Why Collect Stamps? 
 Stamps define and highlight history, including often overlooked events.
 
 A stamp, or the overprint on a stamp, can illustrate an event easily overlooked by conventional history books. For example, stamps from Vietnam, before and after the war illuminated the fact that there was famine in North Vietnam, though the South Vietnamese never got news of it.  The South Vietnamese along with the United States government never understood why the  North Vietnamese chose to support the
Communists, not knowing that they provided food and helped correct conditions that could cause future famines, thereby earning the North’s gratitude and support. 

Please continue viewing this exhibit and then ask yourself -
    Could the American Vietnam War been prevented if our leaders had collected stamps?

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   Page 1                                                French Indochina War

Economically, the French exploited Vietnam's resources for their benefit. Large-scale plantations were established, primarily for rubber, tea, and coffee, which were major exports. Vietnamese farmers were often forced to cultivate these cash crops, resulting in the loss of their traditional agricultural practices and the impoverishment of rural communities.

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   Empress Nam-Phuong                   Emperor Boa-Dai                  Crown Prince Bao-Long

                  Imperial Palace, Hue                                                    Temple, Saigon ` ​

Bao Dai  was the last emperor of Vietnam. He was born on October 22, 1913, in the city of Huế, which was the capital of the Nguyen Dynasty's empire in Vietnam. Bao Dai ascended to the throne at the age of 12.During his reign, which lasted until 1945, Bao Dai was essentially a figurehead emperor with limited power, as the French colonial administration held the real political authority. Despite this, Bao Dai was seen as a symbol of unity for the Vietnamese people and was generally respected for his role as the nominal head of state.

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   Japanese  Invasion Army              Marshall Philippe Petain               Emperor Boa-Dai       

In 1940, Japan invaded Indochina and cooperated with the Vichy French regime to take control of Vietnam. Bao Dai, who had been seen as a cooperative emperor with the French, decided to collaborate with the Japanese. However, with Japan's military expansion in Southeast Asia, they took over Vietnam from the Vichy French in 1941.
Bao Dai continued as before, only as the cooperative emperor for the Japanese.

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Page 4

1940

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In 1940, Japan invaded French Indochina. The Japanese cooperated with the Vichy French by allowing them to perform administrative duties, grow opium, and produce war materials such as Jute and oil seeds for the Japanese military. The French had access to the government buildings, including the IDEO stamp printing plant. Stamps were printed with the IDEO logo at the bottom of the stamp and were issued to honor Frenchmen who had helped create and defend the colony, as well as kings from neighboring countries.

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At the close of World War II, the Japanese declared "Asia for Asians" and surrendered all their weapons to the Vietminh. They also turned over all the government buildings, including the IDEO stamp printing plant.

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The Democratic Republic of Vietnam overprinted these stamps in Vietnamese with propaganda slogans, such as "Child Welfare," "New Life Movement," "War Wounded," "National Defense," "People's Livelihood," "Independence Freedom Happiness," and "Campaign Against Illiteracy." However, two stamps had different words: "Famine Relief."
The question arises: "What Famine?" and "What Relief?"

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​The 1944 North Vietnam Famine       

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These stamps issued with CUU DOI overprint in Vietnamese translated FAMINE RELIEF 

The 1944 Famine in North Vietnam occurred because the French and Japanese governments ordered the large acreage of industrial crops such as oil seeds, jute, and opium to be planted instead of rice. These crops were needed for the Japanese war effort and France's treasury. Heavy rains caused severe flooding, which destroyed the dikes protecting the small rice plantations. The flooding prevented the north from receiving rice shipments from South Vietnam. The Japanese and French governments did nothing to help the starving North Vietnamese. One million men, women, and children in North Vietnam died from the famine, while the South Vietnamese were unaware of the famine in the North.
Contrary to the indifference of the French and Japanese governments, the Vietminh launched a nationwide replanting program for food crops, dike repair, and other famine relief efforts. The survivors of the North Vietnam famine would later join the Vietminh army with a desire for revenge against any future foreign occupier.

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Page 8

On March 6th, 1946, a signed agreement between France and Vietnam recognized the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a free state with its own government and Parliament. The agreement also stated a five-year period of transition for the   French to maintain an army for the protection of French citizens residing in North Vietnam. Vietnam agreed to France's five-year transition period instead of allowing the Chinese to return. France agreed to this in order to allow themselves time to rebuild their army. North Vietnam remained peaceful from March 1946 to November of that year when violence broke out.

