National Liberation Front, 5 Years National Liberation Front, December 20th, 1965, Michel Nr. NLF 11; A single stamp with a nominal of 40xu and in perforation 11.0 and 12.5 was issued. Ta Phi Long reports that the stamps with perforation 11.0 were produced in Vietnam, while stamps with perforation 12.5 were produced in the Soviet Union. The stamps produced in Vietnam had a confection of 100 stamps to a sheet while the stamps produced the Soviet Union were printed in mini sheets of 20 stamps each. From 1965 until the end of 1972 the NLF stamps were denominated in Xu of the NLF currency (not the Xu used in North Vietnam!) but since this currency was never issued that basically became meaningless. It is not clear why the NLF leadership had a change of heart and suddenly used the Xu of their currency as no such money was actually circulating.
Here is the mint stamp in 11.0 perforation.
Here is the cancelled to order stamp in perforation 11.0.
Hers is a mint block of four in perforation 12.5 which represents a later printing.
This a sample of the mini sheet with perforation 12.5 produced in the Soviet Union.
Since these stamps were never used there is no genuine postal history. Sometimes one can see letters that were favor cancelled after the end of the war or NLF stamps mixed in with North Vietnamese stamps also used after the war but they are basically philatelic documents that were simply made up to please collectors. NLF stamps were not permitted to be used in the North (mostly because the currency units were simply not compatible) so the mixed frankings one sees once in a while simply slipped through unrecognized or were obtained by bring the postal clerk.
Registration Nr. 200005
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