Rebuilding of the Ham Rong Bridge

North Vietnam, Rebuilding of the Ham Rong Bridge, May 17th, 1964, Michel Nr. 318; Ham Rong means “Dragon’s Jaw” and the bridge is located about 3 miles North-East of Than Hoa. The bridge had been destroyed during the war with the French by American bombing runs., A single samp was issued with a nominal of 12 xu. The stamp was only issued perforated (11.0).

Here is the mint stamp:

Mint block of four.

This is a very rare imperforate proof (ex Klewitz). Note the printer guide marks surrounding the stamp.

Here is a rare single franking of the stamp on a letter to Klewitz that was cancelled on May 13th, 1964. This s actually four days prior to the official issuance of the stamp. It also carries the special cachet that was designed for the occasion. 12 xu was actually too little for a standard letter to West Germany (Tariff of 50 xu) but the sender duped the postal clerk into thinking that the letter was actually directed to East Germany (=CHDC Duc). The required postage to a fellow socialist country was only 12 xu.

Rare single franking of the stamp on a letter to Budapest, Hungary. The 12 xu postage here was correct as the required tariff to fellow socialist countries amounted to 12xu (the same as the domestic letter rate).

Mixed franking of the orange 12xu stamp with other NVN stamps (including the 12xu Bridge stamp) for an overall postage of 30xu to Congo, Africa. Congo was an extremely rare destination at the time.

Mixed franking of the 12xu Bridge stamp with other NVN stamps for an overall postage of 75xu. The required postage to France was only 50xu for a standard letter so this one must have been heavier the 20g.