40 Years Vietnamese Workers Party

North Vietnam, 40 Years Vietnamese Workers Party, February 3rd. 1979, Michel Nr. 595-599; Five stamps all in 12 xu nominals were issued perforated 11.0. The stamps were produced together either vertically or horizontally attached to each other.

Here is the mint set:

The smaller 12 xu stamps were printed in the same sheet in alternative rows. The larger 12 xu stamps were printed in the same sheet in alternative columns as can be seen in the blocks of four below:

These stamps were not officially released im-perforated but a handful of imperforate trial proofs have come to market. Here is one of them:

Very rare local letter featuring one of the 12xu values sent from Ha Dong to member of the North Vietnamese Military sent in May of 1970. Dao Tu arrival cancel on the reverse. Most local letters were destroyed in the multi-decadal war, the tropical climate or by recycling due to raw material shortages.

Very rare registered express mail letter featuring the entire set sent to Klewitz in October of 1970. It also features im-perforated pairs of the 20 xu and 30 xu flower series from 1962. Im-perforated stamps on postally used cover are very rare. The overall postage amounted to 1.68 Dong which was just a tad above the required tariff of 1.60 Dong for a 20 gram registered express mail letter to West Germany.

Very rare registered express mail letter sent to Klewitz in May of 1975. The letter features three of the 12 xu value of the set plus a number of the im-perforated chicken set from 1968. Im-perforated stamps on postally used cover are very rare. The overall postage amounted to 2.60 Dong which was higher than the standard 20 gram registered express mail letter to West Germany (Tariff of 2.10) but the letter may have been heavier than the standard.

Very rare express mail letter sent to Klewitz in January of 1976. The letter carries two of the 12 xu values of the set plus some im-perforated stamps from the working elephants and traditional sports sets. Im-perforated stamps on postally used cover are very rare. The overall postage of the letter amounted to 3.48 Dong which appears to be in excess of the required tariff of 1.50 Dong. Fulda arrival cancel on the reverse.

Rare express mail letter sent to Klewitz in March of 1977. It features the set plus some im-perforated reptile series stamps. Im-perforated stamps on postally used cover are very rare. The overall postage of the letter amounted to 1.66 Dong which appears to be below the prevailing tariff at the time (1.00 Dong base rate, 60 xu international registration charge, 50 xu express mail charge and 40 xu air mail fee for 5 grams), however it was transported without charging any postage due. Fulda arrival cancel on the reverse.

Rare registered express mail letter set to Klewitz in December of 1970. It carries two of the stamps plus other NVN stamps from the period for an overall postage of 5.77 Dong. Fulda arrival cancel on the reverse. Fulda green custom cachet on front.