B: S.B Sharma of India said Voice of Vietnam’s new logo is very attractive and beautiful. “We all know VOV is the world-renowned prestigious media of Vietnam and one of the most trusted and authentic brands in the world. I hope your new logo will empower and inspire you to do much better in the future and feel proud yourself.”

A: Thank you very much for your heartwarming compliments. You can see the new logo on our website. The letter “V”, inspired by the wings of a mythical crane-like bird engraved on Vietnam’s ancient bronze drums, reflects VOV’s strong optimism and aspirations. The letter “O”, with a PLAY button arrow at its center, represents VOV as a multimedia agency that has never ceased moving forward. The new logo uses two basic colors, blue and red, indicating prosperity and a bright future ahead.

B: VOV broadcasts programs in 13 Vietnamese ethnic languages and 13 foreign languages to promote Vietnam’s international integration and serve national construction and defense. VOV programs are now available on Web, Wap, Mobile App, and Social Media platforms. We hope that in addition to shortwave you will have a good experience with VOV’s other multimedia platforms.

Hoi An ancient town welcomes tourists again after the second wave of COVID-19

A: On Wednesday Vietnam had gone 21 days with no new COVID-19 infections in the community. Public entertainment centers, tourism sites, and restaurants have reopened and are doing normal business.

B: Azam Ali Soomro of Pakistan told us: “I read the very good news that Sun World Ba Na Hills, one of the top attractions in Da Nang city, reopened to the public on Sunday after the city had recorded no new COVID-19 cases for several weeks. It is a cause of great happiness to see the success of Vietnam in the fight against COVID-19. Vietnam has done a great job in this regard, and is an example to other countries.”

A: Azam added: “Hopefully, the world will soon be as open and safe as it was before the pandemic. I would like to be in Vietnam as soon as possible.”

Cable cars to Ba Ha Hills in Da Nang

B: We all hope so, Azam. When scientists find effective vaccines against the coronavirus, we can travel the world freely again. With its success in containing COVID-19, Vietnam has resumed flights to and from 6 destinations in Asia – Cambodia, Laos, Japan, the Republic of Korea, mainland China, and Chinese Taiwan.

A: Siddhartha Bhattacharjee, President of India’s Chaitak Listeners Club, asked: “Are you opening your transportation system to the public after COVID-19? If yes, then what precautions are you taking?” 

B: Of course we have precautions in place. Given that infections and deaths continue to rise around the world, all Vietnamese localities are on guard,  carefully managing arrivals from abroad to avoid community infections.

A: The Prime Minister has directed that quarantine facilities be frequently inspected and adhere to all health hygiene and protocols. The Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Public Security are carefully processing visa applications for foreign investors and experts who want to come to Vietnam, to ensure coronavirus prevention and control.

A corner of Ba Na Hills

B: Passengers must present proof of a negative coronavirus test dated no more than three days before their flight, declare their travel history during the 14 previous days, and download a contact tracing app per the health protocols set by the country of arrival. Airports and airlines have plans in place to handle travelers so as to minimize the risk of infection from overcrowding.

A: Upon arrival in Vietnam, passengers must undergo a medical examination and quarantine. They will have a sample taken for testing upon arrival, be quarantined for six days at a hotel, receive their test result on the sixth day, then be quarantined at home for another eight days, and receive a second test result on day 14.

B: Over the past two weeks, thousands of Vietnamese people, foreign experts, and businesspeople have come to Vietnam. We hope that once the world has an effective vaccine against coronavirus, we can travel the whole world freely again.

A: We hope to see many of you in Vietnam then. At the 2020 World Travel Awards, Vietnam has been nominated as Asia’s Leading Cultural Destination, Asia’s Leading Destination, Asia’s Leading Heritage Destination, Asia’s Leading Nature Destination, Asia’s Leading River Cruise Destination, Asia’s Leading Sustainable Tourism Destination, Asia’s Leading Youth Travel Destination, and Asia’s Leading Culinary Destination.

B: Hanoi is up for Asia’s Leading City Break Destination while Hoi An and Hue are for Asia’s Leading Cultural City Destination. Da Nang city is nominated as Asia's Leading Festival & Event Destination and Cuc Phuong National Park in Ninh Binh province is nominated as Asia’s Leading National Park.

A: Bobby Ridgely found our story about HCMC’s application of artificial intelligence and smart management methods to become a regional financial hub very interesting.

B: He said: “When I came to Ho Chi Minh City I contacted a very helpful financial advisor, who helped me set up retirement funds and plans, offshore banking, property, mortgages, insurance and much more. He made the financial aspects of my move much less stressful and I would highly recommend him to all expats.”

A: Bobby suggested that a future story on how to manage your finances in Vietnam would be extremely helpful, as it is a very important topic.

B: Thank you for your suggestion. We intend to talk about services for expats that will make your life in Vietnam more comfortable.

A: One of the most frequently asked questions last week was about our writing contest “What do you know about Vietnam?” Our listeners are looking forward to the results.

B: Our jury board is in the initial round of sorting out the best entries. You know VOVWorld has 13 foreign language sections. That means we have received entries in 13 languages, not just in English.

A: We’ll announce the results soon. Last week we received emails and letters from Ashik Eqbal Tokon of Bangladesh, Didarul Iqbal, Chairman of the South Asia Radio Club of Bangladesh, Alan Doyle of Australia, Amir Jameel of Pakistan, and Pothabathula Tirumala of India.

B: Thank you to all our listeners for sending us your reception reports. We’ll send e-verification cards to confirm all the reports. We always welcome your feedback at:

A: English Service, VOVworld, the 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 online at vovworld.vn, where you can hear both live and recorded programs. Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platform, to hear our live broadcasts. We look forward to your feedback on the mobile version of vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye until next time.