{"product_id":"vietnam-south-vietnam-p-34-1000-dong-xf-au-elephant","title":"Vietnam—South Vietnam P-34 1000 Dong XF\/AU—Elephant","description":"\u003cp\u003eA presidential palace on the front and elephants with their handlers on the back: this \u003cstrong\u003e1972 South Vietnamese 1000 đồng\u003c\/strong\u003e combines the seat of a wartime government with a scene of working life. The \u003cstrong\u003eIndependence Palace in Saigon\u003c\/strong\u003e would become one of the defining sites of the war’s end when North Vietnamese tanks entered its grounds on \u003cstrong\u003eApril 30, 1975\u003c\/strong\u003e, bringing the Republic of Vietnam to an end.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFront\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Blue-green on multicolor, with pink, green, and ochre accents.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain subject:\u003c\/strong\u003e Independence Palace, identified by the inscription “DINH ĐỘC-LẬP.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrnament:\u003c\/strong\u003e Floral elements and intricate curved security patterns surrounding the palace and denomination.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing inscription:\u003c\/strong\u003e “NGÂN-HÀNG QUỐC-GIA VIỆT-NAM,” meaning “National Bank of Vietnam.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDenomination:\u003c\/strong\u003e “MỘT NGÀN ĐỒNG,” meaning “One thousand đồng,” with repeated 1000 numerals.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSignature titles:\u003c\/strong\u003e “MỘT QUẢN-TRỊ VIÊN” and “GIÁM ĐỐC PHÁT-HÀNH,” meaning “An administrator” and “Director of issuance.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBack\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eColor:\u003c\/strong\u003e Dark gray-green on multicolor, with light green and pink accents.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain subject:\u003c\/strong\u003e Three Asian elephants with their handlers, or mahouts, carrying loads in a wooded waterside setting.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrnament:\u003c\/strong\u003e Floral elements, sweeping geometric patterns, and prominent denomination numerals.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInscriptions:\u003c\/strong\u003e “National Bank of Vietnam” and “One thousand đồng.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCounterfeiting warning, translated:\u003c\/strong\u003e “The criminal law punishes with penal servitude anyone who counterfeits banknotes issued by the National Bank of Vietnam.”\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eOther Characteristics\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCatalog numbers:\u003c\/strong\u003e Pick P-34; Numista N#206938.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eComposition:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paper.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSize:\u003c\/strong\u003e 152 × 76 mm.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssuing entity:\u003c\/strong\u003e National Bank of Vietnam, serving the Republic of Vietnam.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePrinter:\u003c\/strong\u003e De La Rue, London.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDemonetized:\u003c\/strong\u003e Yes; no longer legal tender.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCurrency:\u003c\/strong\u003e Southern đồng, distinct from the currency issued by North Vietnam.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eIssue year:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1972; the design does not carry a printed date.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCondition:\u003c\/strong\u003e XF\/AU (Extremely Fine to About Uncirculated).\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch2\u003eThe palace that became an image of the war’s end\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe building on the front is not a generic government office. \u003cstrong\u003eIndependence Palace\u003c\/strong\u003e was the presidential seat of South Vietnam. Its modern design, by architect \u003cstrong\u003eNgô Viết Thụ\u003c\/strong\u003e, replaced the earlier palace after that building was damaged in a \u003cstrong\u003e1962 bombing\u003c\/strong\u003e. The new palace opened in \u003cstrong\u003e1966\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen tanks entered the grounds on \u003cstrong\u003eApril 30, 1975\u003c\/strong\u003e, the building became a powerful symbol of the \u003cstrong\u003efall of Saigon\u003c\/strong\u003e. It is now commonly known as the \u003cstrong\u003eReunification Palace\u003c\/strong\u003e. This banknote preserves its earlier identity, when its image represented a republic that still issued its own money.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eElephants, handlers, and knowledge passed down\u003c\/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe reverse offers a striking contrast: \u003cstrong\u003eAsian elephants and their mahouts\u003c\/strong\u003e rather than politicians or military scenes. Working with an elephant required experience, trust, and specialized knowledge. The loaded animals and their riders turn the design into a small record of the relationship between people and the natural world.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor collectors, the pairing is the appeal: \u003cstrong\u003emonumental state architecture on one side, living animals and their handlers on the other\u003c\/strong\u003e. It makes this note equally compelling for animal-themed collections and collections focused on the Vietnam War.