Programs Only in Russian : Hanoi Says ‘Da’ to TV Channel From Moscow

A new color television channel carrying only Russian-language programs beamed via satellite from Moscow is proving a big hit with Vietnamese viewers hungry for sports and foreign films.

The channel, which for the moment can reach only viewers in the capital, was created “in response to the demand expressed by the Soviet community in Vietnam and at the wish of the youth and the people,” a Vietnamese official said.

Channel 9 carries news, variety shows, Soviet films or foreign movies dubbed in Russian, and a lot of sports.

Indeed, sports is the new channel’s main drawing card. Hanoi soccer fans can tune in to most major European matches, including the European Cup, and sighs of relief were heard when the Soviet Union qualified for the World Cup finals, assuring broadcast of the matches here.

Foreign, and particularly French films, even dubbed in Russian, are a favorite here, with works ranging from “The Lady of the Camelias” to the “Three Musketeers” or a biography of Mozart.

Viewers here are virtually unanimous in judging Channel 9’s programs more interesting and more varied than their Vietnamese counterparts. The Russian fare also lasts a lot longer: seven hours, from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m., and all day on weekends, contrasted with a maximum of three hours on the Vietnamese channel--from 7 p.m. to 9:30 or 10 p.m.

The black-and-white programs on the Vietnamese side also are no match for Channel 9’s color. The number of color sets is still somewhat low, but appears to have increased rapidly in recent months.

The language is no barrier to viewing enjoyment, Hanoi residents say. “There are no problems for the sports, and for the rest we can always understand the basics,” said one fan.

“Above all, we rarely have trouble finding someone who understands Russian and can describe what’s going on to the others,” he said.

The small number of sets and crowded housing conditions mean that viewing is usually a family affair, with a couple of neighbors also hanging around.