The Loudspeaker



One of the things you'll notice if you come to Hanoi is the loudspeaker that comes on every morning and every evening.

The loudspeaker plays songs and announcements (in Vietnamese, of course). The songs get pretty repetitive after a while! It's one of those things that is quintessentially Vietnamese, so whilst it's kind of annoying, we like it anyway. At the moment, in the Old Quarter where we live, the announcements come on at about 7-7.30am, and in the afternoon start as early as 4.30-5pm. Russell and I call it (tongue-in-cheek) "Commo FM" and kind of missed it when we were in Saigon earlier in the year, where they didn't have the loudspeaker in the area where we were.

Anyway, I came across this article about the loudspeaker - even giving the perspective of the announcer! Love it! It was in Timeout magazine. I like the idea that the loudspeakers are a part of Hanoi's history and - whilst not as necessary as they once were - had a place in keeping the public informed and entertained when there were no other options.


Public loudspeaknot popular
In days gone by, community loudspeakers were an essential way of spreading information. Crowds gathered around to listen to live coverage of a football match. Family members in the North longed for battle news in Saigon prior to unification day back in the ‘70s.

But now, it seems the loudspeakers are more of a headache, especially for those living right beside them.
“I work full time, five days a week. I would like to get up late on Saturday,” says Ngo Kim Phuong, a 53-year-old kindergarten manager living in the Vinh Phuc living quarters, “but it is out of the question with that loudspeaker.”
The noise is even worse for 17 year-old Bui Phuong Ngan. Her flat is just eight metres from the closest loudspeaker.
“My mother gets up at 5.30 to do her morning exercises and she closes the windows and doors to keep out the noise,” says Ngan. “But the flat is like the inside of a box.”
The loudspeakers of the Vinh Phuc ward broadcasts twice a day, from 6.30 am to 7am and from 5.30 pm to 6pm, Monday through Saturday.
The broadcast focuses on community news, ranging from rabies vaccinations, neighborhood clean up drives, and power outages to real-estate issues such as residence registration, red book acquisition and so forth.
However, there is not enough fresh community news to fill a one-hour broadcast every day. So what has been covered in the morning is rebroadcast in the afternoon. Locals also complain the lack of an opening summary of highlights, plus the “read-it-as-it-is-officially-written” announcing style, causes listeners’ attention to wander, even though the speaker’s voice is deafening.
“I do not know what is on, as I am allergic to the broadcasting,” says Phuong.
In July, she was finally irritated enough to go to the Ward authority office to complain about a toothless broadcaster sputtering weakly over the system. The staff member for cultural and social affairs shook her hand and thanked her over and over.
But, “he said the reason they employed the toothless man was that he was extremely enthusiastic,” says Phuong. “They couldn’t avoid offering him the job.”
Loudspeaker broadcasters are often retired residents who are selected on the basis of enthusiasm and a strong desire to work for the community.
“I am like a daughter-in-law to hundreds of families. I work with sense of responsibility and enthusiasm,” says Nguyen Duc Mau, a 73 year-old group broadcaster and head of a neighbourhood in Duc Giang district.
Mau earns VND110,000 per month for both jobs, just enough to pay for cigarettes and gasoline. But announcing makes him feel special. His voice is heard by everyone in the neighborhood and sometimes, the appropriate actions are undertaken.
“By reminding people to hang flags on the occasion of the liberation celebrations, between 80 and 90 percent of households do so,” Mau says happily.
One important factor in the effectiveness of Mau’s messages is his manner of selecting information. “I broadcast only when there is something new to say.”
Mau is a graduate from the Institute of Transport & Communications and hasn’t obtained any training on speaking skills, but he always starts the broadcast with warm greetings, and signs off with sincere thanks to the audience. “I try to please them and be polite,” he says.
Despite Mau’s efforts, broadcasters like him can never please foreigners as everything they read is in Vietnamese. Brett Kennedy, an Australian tourist was so curious about what was being broadcasted he hoped to procure a brief translation, though either with or without the translation, he admitted he would still find the loudspeaker system annoying.
“You do not have any choice but to listen,” says Brett.
But the words are loud and clear for some.
“I listen to it twice everyday,” says Nguyen Thi My, a 60 year-old Vinh Phuc.
“We need one more loudspeaker here, I can’t listen well when I am doing exercises. But the broadcast should include more up-to-date news covered by other media.”
Do Dang Khoa, a resident in Duc Giang district, disagrees.
“I obtain news from television everyday. Why do I need to listen to the ward loudspeaker? Luckily it is 200 metres from my house so it does not annoy me.”
Ownership of television sets nationwide was only 23.1 per cent per household in 1993, which nearly tripled in 2002 at 69.1 per cent.
People also enjoy more a larger free of charge selection of television channels with longer coverage hours per day.
So why is local broadcasting still considered necessary? Well televisions and other media cannot offer community news to a small group of residents.
“The system is crucial. How can I inform every single retiree to come to pick up their pension?” says Mau, adding that his principle task is to inform residents the Party, Government and local authority’s guidance and policy.

Posted: Sun - January 1, 2006 at 10:37 AM          

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