Vietnam

So just one more card for today... yay, can't believe it I made it through the entire update! But it kinda helped keep my mind off things so probably that is what got me going...

Vietnam, another place that was on my list during my life in China... and still is of course.
The card is supposed to show a bit boat carrying smaller ones. Ok, I know I am shortsighted but it took me a while to actually figure this picture out... you have to watch vertically instead of horizontally....to see the smaller boats...

two nice stamps here, where one is a lighthouse! It is from a set of 4 Lighthouses of Vietnam issued in 2013, and this one shows the Binh Thuan. The other one is from 2008, commemorating the Lady Triệu rebellion, who was a female warrior in 3rd century Vietnam who managed, for a time, to successfully resist the Chinese state of Eastern Wu during its occupation of Vietnam.

Well, I hope you enjoyed today's cards, stamps and videos!
Thank you for stopping by (accidentally or on purpose), and thank you Glenn for all these cards shown here, and for the dozens more that still wait to be displayed!\

Happy June to you all!

Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica, Viet Nam

One more surprise card...this one coming from Dao from Viet Nam, who I'm really glad had thought of me...been a long while since I've heard from him, so this card was more than a lovely surprise! :)

On the card you can see the Saigon Notre-Dame Basilica (or officially Basilica of Our Lady of The Immaculate Conception - I've never figured out these 'names' I must say).
It was constructed between 1863 and 1880 (established by the French colonists, all the original material has been imported from France) and it is located in downtown Ho-Chi Min, which is just another name for Saigon. The cathedral has two bell towers, reaching a height of 58 meters.

The yellow stamp is one of the two stamps issued in 2014 for the Chinese New Year (Year of the Ram), while the other, bluish one, was issued this year, commemorating the 48th Anniversary of ASEAN - it is a Joint Community Issue.

Thanks a bunch Dao!

Viet Nam

well, my last card for today..is something from 2009...

Ive received a number of Vietnamese cards in the past years, and for some reason, rarely decide to post some of them...so I thought I should do some clearance, and of course, where to start from if not from the back..

Valerie sent me this lovely card from her stay there 3 years ago...the card doesn't say which place it shows in particular..it just says 'peaceful life'..and it definitely earns that caption....something the modern man needs way too much...

the stamp is from a set of 12 bamboo lamps issued in 2009.

thanks a lot Val!

and to all of you...stay warm :)

Perfume Pagoda, Viet Nam

Hi everyone! Hope you didnt miss me much this past week :P  But I just really cant figure out how does time fly so fast and I just cant find the right time to post some cards here =/
Well, it is a chilly Sunday morning, so I better use the time while having some coffee, before I get stuck with some errands again....
And I have received such amazing cards lately, it is a real pity I am not able to post them all...but at least it is always nice to start somewhere....and today Ill start with this lovely card dear Jo sent me from Viet Nam

The card shows the Perfume Pagoda, which is actually a shrine on the limestone rocks of Huong Son Mountain and the only way to reach it is by these boats on this river (the Yen river). It is considered as a very important pilgrimage for the Vietnamese and they are  expected to do it at least once.

It is a really lovely card....the colours feels so calm, and give me the impression that this was taken on an early misty morning with that breeze in the air....the only thing you could hear is the sound of the boats 'cutting through' the water and the soft splashes of the paddles. So nice.....

And a very important part of this card are the stamps!

You probably know that this year is the Year of the Rabbit and hence many post offices (will) issue stamps related to that....I highly doubt Macedonia will, coz for example last year, when everyone was issuing stamps with the Year of the Tiger, Macedonia stayed aside from it all...but anyways. As I said, this is the Year of the Rabbit...BUT...in Viet Nam, and ONLY in Viet Nam, it is the Year of the Cat!!! Viet Nam follows the Chinese zodiac for all signs except for the Rabbit (and if the source is to be trusted, in Viet Nam, the Ox is also replaced with a Buffalo). There are several legends of why Viet Nam has the cat and not the rabbit, but despite the fact I love legends, the explanation is most probably a linguistic one, according to which The Chinese word for rabbit is 'mao', which sounds like 'meo' in Vietnamese, where it means cat. As the sound of the word changed, so did its meaning.  
The year of the cat is supposed to be a free-of-stress one.
And these are the two cute cat stamps that this issue consists of.

