Glorious Victory over the U.S. Air Force

North Vietnam, Glorious Victory over the U.S. Air Force, October 10th,1973, Michel Nr. 747-750; North Vietnam, with the aid of Chinese anti-aircraft guns and missiles were able to shoot down thousands of U.S. Air Force airplanes and helicopters. This was significant for North Vietnam as they did not have an air force themselves that could defend the country from attacks in the air. Four stamps with the nominals of 12 xu (three stamps) and 1 Dong were issued in perforation 11.0.

Mint blocks of four of the set:

Single franking of the grey 12 xu value on a domestic letter sent in January of 1976 from Hanoi to HCM City. HCM City machine arrival cancel on the reverse.

Mixed franking of the grey 12 xu Air Defense value (2) together with the 50 xu Satellite Start stamps paying an overall potage of 74 xu on an international air mail letter sent from Hanoi to Switzerland.

Rare express mail letter sent to Klewitz in August of 1974. The letter features the entire set. The overall postage amounted to 1.72 Dong which appears to be in excess of the required tariff of 1.00 Dong. Fulda arrival cancel on the reverse.

Mixed franking of the 12 xu value featuring a helicopter (2) together with the 12 xu stamp Peoples Republic of Korea (2) and the 3 xu HCM 81st Birthday (2) paying an overall postage of 54xu on an international air mail letter sent from Hanoi to East Germany in October of 1974.

Rare single franking of the brown 12xu stamp used on a letter sent by a member of the North Vietnamese Military to Jena, East Germany.

Mixed franking of the 12 xu air defense stamp (2), the Liberation of Hanoi set and the 3xu HCM 81st Birthday (2) paying an overall postage of 54xu on an international air mail letter sent from Hanoi to East Germany in October of 1974.

Single franking of the 1 Dong value on a letter sent to East Germany in 1981.

Another single franking of the 1D stamp but this time on a letter sent from Thanh Luong (small post office) to Prague, Czechoslovakia in February of 1976.

Registered letter sent in December of 1972 from Ninh Song Be’ to France using the 60 xu HCM Birthday stamp plus two of the 1D Victory over U.S. Air Force paying an overall tariff of 2.60D.

Mixed franking of the 12 xu brown Air Defense stamps (2) plus the 50 xu Satellite Start paying an overall postage of 74 xu on an international letter sent to Switzerland in March of 1975.

This letter documents the marine transfer of the ship “Prins Harald” from Kiel, Germany to Hai Phong. The ship had been sold to the Vietnam Ocean Shipping Company an then renamed Ha Long. Interestingly the 1D Air Defense stamp was cancelled by a Kiel cancel upon arrival in Germany. Signed by the captain that made the deliver.

Mixed franking featuring a nice block of four of the black 12xu value of the Aircraft Shot Down series plus two 1D stamps of the Air Defense series and one 12xu National Assembly stamp for an overall postage of 2.60D. The letter was sent by air mail in May of 1977 to Paris, France.

Mixed franking of the 12xu, 20xu and 30xu Fruits stamps together with the 1D Dragon Fly and Air Defense stamps for an overall postage of 2.62D on an air mail letter from Ho Chi Minh City to Paris, France in September of 1977.

Mixed franking of the 20xu Birds stamp together with the 1D Air Defense stamp for an overall postage of 1.20D on a letter sent to Set Germany in April of 1976.

Mixed franking of one of the black 12xu Aircraft Shot Down stamps together with a number of other NVN stamps (including two of the 1D Air Defense stamps) for an overall postage of 2.60 on an air-mail letter sent to Paris, France in August of 1977.

Mixed franking including the 1 Dong value of the set on a registered air mail letter to Klewitz in West Germany. The overall postage amounted to 2.60 Dong. The base letter tariff to the West had increased to 1 Dong as of January 1st, 1975. The international registration fee still stayed at 60 xu. However, an air-mail surcharge was introduced on December 1st, 1976 that amounted to 40 xu for every 5 grams of weight. One can therefore assume that the letter must have weighed around 10 grams. Note the green Fulda customs hand stamp indicating that the letter contained some merchandise (most likely stamps).

Mixed franking of two of the 40xu Medical Plant stamps together with 2xu Poland and 1D Aircraft Defense stamp for an overall postage of 1.82D on an air-mail letter to Switzerland in January of 1976.

Air Mail letter from December 1976 sent to Paris France carrying two of the 1 Dong air defense stamps. Total postage of 2.60 Dong.

Letter sent by Xunhasaba, the official philatelic distribution agency of the Vietnam Government set to Klewitz in May of 1976. The overall postage amounted to 1.40 Dong and it includes the 1 Dong stamp.

Letter sent by Xuhasaba, the official philatelic marketing agency, to Klewitz in March of 1978. It carries the 1 Dong value of the glorious air defense set. Overall postage amounted to 1.40 Dong.

Letter sent from Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong in April of 1979. It carries two pairs of the 10 xu stamp of which the top pair is im-perforated in-between the stamps and the bottom pair shows color variations. Error stamps on postally used cover are very rare. The overall postage amounted to 1.40 Dong.

Rare registered letter sent from Quan 5 (Cholon) to Klewitz in October of 1981. It carries a number of the flower stamps including two fo the 10 xu stamps that show an up-side down double print of the yellow color. Errors stamps on postally used cover are very rare. There are also two of the black inscription variety of the 12 xu stamp and then1 Dong Air Defense stamp.. The overall postage amounted to 7.90 Dong. Fulda green custom cachet on front.

Another very rare air mail letter mailed from Ho Chi Minh City to Hong Kong in July of 1978. The letter carries the Children error stamp without the yellow/mustard printing run. Errors stamps on postally used cover are very rare. There is also the 1 Dong Air Defense stamps.The overall postage amounted to 1.60 Dong.

Registered air mail letter sent to Klewitz in April of 1983. It features a number of the color variations and passer-shifts of the HCM Museum set. There are also a two fo the 1 Dong Air Defense stamps. The overall postage amounted to 2.68 Dong (including the 1.38 Dong free frank). Note that the two 10 xu flower stamps also show a printing flaw that looks like diagonal lines across the stamp image and pale inscriptions. Fulda arrival cancel and green Fulda custom cachet on the reverse.

Rare registered express mail letter sent to Klewitz in October of 1978.It carries the set plus the 1 Dong Air Defense stamp for an overall postage of 4.82 Dong. The zero money free-frank was required to produce the R-label as it was produced by the same franking machine. Green Fulda custom cachet on front.

Registered letter sent to Klewitz in September of 1981. It carries a large number of the Five Year Plan stamps (the green/yellow 12 xu stamp is all from the 1st printing) plus the 1 Dong Glorious Liberation stamp for an overall postage of 8.40 Dong. Red Ho Chi Minh cancel. Green Fulda custom cachet on front.