The Contest’s Organizers have so far received nearly 200 entries from 28 nations. The oldest entrant is a French man, Rene Durand, aged 77 and the youngest is 18-year-old schoolboy Daniel Kahler, from Germany.

A number of foreign listeners took part in the contest in groups, such as those from an Indonesian DX club and a group of Cambodian students from Friendship 80 School in Son Tay, Hanoi.

The longest entry was written by Argentinean listener Rolando Ariel Pepe Reggiardo, who compiled 80 pages with many documents and images portraying Vietnam’s land and people.

Apart from answering the contest’s questions, the listeners also expressed their feelings toward Vietnam and VOV.

In his entry, Mr Idriss Bououdina, from Morocco, said that Vietnamese are very happy to enjoy peace.

Meanwhile, Cuba’s Maite Lopez Pino wrote that Vietnam represents Intelligence, Bravery, Will and Dignity.

Russian journalist Guenadi Anatolovich Edvdokimov wrote an additional essay on his feelings for the country and its people. He confided that one of his friends had returned from Vietnam in a very upbeat mood as if he had been flying with a Vietnamese dragon.

He added that the long geographical distance between Vietnam and Russia does not affect the empathy between the two countries. “Vietnam and Russia are very close… and Vietnam will never be out of touch in my life,” he said.

Thai listener Kasem Thang Thong said he has been tuning in to VOV for more than 30 years. The announcement “This is the Voice of Vietnam, broadcast from Hanoi, the Capital of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam has become familiar to him every time the clock strikes 18.30. He remarked that VOV has really improved its content and form.

Uruguay’s Ivan Ivanoff Andeev emotionally wrote that if he was lucky enough to win a prize, he would present it to a school in Hanoi on behalf of his beloved deceased son.

Roberto Ortiz Maseres, from Spain, wrote that VOV is the only way he can find out about Vietnam, its land and people, which are thousands of kilometres away.

Leonardo Santiago, a Venezuelan citizen, said he has listened to VOV ever since 1999 when he was a secondary school pupil. “I live in a rural area and many people where I live think that Vietnam is still at war, but through VOV broadcasts I now what is really happening in your country and I have tried to keep them well informed about Vietnam too. Your Spanish-language programmes have also helped me a lot in my studies.”