The Imperforated Stamps of North and Unified Vietnam 1945-2005

Most collectors of Vietnam stamps are familiar with the idea that many of the stamps issued by North Vietnam and Unified Vietnam (1975) are available perforated and imperforated. However, very little is known about the imperforated stamps. Michel lists and prices most of the older imperforated stamps up to about 1981 for mint and used, but relies on a standard pricing formula[1] thereafter, and simply puts this symbol “ ” next to the stamp description. Scott only lists mint prices but has a more comprehensive listing until about 1991. However, both catalogues are incomplete. The Vietnam Postage Stamp Catalogue 1945-2005 provides a table in the back of the book (Page 512) that shows which stamp or stamp sets were issued imperforated on purpose, but does not provide any pricing for them. Given that the Vietnamese catalogue was published by a Government monopoly (Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group), one would assume that it has access to the best information about these stamps. The other catalogue makers rely on stamp dealers or individual collectors for a lot of their information and, hence, do not often have firsthand information. Author and SICP member Ta Phi Long has raised the possibility that the Vietnamese catalogue may also contain a few errors. Nevertheless, it is the best information that is available at this time. For the membership’s convenience the author has produced a table that shows all intentionally produced imperforated stamps as per the Vietnam Postage Stamp Catalogue with cross-references of the Michel and Scott number (Exhibit 1 at the end of the article). This way, collectors can easily determine if a stamp was issued imperforated or if it is an actual error. The sequence of listing is determined by the Vietnamese catalogue and therefore does not quite line up with the listing sequence of Michel and Scott.

Initially, imperforated stamps were mostly born out of necessity. In the first few months after World War II the Viet Minh and other Nationalist Groups assumed a number of important administrative positions in the country after the Japanese had surrendered. This enabled the National Groups to control a good deal of the country’s remaining infrastructure, including printing. The first Viet Minh designed stamps were Michel Viet Minh Nr. 56-60 which featured a portrait of Ho Chi Minh. These stamps were produced  at the Vietnam Printing Works in Hanoi. These stamps were fairly sophisticated in graphics and perforation. However, with the return of the French in late 1945 and early 1946, that situation slowly changed. Month by month the French reoccupied more of the country and took over the administration of it once again. This build-up ultimately provoked the “Clash of Hanoi” In December of 1949 when Viet Minh forces initiated open hostilities against the French. The resulting military operations put an end to the side by side arrangement that persisted since the end of the war between the two parties and drove the Viet Minh out of all the main cities and key infrastructure points, forcing them to set up shop mostly in the countryside where access to materials and machines was much more difficult. This had a direct impact on stamp production. The first stamps produced after the Viet Minh retreat (NVN Michel Nr. 2 and 3) were very simple productions that were made in the Viet Bac Printing Works in Phu Tho Province.[2] They also produced primitive bank notes there. These stamps were made with handmade plates on fibrous waste paper printed in the letterpress method. One high ranking official in the Viet Minh postal administration, Mr. Le Quang Huy, personally told Ta Phi Long how the stamps were perforated. A number of small rusty nails was inserted close to each other into bamboo slats to keep them in place. This “stick” was then applied manually, by pressing down, by two people on about 10 sheets of stamps at a time.[3] Take a look at the perforation of NVN Michel Nr. 2 and 3 and you will see how irregular the distance between one nail and the other was. This also explains the large number of perforation errors on this issue. The same is true for the other stamps that were produced by Viet Bac; such as the Ho Chi Minh and country map of 1951, the Production and Thrift Issue of 1953 and the Month of Friendship issue of 1954. So, selling stamps imperforated, was probably not so much choice but was dictated by changing local circumstances.

