 VOV English section's new QSL cards |
B: VOVWORLD’s English service will continue to issue QSL cards to overseas listeners. We have one card featuring streets in Hanoi’s Old Quarter and three different cards featuring Vietnamese landscapes.
A: In one QSL card, we have a photo of the intersection of Hang Khoai and Hang Luoc street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter. Each of the Old Quarter’s 36 streets was named after the goods sold there hundreds of years ago. For example, Hang Khoai street sold sweet potatoes (khoai), Hang Luoc sold combs (luoc), Hang Muoi sold salt (muoi), and Thuoc Bac sold traditional herbs.
 A photo of the intersection of Hang Khoai and Hang Luoc street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter |
B: The Old Quarter has a history of more than a thousand years. In the old days artisans from craft villages around the capital, called Thang Long at that time, gathered here to serve the Royal palace and sell their crafts. Traders and craftsmen in the same trade opened shops close to each other and formed street guilds.
A: Hanoi has undergone drastic changes since then, and in the Old Quarter hotels, restaurants, cafes, and clothing stores have sprung up like mushrooms. Only a few streets have kept a link to their original trade until today like Hang Bac which sells silver, Hang Ma which sells papers, and Hang Gai which sells silk.
 Hunting clouds in Ta Xua mountain, Son La province |
B: “Hunting clouds” has become a tourism trend in recent years, so we chose a picture of a cloud-covered mountain peak in Son La province for our QSL card.
B: Ta Xua is a mountain range in the Bac Yen district of Son La province. At 2,800 meters, Ta Xua peak is the 10th-highest peak in Vietnam. Ta Xua’s three main peaks form a line that resembles the back of a dinosaur.
A: Trekking in Ta Xua is a real challenge, but new roads have made it somewhat easier. Ta Xua is famous for its Opacus clouds, so thick they totally obscure the sun.
 Ba Khan, a gorgeous lake in Hoa Binh province |
B: One QSL card has a picture of Ba Khan, a gorgeous lake in Hoa Binh province. Seen from the top of the Thung Khe mountain pass, Ba Khan looks like a giant pan with rocks of all shapes and sizes emerging from the water. The landscape resembles the beautiful Ha Long Bay.
A: Ba Khan’s lake and waterfall are a nice spot to spend a relaxing weekend, with the picuresque mountain town of Mai Chau just a short drive away.
B: Ba Khan is popular all year round, but is most beautiful in the autumn, when the water of the Da River, which feeds the lake, turns deep blue, and the bamboo trees shed their leaves. In the early summer, the golden terraced fields of rice surrounding the lake present a dramatic view.
 The sea of Son Tra peninsula in Da Nang city |
A: Another QSL card in our collection this year shows Son Tra peninsula, a national park that boasts a stunning beach, a dense rainforest, a majetic mountain, and rare animals. A 20-minute drive from Da Nang city, the park provides a pleasant escape to nature from the hectic city.
B: Son Tra peninsula attracts domestic and foreign tourists with its beautiful scenery, fresh air, and biodiversity. The 30-square-kilometer park has 300 kinds of plants and hundreds of species of animals, many of them quite rare.
A: Son Tra is 700 meters above sea level. Viewed from above, it resembles a giant mushroom with the mountain as its head and the golden sand beach as its stalk. From the top of Son Tra mountain, you’ll get a bird’s eye view of Da Nang city.
B: VOVWorld’s four new QSL cards will be issued randomly to verify listeners’ reception reports.
A: Samir Mukhopadhyay of India said he has been listening to the Voice of Vietnam for three months. DX’ing is his favorite hobby and VOV’s programs have helped him learn about Vietnam.
B: Samir said he was really interested in some of our news stories on November 9th. “I’m very glad to know that Vietnam's Vingroup Chairman Pham Nhat Vuong has called on India's second richest man and Adani Group Chairman, Gautam Adani, to discuss potential ties. It’s really good news that a fund-raising campaign called "Save the Ocean" was launched to conserve Con Dao sea turtles.”
A: Many listeners and readers told us that they’re interested in conservation projects on Con Dao island, particularly to protect turtles. In 2009, Con Dao National Park set a record as "the national park in Vietnam that released the most baby turtles into the sea." It was the first Vietnamese entity to join the network "Sea Turtle Conservation in the Indian Ocean-Southeast Asia". On October 22, 2019, it became the eleventh member of the network.
B: Green sea turtles, hawksbills, olive ridleys, and loggerhead sea turtles have been spotted in Con Dao’s waters, according to a report by Con Dao National Park on sea turtle conservation for the 2020-2030 period.
 Reasling little turtles back to the sea (photo: Condaoexplorer.com) |
A: Con Dao National Park’s Management Board reported that from 2020-2022, it recorded more than 2,300 mother turtles returning to a local beach to lay eggs.
B: The turtles’ nesting season runs from April to September. Tourists visiting Con Dao during this time can see turtles coming ashore to lay eggs and observe the process of hatching and preserving eggs in Con Dao National Park. The park organizes limited tours for visitors to watch the baby turtles cross the beach and swim into the ocean.
A: Tristan Knight heard VOV’s English program in Hollingsworth, the UK, on November 10th. In addition to the news and Current Affairs discussing the G7 summit and the G7’s stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Tristan said he was interested in the moving Vietnamese song played at the end of the show.
A: Lesley shared her feelings after listening to our story about a bear rescue center in Ninh Binh province in our Sunday Show segment. She said: “Thank you for rescuing these gorgeous animals and all the amazing work you do. I hope many more will be rescued.”
B: Thanks for tuning in to VOV. The story about bear rescue is now available on out Spotify channel at VOV5 English Service.
A: Vicentiu Daniel Gheorghe, administrator of the Romanian VOV Club Facebook page, said their page has received 50,000 likes, making it perhaps the most-followed VOV club in the world. Vicentiu said: “We want to promote Vietnam in Romania and we will remain lovers and promoters of your country.”
A: He added: “We would like to see exhibitions of Vietnamese art, classical paintings, historical artifacts as old as possible, and posters showing the modern development of your country, so Romanians can learn the history, culture, and art of Vietnam. As a deep lover of Vietnam, I’d like to get involved in such activities to improve our bilateral relations. I’d like my city Pitesti to twin with a city from your country to encourage bilateral investments and cultural exchanges.”
B: We really appreciate your love for Vietnam and your efforts to promote Vietnam in your country. We wish you every success.
A: Thank you all for your interest in VOV, for sharing your love of our country, and for sending us your feedback. We hope to see you soon in Vietnam.
A: We welcome your feedback at English Service, VOVWorld, the Voice of Vietnam, 45 Ba Trieu street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at englishsection@vov.vn. You’re invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye!