10 Xu

The R-prefix in Pick's catalogue designates regional or provisional issues, and this 10 Xu falls into an unusual administrative category — these small-denomination xu notes circulated in specific southern zones during a period when the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was managing parallel monetary systems under wartime conditions. Low face value and heavy use meant most examples survived in poor shape, and losses to humidity in the Mekong climate compounded the attrition.

At 100 × 50 mm, the format was deliberately minimal — cheap to produce in quantity, easy to handle in field conditions. The 1966 date places it squarely in the escalation phase of American involvement, when supply disruptions made small change genuinely difficult to maintain in circulation.