Ca^`u truye^`n hi`nh VN - Nha^.t Ba?n

[Dam Son <son@fermi.phys.washington.edu>]

Vietnamese-Japanese radio broadcasting bridge: A new, encouraging 
exchange between Vietnam and the world 

As reported by the local press, late last month, the "Hanoi-Tokyo radio
broadcasting bridge," produced by the NHK Broadcasting Corporation
(Japan), in coordination with the Voice of Vietnam (VOV), was transmitted
directly to Japanese audiences. The program was filled with reports on
Vietnamese culture and the social life of today's Vietnamese people. 


The group of NHK reporters in charge of the program arrived in Vietnam on
April 20 to coordinate with Vietnamese counterparts to prepare the
program. All members of the delegation had the same feeling that the real
image of Vietnam and its people was quite different from initial feelings,
when they began to initiate the program. 

Mr. Isechi, chief of the NHK radio broadcasting group in this program,
said NHK has devised distinct plans to prepare for broadcasting bridges
between Japan and some of its regional countries where Japanese language
radio programs are produced, including Vietnam, Thailand, Mongolia,
Indonesia, South Korea, and China. Vietnam was the first choice of NHK,
with a program entitled "Hello Vietnam." Another program will be held in
Hong Kong when the territory is handed over to China. 

As said earlier, the program ended successfully, attracting a large number
of listeners. Many of them sent faxes to the NHK center in Tokyo, posing
many questions which were replies to during the program. Mr. Isechi hoped
that with this program, Japanese people will have a better understanding
about the country and people of Vietnam, as well as its long-established
culture. 

For the Vietnamese partner, this was the first time VOV had "built" a
"radio broadcasting bridge" with a foreign country. As Mr. Dinh The Loc,
chief of the international relations department of VOV, put it, the
program was made in a move to celebrate the 34th anniversary of the first
Japanese language broadcasting day of VOV (April 29, 1963-1997). 

The Japanese delegation was in charge of the content of the program, while
VOV was involved in logistical work, assisting the Japanese reporters with
technical equipment, and directly carrying out many reports in different
localities nationwide. 

The program targeted Japanese audiences, and, as it was made by Japanese
reporters, the information was much more convincing to Japanese listeners.
VOV currently has plans to develop many other programs in the style of a
"radio broadcasting bridge" in the future, to make the Vietnamese culture
and people better known to other countries and vice versa.