20 Years National Peoples Army

North Vietnam, 20 Years National Peoples Army, December 22nd, 1964, Michel Nr. 342-344; Three stamps all in the nominals of 12 xu were issued perforated 11.0. Michel Nr. 342 was printed by itself in sheets, while Michel Nr. 343 and 344 were printed in the same sheet but in alternative rows as can be seen in the mint blocks of four below:

Here is the mint set.

Mint blocks of four.

Postally used pair. Postally used stamps are at least ten times rarer than cancelled to order stamps.

First Day Cover mailed to Klewitz featuring the special cachet produced for the occasion. The letter is franked with only 36 xu which would have been too little for a standard letter to West Germany. However, the sender duped the postal clerk into thinking the letter was routed to East Germany (CHDC Duc = Was Germany) where the required rate was only 12 xu. So, the letter got transported without any postage due markings.

Another letter mailed to Klewitz in March of 1965. Curiously enough it also carries the special cachet that was produced for the firs day of use of these stamps which was month earlier. The letter is franked at 4.48 Dong which is well above the required rate of 1.10 Dong for a standard registered letter to West Germany.

Very rare local letter from Quan-Trieu to Hanoi bearing the correct postage of 12 xu using one of the National Army stamps. Not many local letters survived the multi-decadal war, the humid climate that destroyed paper in a matter of years and the constant recycling of paper to save on raw materials.

Another, very rare, local letter (full contents preserved) set from Luong-Son to Yen Hung using one of the 12xu stamps in a single franking in 1964.

Identical franking of the 12xu stamp but this time used on an international letter to East Germany in January of 1969. This documents nicely that the domestic letter rate and the international letter rate to fellow socialist countries was the same.

Rare single franking of another 12xu stamp from the same correspondence to Leipzig, East Germany.

Mixed franking of the 12xu Animal stamp plus a 12xu Peoples Army stamp for an overall postage of 32xu. The letter was mailed in 1965 which meant that the standard letter rate to East Germany was only 12xu. So this letter was likely heavier than the standard 20g.