Catalog
See full images - free registration
Continue with Google - no registration!
or register with email
Why register? Just to keep bots out of our catalog. Your email stays private - we will never share it or send you anything uninvited. We guarantee you that!
5 Ðồng
| Issuer | Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam |
|---|---|
| Year | 1949-1950 |
| Type | Log in to see details |
| Value | Log in to see details |
| Currency | First northern đồng (1946-1951) |
| Composition | Log in to see details |
| Size | Log in to see details |
| Shape | Log in to see details |
| Printer | Log in to see details |
| Designer(s) | Log in to see details |
| Engraver(s) | Log in to see details |
| In circulation to | Log in to see details |
| Reference(s) | Log in to see details |
| Obverse description | Central vignette shows a portrait of Ho Chi Minh in a simple woodcut-style rendering, with the denomination numeral '5' repeated at upper left and upper right. The heading 'VIET NAM DAN CHU CONG HOA' runs along the top panel, while two signature panels below read 'ĐẠI DIỆN CHÍNH PHỦ TRUNG ƯƠNG' at left and 'ĐẠI DIỆN U.B.H.C TRUNG BỘ' at right, each accompanied by a manuscript signature. Decorative foliate scroll borders frame the composition on either side. |
|---|---|
| Obverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Reverse description | The reverse presents a watermark-ghost portrait of Ho Chi Minh at centre, printed in a pale underprint, with the bold letterpress text 'TÍN PHIẾU / NAM ĐỒNG' at left and Chinese characters '越南民主共和' along the top border panel. A decorative guilloche rosette enclosing the numeral '5' occupies the right portion, and Chinese characters '伍元' appear below the main text. A dense foliate vine border frames the entire design. |
| Reverse lettering | Log in to see details |
| Signature(s) | Log in to see details |
| Protection type | Log in to see details |
| Protection description | Log in to see details |
| Variants | Log in to see details |
| Comments |
The Democratic Republic of Vietnam began issuing its own currency — the đồng — in late 1945, shortly after Ho Chi Minh's declaration of independence, explicitly to displace the Indochinese piastre and break the financial grip of the Banque de l'Indochine. By 1949–1950, the DRV was conducting its war against French forces from the Việt Bắc base areas in the northern highlands, and notes of this period were printed under genuinely difficult conditions, without access to sophisticated printing infrastructure.
Circulation was largely confined to Việt Minh-controlled territory. French-held zones refused the currency entirely, making these notes instruments of political as much as economic exchange.