Apart from the early years until the middle of 1954, there appears to be agreement in the collector community that the imperforated stamps that were issued later on served little official purpose other than being a foreign revenue-raising tool for the Government. Of course, the Vietnamese postal authority is not the only country in the world that employs this policy. Imperforated varieties were and are not sold at all post offices in Vietnam but are only available at special booths for collectors or the two Cotevina stores in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Prior to 1975, one could also buy the stamps at some Xunhasaba book stores[4].  In the past, the stamp issuing bulletin provided by the Vietnamese import/export monopoly Xunhasaba only sometimes made mention of the imperforated variety. The editor has seen two Xunhasaba bulletins (Folk Dances March, 1962, Flowers, April, 1962) that indicate production numbers for perforated and imperforated stamps. In the two bulletins mentioned, it is indicated that 300,000 perforated sets and 30,000 imperforated sets were produced.  So clearly, these imperforated stamps are at least ten times scarcer than perforated stamps. Of course, the ratio of 10:1 may differ on other issues but it provides with an important clue. Availability of imperforated stamps is also not necessarily homogenous within a given set. Take NVN Michel Nr. 4-6 (Scott Nr. 1-3) as an example. While imperforated stamps of the 100 Dong values in green and brown are easily available on all commercial stamp websites, the 200 Dong value is much harder to find. Michel lists the 100 Dong values at €30 each for both perforated and imperforated while the 200 Dong value garners €30 for perforated and €70 for the imperforated version.

Until 1960, the production of imperforated stamps was rather erratic. Only two sets (President Ho Chi Minh 1954 and Victory at Dien Bien Phu 1954) were intentionally released imperforated. Thereafter, many more but not all issues were produced imperforated. The general rule for which stamps or stamps sets were produced imperforated appears to be that definitive stamps or stamps with “political” motives were only produced perforated while commemorative sets were also produced imperforated. However, there are some exceptions.

Also, sometimes one may find imperforated stamps of North Vietnam/Unified Vietnam that, according to postal authorities, were not released imperforated at all. These stamps were probably accidentally delivered unfinished to post offices, represent essays or trial prints owned by the stamp designer, were smuggled out by staff from the printing operations or taken from the National Postal Archives and then sold to the philatelic market. Needless to say, these unofficially imperforated stamps are much rarer and hence tend to be very expensive. Exhibit 2 shows Michel Nr. 399/400 which were not officially issued imperforated.

Klewitz annotated his NVN collection with the information that “Imperforated stamps were/are fully valid as postage and could/can be used on all domestic or international mail”. However,  Ta Phi Long pointed out that this was not the official position of the Vietnamese postal authorities. According to him, one could only use an imperforated stamp if one bribed a postal clerk to do so. However, the author has yet to see a NVN letter bearing imperforated stamps that were in any way objected to by marking up such stamps or crossing them out as they passed through postal traffic. Also, the postal authorities sold imperforated stamps mint and used which would then contravene their own position that such stamps should not be cancelled.

What is clear in the end is, that most imperforated stamps simply vanished in mint condition into albums of collectors. Some imperforated stamps were cancelled to order by postal authorities for delivery to collectors; and until about 1975 these cancelled versions are almost always rarer than the mint version. After that, mint and used stamps are available about equally. Michel does not appear to understand this, as it generally prices both mint and used stamps the same throughout all the years. They would be better off using a -.- sign (cannot be priced due to lack of market activity) for the cancelled versions.

Very few imperforated stamps were postally used on commercial mail and covers bearing them come rarely to market. When they do, they always garner a significant surcharge to stamps off cover. Exhibit 3 shows a commercial cover bearing a pair of Michel Nr. 210 imperforated along with regular perforated stamps. Such covers will easily sell for twenty times or more than what a CTOed loose imperforated stamp/set would cost. Many of them will come from the Klewitz collection. The late Klewitz, a former SICP member, had a very good sense for rarities and ensured that his Vietnamese counterparts would occasionally use imperforated stamps on correspondence mailed to him.

The same is still true today. While new issues of imperforated Vietnamese stamps are readily available, hardly anyone ever uses them postally. If you want to leave a lasting legacy to Vietnamese philately, tell your Vietnamese correspondent to use them on mail to you. You just might create a modern rarity in doing so for future generations.

[1] Michel Suedostasien 2015: Starting with Michel Nr. 1179 all regularily issued imperforated stamps will be indicated with also „ ” in the headline. They are valued the same for mint and used- double of the mint prices for mint never hinged prices.

[2]  Vietnamese Postage Stamp Catalogue 1945-2005; information provided by the philatelic author Ta Pi Long

[3] Information provided by the philatelic author Ta Phi Long

[4] Information provided by the philatelic author Ta Phi Long

Official Listing of Imperforated Stamps according to the Vietnamese Postage Stamp Catalogue (1945-2005) by Michel and Scott Numbers:

All souvenir sheets 1988 and thereafter were issued imperforated. So, they are not listed expressively above.

Registration No. 100101

Registration No. 100100