VietNamNet Bridge – Two new television programmes designed to expand children's knowledge of the world have become popular among their target audience.

Produced by HCM Television (HTV), The Gioi Tuoi Tho (The World of Childhood) and Ban Chon Nghe Nao (Which Job You Choose in the Future?) are broadcast once a week on the HTV7 channel.

The shows include games, music and song programmes which help young viewers improve their basic knowledge and hone their singing and dancing talents. It also makes the children more self-confident in speaking and sharing their ideas with others.

HTV staff said they have worked hard to design the shows focusing particularly on making it fun and suitable for the young target audience.

Other entertainment progr-ammes for children broadcast by Viet Nam Television (VTV) and other provincial TV stations this summer, such as Vui Cung Hugo (Joy with Hugo) and Do Re Mi (Ut, Re, Mi), have also become very popular in the country.

HTV7's Em Yeu Lan Dieu Dan Ca (I Love Traditional Tunes), broadcast every Tuesday and Saturday, encourages the young to learn about Vietnamesese traditional music heritage.

The show has attracted dozens of young performers, including famous singers Ho Bich Ngoc and Nguyen Phi Hung, as well as comedian Bao Tri.

The Long An Television's new programme Vui Cung Tieng Anh (Enjoy Learning English), broadcast every Thursday night, seeks to entertain and educate at the same time.

Le Minh Nga of the HCM City Psychological Education Association stressed the need for more airtime and better scheduling of children's programmes.

"Many children's pro-grammes are broadcast at 2.30pm or 7.30pm every day, failing to attract young viewers, who are either at school or are beginning to do their homework at home," she said.

A recent survey by psychologist Dr Huynh Van Son and his team in HCM City showed cartoon time was the highlight of the afternoon for children, but over 90 per cent of the animation films shown on TV are imported productions.

Viewers in the city and neighboured provinces prefer watching foreign productions on cable channels like Disney and Cartoon Network, because domestic works are poorly made and not as interesting.

To produce a programme for children, VTV spends around VND3.7 million (US$ 160) – including the meagre royalty of VND500,000 ($25) for the show's director, he said.

Therefore, many producers and directors with the ability to make good films do not opt to make children's programmes because they see it as a poor business opportunity.

To improve the quality of children programmes, TV stations should work more closely with private entertainment companies and encourage them to invest, said producer Dang Khoa of the HCM City Radio.

They also need to spend a lot of time and money on improving their professionalism and applying modern technology, he added.

VietNamNet/Viet Nam News