Saigon of Yesteryear: A Travelogue: Saigon Postage Stamps

Postage stamps are an essential product of the postal system. However, the creation of the first postage stamps in the world and their presence in the lives of the colonial inhabitants of Southern Vietnam has gone through many interesting stages.

In 1838, Rowland Hill, a rather famous Englishman in London, witnessed a peculiar incident in the field of postal services. One day, he was sitting in a café when a postman delivered a letter to a maid. After carefully examining the envelope, the girl returned it to the postman and refused to pay the postage. R. Hill offered to pay, but the girl resolutely refused. This aroused his suspicion, and he tried to understand the mystery behind her behavior. Finally, he discovered that she and her lover had communicated through a private sign on the envelope; after understanding the contents, the girl returned the letter to avoid paying the postage.

The world 's first postage stamp was issued in England in 1840.

Photo: www.ebay.co.uk

This serendipitous discovery prompted R. Hill to write a pamphlet entitled "Post-office Reform ," recommending that postage fees be collected in advance via a stamped confirmation slip on the envelope. The initiative was supported by the British business community and Parliament. A nationwide competition was held to finalize the fundamental reforms in the postal service: standardized pricing and pre-collection of postage. A drawing by a medal engraver, W. Wyon, based on the "adhesive label" method, reached the finals along with several other initiatives, including Mulready's proposal for a pre-printed, stamped envelope.

On May 6, 1840, the whole of England truly embarked on a postal reform. The public was invited to affix a black label to their envelopes bearing an image of Queen Victoria along with the words "postage" and "one penny." What surprised them most was the one-penny postage rate applied throughout England, a remarkably modest price compared to previous payment methods.

Some of the earliest postage stamps in Vietnam (second half of the 19th century)

PHOTO: LE NGUYEN ARCHIVES

That day, the postal workers were in a state of frantic activity. The stamps were printed on large sheets of paper, without the perforations used today, so the task of cutting them apart individually was extremely confusing for them. Furthermore, the public's response exceeded the postal service's expectations; supply couldn't keep up with demand.

Indochina postage stamps from the first half of the 20th century.

PHOTO: LE NGUYEN ARCHIVES

In a short time, the "one-penny stamp" initiative from the UK was boldly adopted by many other governments: Brazil and some Swiss cantons in 1843, the United States in 1847, Belgium and France in 1849. In France, the initiative had been submitted long ago but was rejected by Parliament in 1845. It wasn't until after the 1848 revolution that the new Director of the Post Office, Etienne Arago, boldly introduced postage stamps into the daily lives of French citizens.

The stamps feature eagles.

In Vietnam, on May 30, 1863, the public was officially informed of the introduction of the first postage stamps in Vietnam. The announcement from the Saigon Post Office stated the following:

"1/ From June 1st onwards, all letters, newspapers, and publications of all kinds sent to or from within and outside the colony will be affixed with colonial postage stamps."

2/ Colonial postage stamps came in four types and four price lists as follows:

1- Orange stamp 0.04 (quan)

2. Grayish-brown stamp 0.10

3 - Green stamp 0.05

4. Gray stamp 0.01

3. Stamp sales take place every day except Sundays and public holidays at the facility in Saigon and other postal facilities established by the current decision of May 30th…”.

( Official Gazette of French Indochina {BOCF}1863, p. 352).

The first square stamps featured an eagle. The colonial government standardized the postage rates for letters sent within the city, letters from Saigon to the provinces and vice versa, or letters from one province to another, differing only by weight. For example: Letters weighing up to 10 grams were stamped with 0.10 French francs; from 10 to 20 grams with 0.20 francs; from 20 to 100 grams with 0.40 francs; from 100 to 200 grams with 0.80 francs; and from 200 to 300 grams with 1.20 French francs.

By 1864, the public widely used postage stamps issued by the colonial government within the areas that had fallen into French hands: Saigon, Bien Hoa, Can Giuoc, My Tho, Cho Lon, Tan An, Tay Ninh, Go Cong… A letter from Saigon to My Tho took 21 hours, while from Saigon to Go Cong took 16 hours.

During this period, the Nguyen Dynasty's station system in Southern Vietnam had not yet been abolished by the French colonialists. (to be continued)

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sai-gon-xua-du-ky-tem-thu-sai-gon-185251112225020581.htm