Catalog
5 Đồng
| Issuer | Việt-Nam Dân-Chủ Cộng-Hòa (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) |
|---|---|
| Year | 1947 |
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| Currency | Đồng (1946-date) |
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| Obverse description | The obverse is printed in blue-grey tones and carries the header inscription VIỆT-NAM DÂN-CHỦ CỘNG-HÒA across the top. To the left, a vignette renders a rural or allegorical scene with foliage, while to the right a portrait of Ho Chi Minh appears within a plain border. A central text block carries an anti-counterfeiting warning in Vietnamese, followed by the Directeur du Trésor and Président du Comité designation with a manuscript signature; the denomination numeral 5 appears at lower right, and GIẤY BẠC NĂM ĐỒNG runs along the bottom in large serif lettering. |
|---|---|
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| Reverse description | The reverse is printed in brown and centers on an intaglio-style vignette of a peasant threshing rice, conveying the agrarian identity of the young republic. The denomination 5 appears in each upper corner and again in large numeral at lower right, with Chinese characters 伍元 alongside. Two signature lines at lower left carry manuscript facsimile signatures with the titles ĐẠI DIỆN TỔNG GIÁM ĐỐC NGÂN KHỐ QUỐC-GIA and GIÁM ĐỐC NGÂN HÀNG ĐÔNG-BẮC; a serial number prefixed AT appears at bottom centre, and the regional validity inscription CHỈ LƯU-HÀNH TRONG TỈNH LONG-CHÂU-SA runs along the lower margin. |
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| Comments |
Pick 10B belongs to the DRV's earliest emission series, printed under extraordinary conditions — the Việt Minh government had been fighting French forces since December 1946 and had no access to a proper printing infrastructure. These notes were produced on rudimentary equipment in jungle workshops in the Việt Bắc zone, which accounts for the crude impression quality that collectors frequently mistake for forgeries or damaged survivors.
The 10B designation distinguishes it from the 10A by a signature variation. Both circulated simultaneously in liberated zones where French colonial piastres were officially forbidden — enforcement was uneven, but possession of French currency carried real political risk by 1947.