Vietnamese culture.

B: Vietnam has 54 ethnic groups. For centuries, ethnic groups in Vietnam have been bound to each other during the struggles against foreign invaders, a fight for national independence, and efforts to build a nation. Each group has their own language, literature and cultural identities reflected in community and economic activities, even if the groups share similarities in clothing, food, social relations, wedding and funeral rites, worship, arts, and entertainment.

A: So, launching the feature “Colorful Vietnam-Vietnam’s 54 ethnic groups”, we hope that you, our dear listeners will learn more about Vietnam, its land, culture and people.

Xoe dance of Thai ethnic minority group

B: Bablor Rashid, President of DW Listeners Club in Naogaon District of Bangladesh sent us an email. He wrote: “My dear friends, hope you all have a prosperous life. I must say that your staff on radio has a kind of soft and charming voice, which satisfies everybody and pleasantly inform around the world. I never heard any words that have a load of negative meaning. In fact your station has come to be worth while without isolating any other culture, country and people. So, I guess the reason that your station hunted to many listeners around the world is the respect you hold on them. So, in my turn, I appreciated your good work”.

A: Thank you Bablor. We highly appreciated your comments. They are a great source of encouragement for us to continue our work. We always try to reach as many listeners as possible to make Vietnam better known in the world. So I hope that you will keep listening to our program.

B: This week, we received letters and emails from Reiner Peuthert, who sent us reception reports and nice postcards of Stendal, Taslim Uddin from Bangladesh. He shared his interest in listening to our “enjoyable and informative” programs with strong signals.

A: I would like to say hello to Grant Skinner from Dagenham, Essex, UK. Grant listened to our program on May 13 on the frequency of 7280 at 19:12. Grant says he likes the program as it is always a very compact show with lots of interest for me.

B: Thank you Grant for your comment. We are always trying to improve our program and make them more interesting. We will soon send you our verification card.

B: All these listeners sent reports about the English programs they heard and commented on technical issues and program content. We greatly appreciate this feedback. Dear listeners, your reception reports were all complete enough for us to send you letters of confirmation. If your name wasn’t mentioned this week, don’t feel left out. We’ll try to mention you next time.

A: Well, time is up for this week’s Letter Box. Before we go, we’d like to remind you of our address:

The English program,

Overseas Service, Radio Voice of Vietnam,

45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam

B: Or you can email us at: englishsection@vov.org.vn. If you miss any of our programs, you can always catch up by logging onto our website at: www.vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live broadcasts and previously recorded programs.