 Ha Long Bay-Cat Ba Archipelago is a natural masterpiece viewed from the sky. Photo: VTCNews |
B: We’d also like to welcome Rajarshi Roy, a new listener from India as he said. “I wish to report reception of your English Language Broadcast for India over the past few days. I enjoyed and relished listening to the English Service of the Voice of Vietnam. I tuned to your frequency and I got excellent reception.”
A: Thank you for tuning in to VOV, Rajarshi. We hope to receive more regular reports from you.
B: We’d like to say hello to Eugene Kornykhin of Russia, who sent us his second reception report for our English program. Kornykhin said: “Greetings from Moscow! I’m 39 years old but I’ve only been an active shortwave listener for the last 3 years. I had a great time while listening to music from your “Sunday Show”. Very melodic and nice music! Mostly, I listen to the programs on the Russian Section of VOVWorld but your broadcasts are also full of cultural programs. I wish you many more years of prosperity and success!”
A: This week, VOVWorld received more than 420 letters, emails and phone calls from listeners in 33 countries and territories.
B: Commenting on our story about “Humanitarian Month” in Vietnam which was launched to help disadvantaged people, José Ignacio Cos Lezama of Spain praised the donors’ contributions of more than 100,000 USD for needy people and he commented that this is great news.
A: Juan Diez of Spain expressed his interest in the recent discovery of a mysterious ‘floating lake’ in Quang Binh. He wrote: “A giant suspended lake must certainly be beautiful and breathtaking. The discovery of the lake in Thung Cave is another surprise that Vietnam brings to tourists. In Vietnam there are countless surprises with its majestic nature and magnificent landscapes, a true paradise where everything is seemingly created to express love of life, peace and enjoyment of the good things in this world. I congratulate the explorers and hope that the newly discovered lake will become a new destination attracting many tourists to Vietnam.”
 A new lake has been discovered inside the pristine Thung Cave within the World’s Natural Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park in Quang Binh province. (Photo courtesy of Quang Binh Tourism) |
B: Thank you, Juan Diez and Jose Ingnacio for sending your comments on our stories. As previously reported, a mysterious lake has been discovered in Thung Cave within the World’s Natural Heritage Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, in the central province of Quang Binh. It was discovered during an expedition by the Jungle Boss adventure tourism company.
A: The lake is located around one kilometer from the entrance of the cave, in one of the most pristine caverns in the area, situated deep within a strictly protected zone of the national park. It was found in an area about 15 meters higher than the main underground river branch inside the cave, making it appear to be ‘floating’ on the cave wall.
B: The lake is surrounded by stalactite columns with an underground river system underneath it. The newly-discovered lake has a transparent emerald‑green color and has been tentatively named Lo Lung (Floating) Lake due to its unique appearance.
A: The source of water flowing into the lake has not yet been determined, with the exploration team also discovering a passage along the cave wall of Thung Cave that traverses the main underground river branch. Phong Nha – Ke Bang National Park, which covers over 123,000 hectares, is home to many terrestrial and aquatic habitats, primary and secondary forests, sites of natural regeneration and tropical dense forests. It is also rich in large, often spectacular and scientifically significant caves, including Son Doong – the world’s largest cave.
B: The area has twice been named as a world natural heritage site, first in July 2003, when UNESCO recognized the park for its exceptional global value in terms of geology and geomorphology. 12 years later, in July 2015, the park was once again honored, this time for its outstanding value in terms of evolutionary and development processes of terrestrial ecosystems which provide meaningful natural habitats for biodiversity conservation.
A: Like our Spanish listeners, we hope that the cave will lure more tourists to Vietnam. In an email to VOV this week, Volker Willschrey of Germany praised VOV broadcasts saying they are very interesting and hopes that the programs will continue on shortwave and the internet.
B: Hiraano Seiichi of Japan wrote: “This year, Vietnam celebrates the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory. I’m very impressed. You have successfully covered the celebration of this famous victory to international friends, including Japanese listeners like us. Thank you.”
A: Thank you all for tuning in to VOV and sharing your good affection with us. This week, Kim Hua of Cambodia asked about the historical house at 48 Hang Ngang Street, Hanoi, where President Ho Chi Minh wrote the Declaration of Independence for Vietnam in 1945.
 House at 48 Hang Ngang, where the Declaration of Independence was written
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B: 79 years ago, 48 Hàng Ngang Street was a successful silk shop that belonged to Trịnh Văn Bô and Hoàng Thị Minh Hồ, an affluent couple. Located in the liveliest commercial quarter of Hanoi, this tube house opened on two parallel streets, 48 Hàng Ngang street in the front and 35 Hàng Cân street in the back. At the time, few people knew that this was the confidential venue of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam where President Ho Chi Minh was working during his return to Hanoi.
A: In this house, Ho Chi Minh made important decisions about the future of Vietnam and drafted the Declaration of Independence, which gave birth to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on September 2, 1945.
 House at 48 Hang Ngang, where the Declaration of Independence was written
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B: Despite its decline of time, the house today still retains its original architecture. Quach Thi Huong Tra, a tour guide, describes the house.
“On the ground floor was the silk shop that looked out on Hang Ngang Street, a courtyard, storeroom, and a garage that opened onto Hang Can Street. The first floor served as a living and dining room. The second and third floors held bedrooms and offices. Given its strategic location, the Party Central Committee decided to shelter President Ho Chi Minh here between August 25 and September 2, 1945,” said Tra.
B: After the 1945 August Revolution, Trinh Van Bo donated this house to the State, which turned it into a mini museum. The ground floor has been converted into an exhibition hall honoring President Ho Chi Minh and other revolutionaries. The office on the first floor has been kept intact. There is a large rectangular table in the middle, eight chairs and a large armchair. A typewriter sits on a small table.
Tour guide Huong Tra, told us about the second floor: "There are two historic rooms on the second floor. One saw the formation of the first provisional government and the other welcomed the birth of the Declaration of Independence. There is another conference room where several important decisions of the Party and the State were made.”
A: An incense offering room was set up on the second floor which welcomed many Vietnamese and foreign dignitaries. Seven decades have passed but the house at 48 Hàng Ngang Street continues to keep fresh the memory of one of the most glorious chapters in the history of Vietnam and the birth of a document that has inspired other revolutions around the world.
B: This week, VOVWorld received many questions from our listeners but within our timeframe for the “Letter Box”, we can’t answer them all. But we promise to deliver related stories in our next programs. So keep tuning in to VOV.
A: We’d like to acknowledge emails and letters from Hayato Furukawa and Fumito Hokamura of Japan, Najimuddin Shivendu Paul of India, Sutomo Huang of Indonesia, H.M. Tarek and Farhin Rahman, as well as Aksa Ahmed, Esaba Ela, Almina Alo, Hasna Hena of Bangladesh, and Saleem Akhtar Chadhar of Pakistan. We hope to continue to receive your feedback.
B: The English Service, VOVWorld, the Voice of Vietnam, is located at 45 Ba Trieu Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. Or you can email us at englishsection@vov.vn. You’re also invited to visit us online at vovworld.vn.
A: Check out our VOV Media App, available on both the IOS and Android platforms, to hear our broadcasts. Once again, thank you all for listening. Goodbye!