Vietnam: circulation coinage of 2003

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Map of Vietnam.




Vietnam's location within south-east Asia.

From Wikipedia:

Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, is located at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia. It covers 311,699 square kilometres. With a population of over 96 million, it is the world's fifteenth-most populous country. Vietnam borders China to the north, Laos and Cambodia to the west, and shares maritime borders with Thailand through the Gulf of Thailand, and with the Philippines, Indonesia, and Malaysia through the South China Sea. Its capital is Hanoi and its largest city is Ho Chi Minh City.

The first known Vietnamese nation during the first millennium BC centred on the Red River Delta, located in modern-day northern Vietnam. The Han dynasty annexed and put the Vietnamese under Chinese rule from 111 BC, until the first independent dynasty emerged in 939. Successive monarchical dynasties absorbed Chinese influences through Confucianism and Buddhism, and expanded southward to the Mekong Delta. The Nguyễn — the last imperial dynasty — fell to French colonisation in 1887. The nationalist Viet Minh, under the leadership of communist revolutionary Ho Chi Minh, proclaimed independence from France in 1945.

After World War II, France returned to reclaim colonial power in the First Indochina War, from which Vietnam emerged victorious in 1954. The Vietnam War began shortly afterwards, during which the nation was divided into the communist North, supported by the Soviet Union and China, and the anti-communist South, which was supported by the United States. Upon North Vietnamese victory in 1975, Vietnam reunified as a unitary socialist state under the Communist Party of Vietnam in 1976. An ineffective planned economy, a trade embargo by the West, and wars with Cambodia and China crippled the country. In 1986 the Communist Party initiated economic and political reforms, transforming the country to a market-oriented economy.

The reforms facilitated Vietnamese integration into global economy and politics. A developing country with a lower-middle-income economy, Vietnam is one of the fastest growing economies of the 21st century. It is part of international and intergovernmental institutions including the United Nations, the ASEAN, the APEC, the CPTPP, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OIF, and the WTO. It has assumed a seat on the United Nations Security Council twice. Contemporary issues in Vietnam include corruption and a poor human rights record.

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Flag of Vietnam:

From Wikipedia:

The flag of Vietnam was designed in 1940 and used during an uprising against the French in southern Vietnam that year.The red background symbolizes revolution and bloodshed. The yellow star represents the five main classes in Vietnamese society — intellectuals, farmers, workers, entrepreneurs, and soldiers.

The flag was used by the Viet Minh, a communist-led organization created in 1941 to oppose Japanese occupation. At the end of World War II, Viet Minh leader Ho Chi Minh proclaimed Vietnam independent and signed a decree on 5 September 1945 adopting the Viet Minh flag as the flag of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Until the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, South Vietnam used a yellow flag with three red stripes. The red flag of North Vietnam was later adopted as the flag of the unified Vietnam in 1976.

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National emblem of Vietnam:

From Wikipedia:

The emblem of Vietnam is circular, has a red background and a yellow star in the middle which represent the five main classes in Vietnamese society—intellectuals, farmers, workers, business people and military personnel; the revolutionary history and bright future of Vietnam. The cog and crops represent the cooperation of agriculture and industrial labor.

According to the Constitution of Vietnam:

The national emblem of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is circular in shape; in the middle of a red background is a five-pointed golden star framed by rice ears below which is half a cogwheel and the inscription: Socialist Republic of Vietnam.

— The 1992 Constitution of Vietnam, Article 142

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VIETNAM'S COINS OF 2003

From Wikipedia:

The đồng (code: VND) has been the currency of Vietnam since 3 May 1978. It is issued by the State Bank of Vietnam. The đồng was also the currency of the predecessor states of North Vietnam and South Vietnam, having replaced the previously used French Indochinese piastre.

Formerly, it was subdivided into 10 hào, which were further subdivided into 10 xu, neither of which are now used. The Vietnamese đồng has increasingly moved towards exclusively using banknotes; as of 2012 the use of coins has decreased greatly, and since 2014 coins are generally not accepted in retail, but they will still be accepted in some, but not all, banks.

The word đồng is from the material which the pennies were made: bronze. The term refers to Chinese bronze coins used as currency during the dynastic periods of China and Vietnam. The term hào is a loanword from the Chinese háo (Chinese: 毫), meaning a tenth of a currency unit. The term xu comes from French sou meaning "penny".


THE 2003 SERIES.

After many years without coins, the State Bank of Vietnam resumed issuing coins on December 17, 2003. The new coins, minted by the Mint of Finland, were in denominations of 200, 500, 1000, 2000, and 5000 đồng, in either nickel-clad steel or brass-clad steel. Prior to its reintroduction, Vietnamese consumers had to exchange banknotes for tokens with a clerk before purchasing goods from vending machines. This was also to help the state ease the cost of producing large quantities of small denomination banknotes, which tended to wear easily. Many residents expressed excitement at seeing coins reappear after many years, as well as concern for the limited usefulness of the 200 đồng coins due to ongoing inflationary pressures.

Since the launch of the 2003 coin series, the State Bank has had some difficulties with making the acceptance of coins universal despite the partial discontinuation of smaller notes, to the point of some banks refusing coin cash deposits or the cashing in of large numbers of coins. This has prompted laws requiring private and municipal banks to transact and offer services for coins and the full discontinuation of small denomination and cotton-based notes. Also, the coins did not gain popularity from the Vietnamese people. Eventually, the State Bank of Vietnam withdrew its distribution in April 2011.

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Obverse of the 200 dong coin.

The lowest denomination of the series was the 200 dong coin.

It was made of nickel-plated steel.

It had a diameter of 20 mm and weighed 3.1 grams.


The common obverse of the coins featured the national emblem.

The legend translates as "Socialist Republic of Vietnam".

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Reverse of the 200 dong coin.

The reverse of the 200 dong showed a stylised flower, the denomination and the year.

The legend translates as "State Bank of Vietnam".

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Reverse of the 500 dong coin.

The 500 dong coin was made of nickel-plated steel.

It had a diameter of 21.86 mm and weighed 4.5 grams.


The obverse showed the national emblem.

The reverse (below) showed the denomination.

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Obverse of the 1000 dong coin.

The 1000 and 2000 dong coins were made of brass-plated steel.

This is how their obverse side looked.

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Reverse of the 1000 dong coin.

The 1000 dong coin was made of brass-plated steel.

It had a diameter of 19.5 mm and weighed 3.7 grams.


The obverse showed the national emblem.

The reverse (above) featured the Bat De Pagoda in Hanoi.

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The Bat De Pagoda in Hanoi.

The Lý Bát Đế Temple is known by various names. It was featured on the 1000 dong coin of 2003.

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Reverse of the 2000 dong coin.

The 2000 dong coin was made of brass-plated steel.

It had a diameter of 23.5 mm and weighed 5 grams.


The obverse showed the national emblem.

The reverse (above) featured the Highland Stilt House in Tay Nguyen.

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A traditional Vietnamese stilt house.

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Reverse of the 5000 dong coin.

The 5000 dong coin was the highest denomination of the series.

It was made of brass.

It had a diameter of 25.5 mm and weighed 7.6 grams.


The obverse showed the national emblem.

The reverse featured the One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi.

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The One Pillar Pagoda in Hanoi.

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Reverse of the 2000 dong coin.

Does anybody know what this symbol represents, on the left of the design, halfway down?