SASE's from my Indochina Trip

These are the covers that I managed to send myself when I visited the post office during my trip. I usually send myself covers when I travel (even internally) so that I can gauge the time it takes for transit; it's really amazing when sometimes the letter is already in your mailbox when you get back from a (no-so-long) trip! I also send myself covers for the stamps and the frankings. I usually enjoy receiving these more than I do buying those other souvenirs when I go abroad.

Việt Nam
VIETNAM

ราชอาณาจักรไทย
THAILAND

ព្រះរាជាណាចក្រកម្ពុជា
CAMBODIA

Chinese New Year Covers

2008 Olympics

So, it's already 2010 and I still have some scans from 2008 that I haven't posted. Not a good sign. Well, anyway, I thought I might share these scans of some covers I received with the 2008 Beijing Olympics as the theme. Some are FDCs while others are just regular covers.

The Beijing Olympics was one of the reasons why I finally decided on visiting Beijing in 2008. On top of the fact that everything would be in tip-top shape and that the city would be manicured to perfection (you can always count on the Chinese government when it comes to making a presentation), I thought it was high time that I visited the famed Great Wall. I also visited Shanghai on this trip and took the 12-hour overnight train from there to Beijing.

I must say that I liked both cities and hope to one day return. I also plan to maybe hike portions of the Great Wall. Want to join? :-)

This cover uses the official FDC, but it was not sent on issue date. My friend just used the FDC envelope but sent the cover much later, which I think is okay. At least I have the FDC envelope.

This cover has the complete set of Russian Olympics stamps, but my friend Alexander decided to use a commemorative cover instead of a regular envelope. The cancels have a special design, but not the Olympics FDC cancellation.

Because I like covers sent directly to my address, I asked my friend Andrzej to sent me the FDC even after the day of issue. Thankfully, Poczsta Polska allows for the sending of FDCs even after day of issue, like in the Philippines. So, strictly speaking, this is not an FDC, but it does use the official envelope and it h asthe official cancellation, which is good enough for me.

Unfortunately, the only real FDC I have does not have an official FDC envelope because Korea Post does not issue them.

While there is no indication on the cover, this was actually sent to me after the day of issue with the special cancellation. There are just no other postmarks or markings to indicate this. There is a boxed chop on the upper right hand side because this cover was "received in bad order" at the Central Mail Exchange Center in the Philippines. In fact, the cover was covers in strips of tape that attempted to "seal" the small tears found themselve on the low quality paper of the envelope as it was handled.

This cover does not have the complete set and was actually not sent through the mail system although it looks like it was. My friend Alberto initially planned on sending the FDC direct to my address, but he seemed to have a problem. I think it was that the stamps did not fit on the cover and the postal clerk wouldn't let him attach extra postage onto the reverse, or something like that.

Việt Nam - France Joint Issue

Issued 15 Oct 08, this Vietnam-France Joint issue features beautiful scenery from both countries.

The stamp on the left shows the Strait of Bonifacio, which lies between Sardinia in Italy and southern Corsica in France. The little town shown in the stamp is meant to represent Bonfiacio, the sourthernmost French town.

The stamp on the right shows none other than Ha Long Bay, located off the coast of northern Vietnam. This iconic bay is home to numerous limestone formations that jut out of the water in a truly magnificent array of mountain-like structures. These are truly a wonder of nature and have been in the UNESCO World Heritage list since 1994. Vietnamese legend has it that these formations were caused by a dragon descending into the sea and struggling, thus causing the carving in the rock formations. Aptly, "Ha Long" means "Descending Dragon" in Vietnamese.

Việt Nam

Another beautiful cover from Vietnam. The stamps on the upper left which depict what seems to be a rally with people holding up the Vietnamese flag probably commemmorate Vietnamese independence from France on 2 Sep 1945. The stamps were issued in 2006.

The yellow stamp with the horse celebrates Tết, the Vietnamese new year, which is based on the lunar calendar. This stamp was issued in 2002.

The blue stamp on the extreme right has an inscription in Vietnamese, so I cannot really tell what it celebrates, but it evidently is celebrating the 50th anniversary of something that happened on 10 Oct 1954. This stamp was, of course, issued in 2004.

The brown stamp under the Independence stamps probably pays homage to an important scribe or writer who lived (or maybe wrote?) from 1870-1907. This stamp was issued in 2007, porabably celebrating 100 years of whatever it is that is being celebrated.

The last stamp on the bottom shows a cock fight, which is also very common among the masses here in the Philippines. Perhaps it is also a favorite pastime of many Vietnamese? This stamp was issued in 2000.

The cover was sent from Tan Son Nhat, in Ho Chi Minh City, the capital, on 05 March 2008.

There was also a very nice meter franking on the reverse to pay for due postage. The clarity of the marking makes it absolutely exquisite. The purple franking on the left is a backstamp applied at the Central Post Office of Quezon City, Philippines.

Việt Nam

Here's a nice little cover from Vietnam with a colorful M/S of jungle fauna. I couldn't find any info on this one and everything is in Vietnamese, so I really know nothing more than what I can conclude and suppose... But I do know that the stamps were cancelled an 01 Feb 2008 at Tan Son Nhat, Ho Chi Minh City. I guess that's a given! :-)