North Vietnam, 50. Dear Anniversary of Hoang Hoa Tham, February 10th, 1963, Michel Nr. 247-248; Hong Hoa Tham was a national resistance fighter fighting agains the French in Tonkin (North Vietnam). Ironically he was killed by his own men (Wikipedia). Two stamps in the nominals of 6xu and 12 xu were issued. Here is the official Xunhasaba stamp bulletin that announces the issuance of the set.
Here is the mint set.
Very rare local letter using one of the 12xu stamps in April of 1963. Sent from Cam-Duong to Trung Hoa. Most local letters were destroyed during the long-time war, due to the hostile climate or recycled due to raw material shortages so very few of them survive.
Another very rare local letter featuring the 12xu Hoang Hoa Tham stamp.
Much less scarce, but still rare is a single franking of the 12xu value on a letter from February of 1963 to East Germany. Letters sent abroad were much more likely to be collected and hence preserved.
Here is a letter with the complete set sent to Klewitz in West Germany. The 18 xu postage was actually insufficient for an air mail letter to West Germany (50 xu tariff) but the sender duped the postal clerk into thinking the letter was addresses to East Germany (= CHDC Duc). The official rate to East Germany, a fellow socialist country, amounted to only 12 xu so in the eyes of the clerk the letter was more than adequately franked.
Mixed franking of the 6xu stamps of the Hoang Hoa and New Year stamps for an overall postage of 12xu on a letter to East Germany.
Mixed franking using two of the 12xu Flower values together with other NVN stamps (including the 6xu Hoang Hoa stamp) for an overall franking of 92xu to a newspaper editor in East Germany. Sent in April of 1964. The letter carried the remark “Einschreiben” (=Registered Mail) and was franked to cover the 60xu surcharge but in the end the letter was sent by standard mail.
Mixed franking of the 6xu Hong Hoa stamp together with stamps from the agricultural products, Karl Marx and useful plants sets paying an overall postage of 12xu on an international letter sent from Hanoi to Klewitz in Fulda, West Germany. 12 xu would have been sufficient for an air mail letter sent to East Germany as that was deemed to be socialist brother state. The correct tariff to West Germany was 50xu at the time but this was not recognized by the postal clerk as the addition of “RDA” (= Democratic Republic)/ East Germany). This was an often ruse used my people sending letters to Klewitz.
Registration Nr. 100720
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