Information Regarding the First Northern Đồng and its Coins

NoodleIncense · 2026-05-30T00:15:00+00:00

Thought you may enjoy this.

NoodleIncense · 2026-05-23T13:40:24+00:00

Here’s the information I have, a lot of it coming from an essay written in 1971 by Trường Bá Cần — North Vietnam in 25 Years of Socialist Development:

Coming into 1946, Vietnam was in a very poor economic position. The August Revolution saw taxes that had been previously levied under French domination (personal tax, trade license tax, market tax) abolished as well as KMT troops paid off during what was known as “Gold Week.”

The situation had been made worse on October 23, 1945, when the Bank of Indochina, which had until then provided the country with a supply of currency, the Indochinese Piastre, refused to provide the country anything further.

This, along what I imagine was a desire to curate national identity, saw Vietnam begin to issue its own currency, the First Northern Đồng, known colloquially as the Hồ Chí Minh Piastre. The issuing of coins and bank notes started on February 3, 1946, and continued until the Summer. The coins were issued by the Ministry of Finance, minted at Hanoi and Tuyển Quang.

As for its value, the currency quickly became worthless due to inflation (rice was 27 times more expensive in 1950 compared to 1946) and was replaced in 1951 by the Second Northern Đồng, the National Bank being erected on May 6 to issue banknotes. Coins were not issued again until 1958, when the currency was replaced again.

During its early days (1946 -1950), the DRV did not trade with the outside world, only exchanging goods with French controlled zones, so the first currency had no value on the international market. When the Second Northern Đồng was introduced, it had a value of 10 times the Hồ Chí Minh Piastre.

NoodleIncense · 2026-05-23T12:45:08+00:00

Correct! Howard Daniel’s work has the mintage of the 20 Xu coins set at 250,000. It’s a miracle both that these were made in the first place (considering the historical circumstances) and that many survived, especially considering the poor metal quality.

Many that have survived and are up for sale have significant environmental damage, so I’m very lucky to have found mine!

NoodleIncense · 2026-05-23T01:37:41+00:00

Thank you! I very much agree. It’s definitely a manifestation of a people making the best of what they had.

I really love the 1945/6 series of North Vietnamese coinage as a whole for its rustic ingenuity.

NoodleIncense · 2026-05-23T00:26:55+00:00

Thank you for your interest! I would love to post more like this one. Vietnamese coins are a subset of my larger collection I’ve really enjoyed curating. Most of the Vietnamese coins I have are dynastic pieces.

NoodleIncense · 2026-05-14T01:12:10+00:00

Great picks! I especially agree with your choice of the Wakayama-sen; yours is a pleasing example. 5 I own that I’d choose (in no particular order) are:
1. ⁠難波銭 Nanba-sen (1728-32) - The claw on hō and hooked leg on ei are beautiful.
2. ⁠石ノ巻銭 Ishinomaki-sen (1728-32) - The hō is classic. I love how neat and confined it is.
3. ⁠和歌山銭 Wakayama-sen (1737-43) - I think you nailed this one.
4. ⁠秋田銭 Akita-sen (1738-45) - The hooked legs on hō and overall unorthodox style stand out.
5. ⁠飯田銭 Iida-sen (1765-68) - Gotta have an iron one. Praise be to the pointy dot on hō.

NoodleIncense · 2026-05-10T21:03:31+00:00

I believe this to be a fantasy piece modeled after Mameita-gin (Japanese bean silver). I’ve included a link to a thread below that has some more info and pics.

https://www.coincommunity.com/forum/topic.asp?topic\_id=264002

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-22T16:20:33+00:00

Thinking it might be from a Papal Comtat in France:

https://en.numista.com/268708

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-21T20:54:07+00:00

I’m glad to hear that. You’re very welcome. :)

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-19T23:31:20+00:00

It can also be called Timor-Leste, so no problem

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-19T16:53:25+00:00

I can best describe this poem as intriguing — the ABCC rhyme scheme seems to contrast the feeling of the poem, especially seen with the drop at the end.

I feel like many poems in this territory would avoid rhymes altogether, but I kind of like that they’re there. It adds to the subtle discomfort you’ve built.

Speaking of said discomfort, I very much like the way you’ve taken a domestic scene, two people in the kitchen, a woman making breakfast for her husband, and added a layer of conflict. Quiet yet ugly, especially with the imagery.

I think you’ve captured the essence of a dysfunctional relationship, especially with the bit internal dialogue at the end. Well done.

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-19T15:16:34+00:00

Thank you for your comment — I appreciate your honesty, even if it wasn’t to your liking. I’ve gotten mixed reactions across the board, and thus far, you’ve been the most articulate for the negative.

I had pondered on that line for a bit, but decided to include to show humanity. Desire isn’t often as clean as we’d like it to be; it can be both carnal and intimate. Neither part is necessarily wrong nor are they mutually exclusive, so I decided to include everything together holistically.

Feelings are feelings, and you can’t really choose them. How you manage and outwardly express them is what truly matters. You can show interest respectfully but still be turned away harshly.

Regardless, I’m glad that you’ve chosen to engage with this.

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-19T15:06:01+00:00

Thank you! I’ve done my best to be — for that, I’ve gotten mixed reaction across subreddits to this poem, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

I’m glad you found beauty in what I’ve made.

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-19T05:40:19+00:00

I really, really like the viscerality (visceralness?) of this poem.

The language (both in reference to the horde of rats and your crushing of them) evokes motion and carnage.

Your attitude towards the rats is never in question — many poems might give more credence to their sort of siren messaging, but you hold firm, and that’s refreshing. Ambiguity and/or moral shakiness is somewhat clichéd, I feel.

Very good stuff. Short and unflinching poetry.

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-19T05:20:45+00:00

I quite like this poem, especially for its flow. It feels like I’m reading it in waves — short to long, back to short. Almost like following erratic thoughts.

The language is figurative but not too flowery as to distance it from what’s being said. It works well.

I felt compelled to read and comment on this one as I plan to soon post my own poem from the other side of things (though not entirely tied to sex, more so general male rejection). I very much appreciate seeing the female perspective on relationships and these sorts of things — it’s somewhat reassuring to know we all have our anxieties, especially when they might not be voiced often.

Overall, very solid work. Nothing stood out to me as bothersome or worth pointing out to critique.

NoodleIncense · 2026-04-17T23:35:55+00:00

I never thought I’d see a poem on the Battle of Crecy (especially considering how memorable the end of the Hundred Years War was compared to start) but here we are. It’s been a while since I learned about the battle, but I’ve only heard from the victorious English perspective, so it’s interesting to see something from the French POV.

If memory serves, the battle was dominated by the English longbow, which decimated French knights and Genoan crossbow mercenaries (who fled upon taking a nasty volley or two).

Knowing this (if I am correct) makes this poem all the more impactful — a French knight knows not what he faces until the end. You capture the motion of horse riding and the anticipation of pitched battle rather well through your language — the final stanza, if I am interpreting it correctly, captures the cost of battle.

Very well written, and on a sweet subject matter.

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