Thank you so much again Jo! 

Quang Tri, Viet Nam

First it was Kazakhstan, and now it is Viet Nam, and I get to have cards from these two rare places thanks to dear Jo mainly!

And this time she chose a lovely card from my favourites, which shows a rainy day at the market in Quang Tri.
This is a city in central Vietnam, the major city of Quang Trí Province, which lies near the Demilitarized Zone, an area that separated North and South Vietnam after Vietnam was partitioned at the end of the First Indochina War in 1954. People living here are said to be poor unfortunately.

But this card is just too beautiful to me, with all these people wearing the same hats and with these different nice colourful clothes on , just creates some lovely and unique atmosphere.
Curious to know what exactly they are selling at this market...I am pretty much convinced that even though im rather picky when it comes to food, here I would love to try the most unusual stuff they might be selling...as long as its not bugs and crickets and such...

The stamp on the right is from a set of 4 issued in 2009, representing flowers, while the left one shows a carp and is from a set of 3 fish stamps issued in 2008.

My Son, Viet Nam

Rain rain rain....and is there something better to do on such a day but update postcards? Well, yeah...work for example....maybe later....for some reason ...im just so not in the mood for it...so with a nice big mug of coffee and the sound of the rain outside, lets show some cards...really nice ones, let me tell you ahead :)

I have one Vietnamese card already, but this is my first written and stamped....and then again, its of a great quality compared to the other one...and its a UNESCO....and last, but not least, sent from a very dear person of mine...
At first i got a bit confused when i read the text on the back, coz it starts with *This is My Son*....I wasnt sure if i had read it right, so i read it again and then actually turned to the front of the card to see her son....i feel like a real retard now....it is even stated at the front what the name of the place is, but i overlooked it...well, at least someone's gonna have a laugh on my account and laughing is healthy and extends your life, so there is some benefit out of my ignorance..


My Son is the major site in Vietnam from the ancient Champa Kingdom which flourished between the 2nd and 15th centuries. Descendants of the Champa civilisation still live along the coast of Vietnam though they are now fully integrated in Vietnamese society.

The Kingdom at My Son dates back to the 4th century and remained fully occupied through until the 13th century which makes it the longest occupied of all the major monuments of SE Asia. It served as a religious and intellectual centre where Champa kings were crowned and buried. In 1999 it was named a UNESCO World Heritage site.

and there we go again....another card missent to Indonesia...i really dont know whats so appealing about Indonesia that my cards first urge to go there and then be brought to me....probably on force or if some tsunami had scared them out....
but there are two great stamps, both issues in 2008...the top one is from a set of 4 representing Ceremonial Lanterns, while the one below it was issued regarding the Centenary of Tran Quy Cap's Death (1870-1908)

Viet Nam

Vietnam or Viet Nam or Việt Nam....call it whatever you like, but this card increases my collection of countries to 94 :)

When I actually got it, i thought it was a photograph, due to the kind of paper that was used, but it actually has a place for a stamp and address printed  along with an explanation of what this card represents in 3 different languages....i just wonder if all Vietnamese cards are like this or no...

the card here is called "On the ripe rice-field"......mmmmm, rice...i dont know about you, but i absolutely love rice...its just so delicious (if prepared in a nice way of course).
Well, i know this aint a really bright side, but the name of Vietnam often brings the idea of the War in Vietnam...even though i actually know little about it, ive often heard about it on daily basis...esp in the American movies and series....
The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam supported by the United States and other member nations of the SEATO (Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation).
The United States entered the war to prevent a communist takeover of South Vietnam as part of a wider strategy called   containment. U.S. involvement escalated in the early 1960s and combat units were deployed beginning in 1965.
Under a policy called  Vietnamization U.S. forces withdrew as South Vietnamese troops were trained and armed. Despite a peace treaty signed by all parties in January 1973, fighting continued.
In April 1975, North Vietnam captured Siagon. North and South Vietnam were reunified the following year.

I dont know how from talking of rice, this post evolved into a war one....