Defense of Country

On August 19th, 1958 three official stamps in the nominals of 50D, 150D and 200D were issued in perforation 12.5.

Here is the mint set. It appears to be printed on two different type of papers. One is white (first set) and the other looks slightly tanned (second set).

Mint blocks of four on tanned paper.

Since official stamps were mainly used within Government offices and institutions and it was illegal to take stamps or envelopes home, postally used specimens are very rare and mostly come from international mailings that could be collected. Below are very rare postally used specimens off and on paper.

First Day Cover of the entire set.

Mixed franking of the 50D Defense of Country value together with the 150D Engineering Exhibition stamp for an overall postage of 200D on a postcard to Czechoslovakia.The card was most likely sent by a member of the Czechoslovakian Embassy as members thereof had access to service stamps.

Rare multiple franking of the 150D value (2) paying an overall postage of 300D (or 30 xu in the new currency that was introduced on March 1st, 1959) on what looks like a newspaper wrapper (open on both sides) sent in July of 1959 by the Esperanto Association from Hanoi to Italy. Very little is known about postage rates for mail sent in the 1950’s from North Vietnam to Western countries.

Very rare single franking of the 200D stamp on an official letter sent to East Germany in December of 1959.

Another rare single franking of the 200D service stamp on an air mail letter sent by the National Import & Export Company to Czechoslovakia in December of 1959.

Very rare multiple franking of the 200D value on a stamp bulletin announcing the issuance of the Southern Resistance and Ran Hung Dao series in 1958. The bulletin was sent by the State owned media company to a stamp dealer in England. England was still a very rare destination in the late 1950’s. Very little official mail survived as it was mostly sent inside of Vietnam and hence often destroyed in the long-time wars, the tropical climate and recycling caused by raw material shortages.

Similar bulletin mailing announcing the issuance of the Bay of Halong and the Cam Phase Coal Mine stamps in 1959. The bulletin was sent by the State owned media company to the same stamp dealer in England. England was still a very rare destination in the late 1950’s. The bulletin is franked with the 150 and 200D Country Defense official stamps plus one of the 20D Hanoi Stadium official stamps for a total postage of 370D.

Another stamp bulletin from So Xuan Nhap Chau Sach Bac to well known philatelist Theo Klewitz in West Germany franked with two of the Defense if Country Service stamps along with the 5xu Sisters Tru’ng stamp. The bulletin announced the Sisters Tru’ng and the brown war invalid stamp of 1959. The Defense of Country stamp had been devalued by 1,000:1 on March 1st, 1959 so were only worth 35 new Xu upon mailing of the bulletin. The overall postage hence amounted to 40xu.

December 1958 mailing of the philatelic department of the State owned publication company that presents the official stamp bulletin for the Jade Tempel series. The printed matter is franked with the 20D official Cu Chin Lan stamp plus two official stamps from the Country Defense issue from 1958 for an overall postage of 370D.

Official Xunhasaba bulletin announcing the release of the Tem Minh Si Military stamp of 1959 and the Vietnam Day stamp from the same year (Michel Nr. 104). The bulletin was franked with a mixture of regular postage stamps (20D 2 Years Democratic Republic, 150D Agricultural Aid) and the 200D Defense of Country official stamp for a total postage of 370D. Red propaganda cachet on front.

Very rare letter from the Bank of Vietnam in Lang Son Province to the bank of the Peoples Republic of China in Nan Ninh City (Guanxi Province). Red Lang Son transit cancel and Nan Ninh arrival cancel on the reverse. Carrying the 80D and 10D value of the World Trade Union set along with a pair of the 150D official stamps of “Defense of the Country” from 1958 (Michel Nr. D27).

Very rare Official letter sent in December of 1958 to Paris, France. The letter features five of the 150D Defense of Country stamps plus the general-purpose 50D Unification of Country stamp for an overall postage of 800D.