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eAbout South Vietnam\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of name:\u003c\/strong\u003e “Vietnam” combines Việt, the name of the Vietnamese people, with nam, meaning south. “South Vietnam” distinguished the southern state from North Vietnam; its official name was Republic of Vietnam.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCapital:\u003c\/strong\u003e Saigon, now Ho Chi Minh City. The Saigon–Cholon urban area had several million residents by the war’s final years, swelled by migration and displacement; estimates depend on the boundary used.\u003cul\u003e\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOrigin of the capital’s name:\u003c\/strong\u003e The origin of “Saigon” is debated, with proposed Vietnamese and Khmer derivations. The city was officially renamed Ho Chi Minh City in 1976.\u003c\/li\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePopulation:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approximately 19 million by the mid-1970s, comparable to modern New York State.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArea:\u003c\/strong\u003e Approximately 173,800 km² (67,100 mi²), slightly larger than Florida or roughly twice Austria.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEconomy:\u003c\/strong\u003e Agriculture, particularly rice production, remained important; war damage and substantial foreign assistance shaped the economy. A directly comparable modern GDP-per-capita-at-purchasing-power-parity figure is not provided.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMain exports:\u003c\/strong\u003e Rice, rubber, and other agricultural products, with trade heavily disrupted by war.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBorders:\u003c\/strong\u003e Cambodia and Laos; the military demarcation zone near the 17th parallel separated it from North Vietnam. Coastline along the South China Sea.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOfficial\/spoken languages:\u003c\/strong\u003e Vietnamese predominated; Khmer, Chinese varieties, and numerous highland languages were also spoken.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEthnicities:\u003c\/strong\u003e Majority Kinh Vietnamese, with Hoa Chinese, Khmer, Cham, and numerous Central Highland peoples, including Ê Đê, Jarai, and Bahnar communities.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMemberships:\u003c\/strong\u003e International Monetary Fund and World Bank membership began under the State of Vietnam in 1956 and continued during the Republic of Vietnam; South Vietnam did not become a United Nations member.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSovereignty:\u003c\/strong\u003e French colonial rule preceded the State of Vietnam, established in 1949; the 1954 Geneva settlement divided Vietnam provisionally; Republic of Vietnam proclaimed in 1955; Second Republic established in 1967, the period of this note; Saigon fell on April 30, 1975; formal reunification as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam followed on July 2, 1976.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSouth Vietnam Unfiltered\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eA country disappeared while its money survived:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Republic of Vietnam ended in 1975. Its notes remain tangible artifacts of a state whose institutions and currency no longer exist.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePeace on paper did not end the fighting:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Paris Peace Accords were signed in January 1973, but fighting continued and culminated in the fall of Saigon in 1975.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTwo đồng currencies, not one:\u003c\/strong\u003e North and South Vietnam issued separate currencies. The shared word đồng did not make them interchangeable at face value.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe war reshaped everyday life:\u003c\/strong\u003e Displacement, disrupted farming, and inflation affected civilian households far beyond the battlefields.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDeparture became a humanitarian crisis:\u003c\/strong\u003e After 1975, large numbers of Vietnamese fled the country, including the refugees known as the boat people, many facing dangerous sea journeys.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eThe palace remains:\u003c\/strong\u003e The building pictured on this note survives as a historical site, preserving a physical connection to the final chapter of South Vietnam.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eOwn this \u003cstrong\u003e1972 South Vietnamese 1000 đồng in XF\/AU condition\u003c\/strong\u003e: a palace whose gates witnessed history, a trio of working elephants, and a piece of paper that outlived the republic that issued it.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"World Money Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53096085553463,"sku":null,"price":4.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0969\/7165\/3431\/files\/34r_4178da75-e5c9-4d2d-8f56-f5c5716660bd.jpg?v=1791212963","url":"https:\/\/worldmoneystore.com\/products\/vietnam-south-vietnam-p-34-1000-dong-xf-au-elephant","provider":"World Money Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}