This is an airmail stamp from South Vietnam, with a face value of 3.7 French Indochinese piastre.
The stamp was issued on 3 September, 1952. This was near the end of the First Indochina War. Following removal of the Japanese after World War II, the north of the country was controlled through China, with Ho Chi Minh as leader. The south was given over to the French, by the British who had fought the Japanese. The First Indochina War (1946-1954) was for control of the country between these two sides. Following the end of the conflict with effectively a draw, hostilities began again in 1955, known as the Second Indochina War. With increasing involvement by the U.S.A, it became known in America as the Vietnam War. It was known as the Second Indochina War in Vietnam.
Pictured is a Vietnamese dragon, which is a water dragon. The stamp was issued in commemoration of Wandering Souls Day.
Wandering Souls Day is celebrated on the 15th day of the 7th lunar month (22 August, 2021). On this day you pay your respects to those who have passed away.
Wandering Souls Day (Vu Lan Day) is also known as Trung Nguyen, the Ghost Festival.
Essentially the festival is a Buddhist commemoration like All Souls Day, or Dia de las Muertos.
On Wandering Souls Day, offerings of food are put out to honor and feed the material souls of the dead. Imitation money is burned as an offering to bring good fortune to their spiritual souls.
As part of the celebration, some float lights in a river to guide wandering souls toward nirvana.
The day is also a time to teach about karma, and respect for elders and how to live a moral life.
After Tet, the Vietnamese lunar new year (12 February, 2021), Vu Lan is the largest festival in Vietnam.
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