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          French Warship Clemenceau        

On November 20, 1946, an argument over customs duties in the Haiphong Harbor occurred between French and Vietnamese officials. The French ignored the signed agreement declaring their intention to "Teach the Vietnamese a hard lesson"
  This "hard lesson" involved the bombardment of the city of Hai Phong using French aircraft, artillery, and the French warship Clemenceau, which was moored in the Haiphong Harbor. The bombardment resulted in the deaths of 6,000 innocent civilians in Haiphong. In 1946, this bombardment should have been widely recognized as a war crime under international humanitarian law. The North Vietnamese in Hanoi escaped to the jungle with weapons acquired from the earlier Japanese surrender. The North Vietnamese responded to the Haiphong massacre by requesting military aid from President Truman to fight the French. The French in turn, requested military aid from President Truman to fight the North Vietnamese. President Truman granted military aid to the French to fight communism without any response or comment to the Haiphong massacre.

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Page 10

On December 19th, 1946, the French Indochina War began when the Vietminh attacked Hanoi at night, resulting in the death of 34 French civilians. The stamp printing plant was destroyed by bombing, and during this period, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam issued the only stamps. The stamps were printed using poor-quality paper and ink, somewhere in the jungle

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Page 11

This 1951 stamp is of much better quality, having been printed with better equipment and ink. It features a map of Vietnam and defines the goals of Ho Chi Minh to govern both North and South Vietnam. The North Vietnamese people felt that in order to prevent another famine, rice production in the South must be controlled by Ho Chi Minh's forces.

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​During 1954 Both Georgi Malenkov of the Soviet Union and Mao Tse-tung of the People's Republic of China provided support to Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh, with the following: Ideological Assistance - Military Aid-Diplomatic Support -Training and Education - Propaganda Support:.
 
In 1957 Ho Chi Minh continues his relationship with the Soviet Union by meeting with
 Voroshilov who held the position of Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet, which was primarily a ceremonial role.

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Page 13

The Viet Minh first gained control of the jungle, then small cities, and major roads leading to the large ties. The following strategies were used:

1. Setting booby traps outside French campsites.
2. Firing on French campsites with small artillery for a short period, then disappearing.
3. The guerrillas with small arms fired on French soldiers leaving the campsites.
4. The French stepped on the booby traps as they left the campsites.

The strategies used by the Viet Minh included:

• Hit-and-Run Attacks
• Booby Traps
• Underground Tunnels and Caves
• Intelligence and Espionage
• Support from the Local Population
• Political Mobilization

The Viet Minh engaged in conventional warfare when necessary, gradually building up their military capabilities throughout the conflict. Ultimately, these strategies contributed to their success in forcing the French to withdraw and played a significant role in the ultimate outcome of the war.

              July 5, 1954 -The French Surrenders Dien Bien Phu to the North Vietnamese
 The French defeat at Dien Bien Phu was a turning point in the First Indochina War. It significantly weakened the French resolve to continue the conflict, leading to the eventual withdrawal of French forces from Vietnam. Subsequently, the 1954 Geneva Accords were signed, partitioning Vietnam along the 17th parallel and paving the way for the eventual reunification of the country under communist rule in 1975.
Dien Bien Phu became a symbol of Vietnamese nationalism and resilience, while the battle's outcome also served as a lesson for other colonial powers facing insurgencies in the post-World War II era. The conflict foreshadowed the deeper involvement of the United States in the region during the Vietnam War, which would follow soon after.

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Page 14

Please answer the following questions below:

Question 1
​What event occurred following an argument over customs duties between the French and the Vietnamese?
A - Fighting began between the Japanese and French
​B - The French bombardment of the city of Hai Phong
C - Vietminh prevented the Japanese from helping the French 

Question 2
 What were the causes of the 1944 Famine in North Vietnam?
A - The Japanese planted Opium to sell to the French
B -  The French planted oil seeds and jute to sell to Chinese
C - Flooding prevented the north from receiving rice shipments from South Vietnam.

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Question 3 
What was the significance of Japan's cooperation with the Vichy French government during their invasion of French Indochina in 1940?
A -  Allowed Japan to operate the opium trade
B -  Allowed Japan to concentrate on its war effort
C -  Provided Japan with a non-aggressive image

Question 4 
What were the goals of Ho Chi Minh regarding the governance of North and South Vietnam?
A - To be in control of all rice plantings
B - To establish a separate currency in both Vietnams
C -  To be in control of both North and South Vietnam

Question 5 
How did the establishment of large-scale plantations by the French impact the Vietnamese economy and the livelihoods of the local population?
A - Vietnamese farmers forced to join the military 
B - Vietnamese farmers forced to be servants 
C - Vietnamese farmers forced to grow rubber, tea and coffee 

Question 6
Before this exhibit had you been aware the 1946 Haiphong Massacre would be classified a  War Crime?
A -  Yes 
B -  No

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