Voice of Vietnam (VOV) has been awarded a consolation prize in the Radio ABU Perspective Award category for its programme titled “Happiness of a great tiny man” during the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Prize Award Presentation 2020.

ABU Prize Award Presentation Ceremony is held in an online format

The ABU Perspective Award aims to honour high-quality shows that best deliver the message of a subject put forward by the ABU on the theme of global issues, as chosen by ABU members and illustrated through the perspective of a local issue.

The awards ceremony was held virtually on December 10 as part of a gala event of the ABU General Assembly.

The programme created by VOV tells the story of 33-year-old Nguyen Van Hung from Nam Dan in Nghe An province. Hung was born with hypopituitarism, a rare disorder which causes a deficient production of growth hormones, therefore leading to him only growing to 120cm in height whilst weighing a mere 20kg. Despite these challenges and displaying an extraordinary amount of vibrant energy, Hung successfully completed vocational and college courses in computing before being hired by a Danish graphic design company.

Overcoming an array of obstacles and prejudices in his daily life, Hung now enjoys a happy and beautiful love story that could be straight from the pages of a fairytale with “mini girl” Le Thi Diem My, a pretty girl who is also suffering from hypopituitarism. Currently, Hung works as a computing teacher at Dream Seed Center, an organisation which provides support to people with disabilities to allow them to study and work, whilst also aiming to inspire other people facing similar issues.

Tran Ba Duy from VOV Culture and Social Affairs Channel (VOV2), is the author
of "Happiness of a great tiny man" programme 

The story of teacher Nguyen Van Hung serves to affirm the message that differences in appearance cannot be viewed as obstacles that stop us from enjoying success and happiness in life.

The ABU Prizes, which this year ran with the theme of “Respect”, aim to promote excellence in radio, TV, and new media productions in order to raise educational and cultural standards. Indeed, they strive to strengthen international understanding among people the ABU member countries and regions.

Most notably, the event attracted the participation of 330 entries, including 127 radio shows, 174 TV programmes, and 29 new media outlets.

This year, five out of a total of seven of VOV’s entries were shortlisted in the finals.