World stamps tell the story of Vietnam

So what are the perspectives and feelings of international friends for the country and people of Vietnam? We can find the answer somewhere in the collection of foreign postage stamps called World stamps tell stories of Vietnam by stamp collector Hoang Anh Thi - Head of the VIET STAMP Club. This special stamp collection is part of the stamp series with the theme "80 years of Vietnam reaching out to the sea", on display at the Ho Chi Minh City Museum of History.

Unlike previous stamp collections on Vietnam, in this special collection, the author only uses stamps and foreign postal items related to Vietnam to introduce in a general way the world's view and feelings towards Vietnam. Through stamps and letters from countries around the world, Vietnam appears through familiar but sacred images. These are maps, national flags, national emblems, national days, capitals, the Communist Party of Vietnam ... to typical cultural and historical values, identities such as: bamboo, lotus, rice, Ha Long Bay - a natural wonder of the world...

With its rich history and cultural identity, Vietnam has appeared many times on postage stamps issued by other countries. Images of the country, people, landscapes, historical events, and typical figures of Vietnam are selected to be placed on stamps to show the interest, honor, and close relationship between Vietnam and the international community.
Stamp collector Hoang Anh Thi - Head of VIET STAMP Club

They are also great Vietnamese people - President Ho Chi Minh , General Vo Nguyen Giap, hero Pham Tuan, famous celebrities, honest, hard-working farmers, passionately patriotic, children and famous Vietnamese people abroad. In particular, these stamps and letters also tell the journey of a resilient, indomitable Vietnam fighting against foreign invaders through images of the Indochina War (1946-1954), the Vietnam War (1954-1975). Coming out of the war with countless difficulties and challenges, the image of Vietnam rising up in the integration period is also clearly depicted through the perspective of international friends. That is the process of building and constantly consolidating and developing friendly cooperative relations with countries around the world and being an active member of international organizations.

The collection not only represents the heroic, industrious, creative Vietnamese country and people; unique nature and culture; but also the country of peace and innovation, wishing to accompany friends from all over the world to strive for the common goal of the world's people: peace, fairness and development, equal cooperation and mutual benefit.

Visitors to the stamp exhibition celebrating 80 years of Vietnam “Reaching out to the ocean”. Photo: Lam Vien

For a long time, the image of Vietnam has been present on world postage stamps, the earliest being the stamp issued by France in 1931 with the image of a Vietnamese woman in traditional costume: wearing a four-panel dress, wearing a conical hat, carrying a shoulder pole. Later, the image of Vietnam appeared on postage stamps more and more, spreading across many fields. Up to now, the image of Vietnam on world stamps has become an attractive collection topic not only for stamp collectors but also for the public and international friends who love the S-shaped country.

According to stamp collector Hoang Anh Thi: Postage stamps are not only a means of payment in mail delivery but also a unique art form, containing many layers of information about history, culture, nature and people. Therefore, each stamp is considered a small "business card" but has great influence, introducing the image of the country to the world.

"I think, from the past until now, only Vietnamese stamp collections talk about Vietnam, which is also natural, but a world stamp collection about Vietnam is difficult to do, and when it is done, we will be even more proud and cherish the two words Vietnam" - stamp collector Hoang Anh Thi confided.

Studying the stamp collection of 80 years of Vietnam "Reaching out to the sea" at the Ho Chi Minh City History Museum, Ms. Nguyen Ha Hai My (a student from Dong Nai) shared: Every detail and image, though very small, on the stamps and international letters is associated with the cultural characteristics, Vietnamese people and historical periods. Through that, the public and especially the youth understand more about their country through a new and unique lens.

Lam Vien - Nhat Ha

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/dong-nai-cuoi-tuan/202509/tem-the-gioi-ke-chuyen-viet-nam-b317f1d/