(VOVWORLD) - This week we’ve got a letter from Gunnar Green of Sweden, who first wrote to VOV in 1969. In his latest letter he enclosed a copy of a VOV QSL card issued on May 26, 1969, from VOV’s headquarters at 58 Quan Su street.
B: Welcome back, Gunnar. It’s a nice surprise to hear from you again after such a long time.
A: Gunnar, a retired 69-year-old living in Motala, Sweden, told us: “I’m an enthusiastic shortwave listener and have been so for over 50 years now. One of the first reception reports I sent, in 1969, was addressed to Voice of Vietnam. As a reply to that report I received a brief letter after a few days. I have reported VOV a couple of times after that and been listening as much as possible. I heard your station yesterday and thought I should drop you a line.”
B: Thank you very much, Gunnar. Long-time listeners like you are treasures of VOV. We’ll keep your letter and the copy of the QSL card in our archive. On VOV’s founding anniversary we’ll present such letters to recall the good old days.
A: Gunnar reported on our program on March 22nd, on the frequency of 9730 khz: “Your program was received via a SDR-receiver in Haparanda in the north of Sweden. The signal strength and the reception were good and SINPO was rated all 4s. I like to hear news and information from Vietnam. And the Vietnamese music is wonderful.”
B: Since 1969, Vietnam and VOV have changed a lot. We hope you’ll continue to spend time listening to VOV and send us your feedback by letter or email. Once again, thank you.
A: I’m reading an e-report from Patrick Travers of England, who listened to the Voice of Vietnam on March 11th on the frequency of 9730 khz. He used an Airspy HF Plus Discovery with SDR Console version 3.3 software. His SINPO rating for our broadcast was 23322.
B: Thank you, Patrick, for sending us an audio file of the program so we can check the sound quality. Patrick said: “I was very interested in listening to a report about Vietnamese coffee growing and I would be very interested in learning more. I also enjoyed the selection of music played during your broadcast.”
 Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival 2023 promotes Vietnamese coffee brands and culture of the Central Highlands. (photo: nld.com.vn) |
A: Last year Vietnam exported more than 1.7 million tons of coffee, earning 4 billion USD. Vietnamese coffee is now available in more than 85 countries and territories. The International Coffee Organization says Vietnam was the world’s second-largest exporter of coffee from February 2021 to January 2022, just behind Brazil. However, Vietnam ranked first in coffee production, with 2.4 tons per hectare.
B: Vietnam’s coffee export has seen strong growth to coffee-drinking countries like Germany, France, and Canada. Italy, a coffee connoisseur, has recently increased its import of Vietnamese coffee.
A: Bach Thanh Tuan, Vice President of the Vietnam Coffee and Cacao Association, has proposed raising Vietnamese coffee standards. “We propose using the standards of the London and New York trading floors for Vietnamese coffee, whether it’s grown in the Central Highlands or in northern Son La province. Vietnam’s coffee industry has been known for high volume and now we want it to be known for high quality.”
B: Nguyen Quang Tin, Vice Director of the Department of Science and Technology of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, said: “Vietnam is focused on growing clean coffee by minimizing waste and using renewable energy for sustainable agriculture. We have produced and sold coffee quite successfully, but we should study technology to better exploit coffee by-products.”
A: Some popular Vietnamese coffee brands are G7 3-in-1 Instant Premium Vietnamese Coffee sold by the Trung Nguyen Group, Vinacafe Instant Coffee Mix from the Vinacafé Bien Hoa Company, Nescafé Instant Coffee of Nestlé, Saigon Phin Daklak Pre-Ground Coffee of the Lang Thang Group, Weasel Coffee of Mr. Phong’s Private Reserve, and Vietnamese Coffee Kit of Len’s Coffee.
B: We invite our listeners to share with us your impressions of any Vietnamese coffee you have ever drunk in Vietnam or in your own country.
A: Let’s listen to a song called “Ban Me coffee cup”, celebrating the delicacy of Buon Me Thuot coffee and the culture and magnificent natural landscape of Vietnam’s Central Highlands.
 Street performances during the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Festival (photo: nld.com.vn) |
B: This week, VOVWorld received more than 340 letters, emails, and phone calls from listeners of 36 countries and territories. Mehar Abdul Sattar Salfi of Pakistan emailed us to say: “I and all the members of our International Radio Listeners Organization are regular listeners of VOV’s English service. Although we are not always sending letters or emails to you, that doesn't mean we are not listening to you. VOV’s English service is like a bridge between Vietnam and Pakistan and other listeners worldwide. We know facts and news about Vietnam we can’t get from local media.”
A: Thank you, Mehar and members of Pakistan’s International Radio Listeners Organization, for supporting VOV. We hope to receive more feedback from you in the future.
B: Rajarshi Roy of West Bengal, India, reported listening to VOV’s English program on Wednesday, March 29, on the frequency of 7220 khz. He rated SINPO 55455 with excellent signal and no interference.
A: Rajarshi told us: “I’m a new listener from India. I’m reporting listening to your English language broadcast over the past few days. I enjoyed tuning in to your frequency and got excellent reception. I will listen to you regularly.”
B: We’re very glad to have correspondence with new listeners every day. It’s you who keep us working to reach a global audience.
A: Abdul Mannan of Bangladesh is a regular listener to VOV’s English programs. He usually listens to VOV on the frequency of 7220 khz and says the reception is excellent. He asked us if he could be an official monitor for VOV.
B: We appreciate your enthusiasm, Abdul, but unfortunately VOV doesn’t recruit any official overseas monitors.
A: Thank you all for your interest in VOV and for making the effort to maintain long-lasting ties with us. 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.
B: Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platform, to hear our broadcasts. We look forward to your feedback on the mobile version of vovworld.vn. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye!