Rice plant on French Union issue for Vietnam (1953)
Dublin Core
Title
Rice plant on French Union issue for Vietnam (1953)
Description
This was one of the last coin types that the French Union issued for Vietnam.
On the obverse, the coin shows three women, dressed in Vietnamese traditional clothing, including some version of ao dai (based on the collar) and khăn vấn (a traditional headpiece that is used to wrap the hair neatly around the head). The legend reads "Quốc Gia-Việt Nam" ("State of Vietnam"), with the year 1953.
On the reverse, the depiction of the rice plant takes up most of the surface. We can also see the denomination of the coin, which is 10 Su, and the name Việt-Nam. Here, the coin includes two important representations of Vietnam: the rice plant and the Su system. Rice has long been an indispensable agricultural product of Vietnam, playing a significant role in Vietnamese people’s everyday life and culture. Su, also known as Xu, was a recognized Vietnamese unit of currency that had its origin in the sou in France, but it had since then become part of the official currency system of Vietnam. Its official status is evident as, though it is no longer in use today, Xu is still now recognizable to Vietnamese people.
The iconography of this issue by the French Union illustrates the emerging identity of Vietnam in the French’s eyes. Whether they intended or not, using representations of Vietnamese symbols could also undermine their own presence in Vietnam. Retrospectively, this issue of coins signaled the weakening power of the French over the colony, which culminated in their defeat in 1954.
References:
Wikipedia. 2022. "Rice Production in Vietnam." Last modified May 25, 2022 (23 May 2022).
Wikipedia. 2022. "Khăn vấn." Last modified April 30, 2022 (23 May 2022).
Wikipedia. 2021. "xu." Last modified December 28, 2021 (23 May 2022).
On the obverse, the coin shows three women, dressed in Vietnamese traditional clothing, including some version of ao dai (based on the collar) and khăn vấn (a traditional headpiece that is used to wrap the hair neatly around the head). The legend reads "Quốc Gia-Việt Nam" ("State of Vietnam"), with the year 1953.
On the reverse, the depiction of the rice plant takes up most of the surface. We can also see the denomination of the coin, which is 10 Su, and the name Việt-Nam. Here, the coin includes two important representations of Vietnam: the rice plant and the Su system. Rice has long been an indispensable agricultural product of Vietnam, playing a significant role in Vietnamese people’s everyday life and culture. Su, also known as Xu, was a recognized Vietnamese unit of currency that had its origin in the sou in France, but it had since then become part of the official currency system of Vietnam. Its official status is evident as, though it is no longer in use today, Xu is still now recognizable to Vietnamese people.
The iconography of this issue by the French Union illustrates the emerging identity of Vietnam in the French’s eyes. Whether they intended or not, using representations of Vietnamese symbols could also undermine their own presence in Vietnam. Retrospectively, this issue of coins signaled the weakening power of the French over the colony, which culminated in their defeat in 1954.
References:
Wikipedia. 2022. "Rice Production in Vietnam." Last modified May 25, 2022 (23 May 2022).
Wikipedia. 2022. "Khăn vấn." Last modified April 30, 2022 (23 May 2022).
Wikipedia. 2021. "xu." Last modified December 28, 2021 (23 May 2022).
Creator
Nguyen Ngoc Lien
Citation
Nguyen Ngoc Lien, “Rice plant on French Union issue for Vietnam (1953),” Augustus in Saigon!?, accessed December 23, 2024, https://augustusinsaigon.uni-trier.de/items/show/249.