Owner of rare horse stamps in Vietnam

Truong Hong Duc is a famous stamp collector in Ho Chi Minh City. His collection includes many rare horse stamps.

Passion and the spirit of learning are the basic things for each player to be able to pursue a long-term attachment to each hobby they choose. Truong Hong Duc, currently living in Ho Chi Minh City, is such a person. For him, stamps, though small, contain many stories on each envelope. Not only that, Truong Hong Duc also wants to spread his passion through his stamp book store in Ho Chi Minh City.

It is known that he is also a person who loves to collect horse stamps and owns a rare horse stamp collection. On the occasion of the New Year of the Horse, VOV online reporter interviewed him about this special hobby of collecting stamps.

Collector Truong Hong Duc

PV:As a long-time stamp collector, when did you become interested in stamp collecting?

Truong Hong Duc:Collecting stamps is also a destiny for me. Since I was a child, I have been fascinated by the small pieces of paper attached to the outside of each envelope or the image of old people selling stamps on the sidewalk. Later, when I participated in photography activities, my affection for stamps became even deeper because I realized that each stamp is like a beautiful photo. During the period of 1990 - 1991, relatives in France often sent me letters with very beautiful stamps printed on them. I often kept those stamp envelopes very carefully. In fact, at that time, I did not dare to think of myself as a stamp collector.

Around 2007-2008, the stamp collecting movement in Vietnam began to flourish but was still very difficult for many stamp lovers. At that time, a stamp catalogue was very expensive, only long-time or “premium” collectors could afford it. For small collectors like me at that time, I did not dare to dream of it.

After a while, online stamp sites and stamp forums were born, where many collectors regularly exchanged and stamp companies also paid more attention to promoting their products. From then on, my passion for stamp collecting expanded. I began to interact and have relationships with friends who also played with stamps, not only in Vietnam but also abroad.

PV:What theme do you choose to collect stamps? In your stamp collection, which set of stamps have you invested the most in?

Truong Hong Duc:Stamp themes are very diverse, but each collector will usually focus on a few themes according to their interests. Personally, I like to collect stamps, including images of Renaissance paintings, old Soviet paintings, etc.

Horse stamps are one of the stamp themes that collector Hong Duc especially loves.

In addition, there is a topic that I especially love, which is the topic of horse stamps. I was born in 1966, the year of the Fire Horse, so I am interested in horse stamps. There are some people who often like to collect stamps according to their age, and I am one of them. Horse stamps have been collected and kept by me regularly since 2007 until now. In particular, I love the image of a horse with a majestic appearance the most.

The third stamp theme that I also love is stamps about Vietnamese traditions. The first stamps I got in this theme were stamps about Uncle Ho, stamps about historical images of Vietnam. The first-day-issue stamps (called FDC for short) are also one of the focuses of my collection.

These two horse stamps are of the FDC type, in the Hong Duc collection.

PV:How many horse stamps are in your current collection?

Truong Hong Duc:I have collected horse stamps since I first started collecting stamps. Because I like horses and horses are my age. Moreover, I also work in software design, so I also like to draw horses. Every time I go somewhere and see a beautiful horse image, I buy it to keep or draw for fun.

At first, I collected whatever I liked, and my collection sometimes grew to hundreds and then thousands of stamps. But over time, as I became a seasoned collector, if I didn’t like any stamp in the collection or if another stamp caught my eye or I found it more valuable, I would exchange it.

Therefore, when referring to people who own stamp collections, there are two terms: stamp collectors and stamp collectors. People who have just started to own stamps, only have the concept of keeping, collecting, and buying stamps they like to bring home are called stamp collectors. Later, when the collection has more quantity, the stamps begin to be exchanged with higher value, the owner becomes the one who actively searches and exchanges, then they are called stamp collectors.

PV:As a person born in the year of the horse and who likes to collect horse stamps, can you tell us how horses in stamps are different from horses in other art forms such as ink paintings and horse racing paintings?

Truong Hong Duc:In fact, the horse on the stamp and in these types of paintings are no different. Because the image on the stamp itself is also an image from the painting.

In 1989, Vietnam issued a set of stamps with horse paintings by Xu Beihong, a famous Chinese artist. This collection is very popular with stamp collectors. In the world, many people are also interested in Xu Beihong's paintings. Meanwhile, China put Xu Beihong's paintings on stamps in 1978. When the stamp artist puts the horse in Xu Beihong's painting on the stamp, he has to redraw it meticulously, calculating to fit the size of the stamp. This is called the painting on the stamp, exactly like the painting drawn by the artist.

Some stamps in the stamp set printed with horse paintings by artist Tu Bei Hong

In addition, the horse on the stamp also has the image of a horse in folklore. The horse details in this genre are drawn on the stamp with the requirement that they must be beautiful and reasonable, true to the concept of horses in folklore.

PV:It is known that you have a stamp shop in Ho Chi Minh City. Switching from stamp collecting to stamp business, do you want to spread your passion to stamp lovers?

Truong Hong Duc:That's right. In fact, the hobby of collecting stamps is spreading widely in Vietnam as well as in the world. Because now, on some large forums or some websites trading and exchanging antiques, people have even included a stamp section to exchange a lot.

Among them, the buyers are mainly stamp collectors, and I see that many young people also participate. Even among my regular customers, there are people of young age, around 20 - 30 years old. There are even customers who are only around 10 - 15 years old, brought by their parents to the store to choose stamps.

I think it is very important. Because stamps have cultural, historical and artistic value. As a stamp collector from the early stages with many obstacles, I understand the difficulties of beginners and really appreciate the spirit of love and learning of young people like that. Therefore, I decided to open a shop as a place to exchange, interact and pass on my lifelong passion to the next generation.

PV:Thank you for sharing this./.

According to VOV.VN