The owner of the collection said that the banknotes “cover the foundation” in this province, when going to another province, they need to be stamped with the stamp of the Administrative Resistance Committee in that locality to be used.
For example, people carrying money from Long Xuyen to Chau Doc, want to use money in Chau Doc, they need to stamp the stamp of the Southern Administrative Resistance Committee in Chau Doc. Thus, more than 20 provinces have their own seals of the Administrative Resistance Committee there. In addition, depending on the situation of French colonial occupation of the area, money is also stamped and divided into three administrative levels: province, district and village.
Another special point, due to the scarcity of money in this historical period, when exchanging and buying without money to return (return), the Southern people tore money in half and quarter to make transactions. For example, the denomination of 100 dong was torn in half to 50 dong; 20 dong torn in half to 10 dong; 5 dong left 2 and a half… The pieces of money torn and stamped are still used as normal currency.
After Uncle Ho’s banknote appeared in the South, the money “backing the foundation” was burned and destroyed. Because they only appeared in the currency circulation in the South for regarding 4 years (1948-1952), it is very difficult to find these bills. However, Mr. Hiep’s collection of more than 200 “background” banknotes was sufficient for most of the southern provinces according to the administrative boundaries at that time.
As a person working in the field of UNESO, researching and preserving antiquities, Mr. Hiep assessed that the collection is alive with history, feeling the spirit of resistance through the slogans printed on the money. The set of money “backing up” was introduced to the State Bank (2006); participated in the exhibition 1,000 years of Thang Long (2010).
A coincidence, Huynh Minh Hiep’s great-grandfather was also an advisor in the old Southern Administrative Resistance Committee. Therefore, he is trying to preserve history through the above money collection and does not accept to sell it at any cost.
“I would like to find more seals of the Southern Administrative Resistance Committee. For decades, the seal has not been found. It’s like a part of family history associated with my great-grandfather’s image,” he said.
