Playing with history is never boring

The small house located deep in the winding alleys, behind Cho Quan Church, is a 'document warehouse' containing more than 1,000 postcards, thousands of stamps, postal envelopes, and newspaper pages related to many aspects of life during the Indochina period and later.

Mr. Nguyen Dai Hung Loc and the first stamp set of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam - Photo: PT

The "souvenirs" stained with two centuries of time are cherished by the owner - Mr. Nguyen Dai Hung Loc, arranged in albums, bookshelves and a series of document boxes.

For decades, many Saigon residents have voluntarily "hunted" historical figures to preserve social and homeland memories.

Mr. Nguyen Dai Hung Loc is a typical person among them. This year, at the age of "sixty", he started his hobby of "playing with history" since he was a 12-year-old student entering Petrus Truong Vinh Ky High School, now Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted in Ho Chi Minh City.

Life is short, we have to eat, study but also have to play and know how to play to make life more interesting and meaningful...

Nguyen Dai Hung Loc

"This profession requires a lot of effort"

The ancient school of him and his classmates is about to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2027. For a long time, Mr. Loc (a former student of the 72-79 class) has collected quite a few pictures and documents related to the school's activities over many periods to prepare to donate the traditional room here.

He also collected documents about the life and works of the famous Petrus Ky, whose name the school was honored to bear from 1927 to 1975. Not only that, Mr. Loc also sent the school unexpected and very meaningful "gifts".

It was his interesting talk with students and teachers about the history of stamps and the benefits of the elegant hobby of stamp collecting.

It was a "reception" for teachers and students of the school with a vivid history lesson through 700 postcards of Vietnam and the world, recreating the journey and destinations on the journey to find a way to save the country and become a revolutionary activist of the young man Nguyen Tat Thanh - President Ho Chi Minh.

The postcards are displayed on 10 exhibition panels, transforming into a "magic carpet" that takes viewers across five continents "following Uncle Ho's footsteps". This massive exhibition was solemnly launched in Hanoi and has been introduced in many other places.

Mr. Loc also has very unique collections about the country's historical events such as more than 1,000 stamps and envelopes about the working class and trade unions that are being prepared for release. Recently, he "unveiled" a rich stamp collection in a stamp exhibition about temples and Buddhist culture in Vietnam.

For experienced stamp and postcard collectors, the collecting skill does not stop at gathering and selecting items with the same theme. The most laborious work of the collector is to find out the origin, research the accuracy, write notes and explanations when exhibiting.

When starting a stamp and postcard collection on a certain theme, Mr. Loc not only studies books and newspapers, visits museums, but also meets directly and contacts many experts to exchange ideas.

Mr. Loc used to be in the army, then worked as a company employee, then became a business owner. In addition to taking care of himself and his family, he saved some of the profits he earned to "feed" his hobby of playing with soulmates.

Every day and every night, he spends a lot of time surfing the internet domestically and internationally to keep an eye out for items for sale related to the subject he pursues. It turns out that the work revolving around a tiny stamp or a cute postcard still requires the same knowledge and patience as the work of historians.

Once, to verify the Vietnamese characters in two stamps commemorating the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Saigon City Council (1867 - 1927), he met Mr. Nguyen Dinh Dau - the leading historian of the South. Mr. Dau was over 100 years old that year, but he still listened to him kindly and gave him many valuable instructions.

Mr. Dau himself was also a famous collector of antiques, not unlike Mr. Vuong Hong Sen. Both of them "passed away" to leave behind a huge fortune for posterity - not only reference books but also a treasure trove of maps, books, newspapers, documents, images and rare fine art objects!

For experts like the two elders, antiques are both a source of material for research and writing, and an elegant and poetic hobby that not everyone has the passion and energy to pursue.

Mr. Nguyen Dai Hung Loc talks about stamps

Inspiring collections

According to Mr. Loc, the greatest thing for those who have a predestined relationship with past relics is not to stop at just displaying them in their homes. Genuine collectors often like to exchange their collected items, spreading their love for the country and humanity.

He said the more he plays, the more he appreciates the history of his country and the culture of his people. Collecting stamps and postcards is an elegant hobby that allows players to explore their country and the diverse and strange world through the images and stories behind the items.

For many years, as vice president of the Ho Chi Minh City Stamp Association, Mr. Loc has contributed to creating exciting weekly "playgrounds" at museums or coffee shops. At these places, on weekends, "players" of all ages often gather to "show off their wares" and learn from each other.

In the association, there are many "geniuses", authors of very elaborate collections. For example, Mr. Ngo Viet Vinh stands out with his collection of postcards about the history of trams and trains in Vietnam.

This collection has won high prizes at international postal exhibitions in Bangkok and Hanoi, and will soon be exhibited in Korea. Playing on the theme of specific areas in Vietnamese history, Mr. Ta Phi Long has a full range of stamps and postal envelopes issued from the late 19th century to the early 1950s.

And Dr. Phung Dai Hung, at the age of 80, after many years of searching, owns a very interesting collection of stamps specializing in the military. Another powerful collector is Mr. Huynh Tan Thanh, who not only collects stamps but also collects old paper money.

He has a complete set of Vietnamese paper money produced in the jungle during the resistance war. Mr. La Hung, a Chinese silversmith, brought to show off to the group his "huge collection" of Vietnamese gold leaf samples from ancient times to the present. He also has an interesting collection of gold shop receipts from many markets in Saigon and old Cho Lon.

Recently, he and an English school experimented with organizing an exchange and training session on how to play stamps as an extracurricular activity.

In addition to entertainment, you can participate in writing, drawing or posting stamps and postcards on the Internet, including using artificial intelligence and digital technology, to promote beautiful images and stories of Vietnam and "historical hobbies" to domestic and international friends.

Just collecting stamps and postcards, Mr. Loc and his friends have pursued their whole lives and all agree that this is one of the gentle hobbies, creating excitement to acquire extensive knowledge, fostering feelings for the country - people - history - culture and very easy to make friends with many people.

Back to topic

PHUC TIEN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/choi-voi-lich-su-khong-bao-gio-chan-20250827141439048.htm