No Passport Required for Trip to Vietnam

Families of Vietnam - Newest Title in the Award-Winning Families of the World Video Series - Available Nationwide September 7, 2004 from Master Communications

Cincinnati, OH September 1, 2004 - Explorers of all ages need travel no farther than their living rooms to learn about the lives and cultures of children around the world thanks to the multi-award-winning video series Families of the World.

The series 16 titles and growing offers a documentary-style day in the life glimpse into how people in different countries live from a childs point of view. The latest release, Families of Vietnam, will be available on home video September 7, 2004 for a suggested retail price of $19.95.

Families of Vietnam introduces two children from differing homes, one urban and one rural. The 30-minute video follows them in their daily activities from waking up to bedtime, showing young viewers the similarities between their own lives and those of children living thousands of miles away: similar chores, school and extra-curricular activities and family interactions.

Nine-year-old Le Thi Thanh Hong from Ho Chi Man city makes her bed in the morning and helps prepare breakfast. Its then off to school where she studies French, art and reading; plays games with friends; and enjoys a rest period. Her parents both work for the city: her father for the planning department, her mother for a land survey company. After school the family enjoys bowling, then Hong practices piano. Homework, with help from her brother, follows, and then its off to bed with the growing anticipation of tomorrows Vietnams New Year. The next day Hong enjoys swimming at the community pool and the New Year festivities, including the dragon dancing and fireworks.

Four-year-old Tran Ngoc Anh Thu (Bi) lives in the country out on the riverbank with her family. She, too, attends school and enjoys spending time with her friends and older brother. Her parents work their farm and banana and papaya plantation in the morning, then set off on their boat store, vending products like small livestock, fruits and vegetables and grains to customers out on the river where most business in that area of the country is conducted. Bi later enjoys dinner with her family, then is off to bed under the protection of much-needed mosquito netting.

School Library Journal applauds Families of the World as excellent, providing an intriguing taste of another culture. The series, which has garnered repeated acclaim and awards from Dr. Toy, Oppenheim Toy Portfolio, Parents Choice and NAPPA (National Parenting Publications of America), as well as endorsements from KIDS FIRST!, and is used in classrooms around the country as a valuable tool for social studies and foreign language classes.

Families of the World videos are distributed by Master Communications. The series also features families in Brazil, China, Ghana, India, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Sweden, Thailand, Russia, United Kingdom, France, Egypt and the United States. For more information or to order the videos, please call toll free 1-800-765-5885 or visit www.familiesoftheworld.com .

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