leftcenterrightdel
The stamps to be sold in India

The first-ever set of two commemorative postage stamps, designed by Vietnamese artists Nguyen Du and Do Lenh Tuan and their Indian peer Brahm Prakash, introduces Vietnamese and Indian ancient architectures, Pho Minh Pagoda and Sanchi Stupa.

Under repair many times, Pho Minh Pagoda (also known as Thap Pagoda) was originally built in Nam Dinh during the Ly dynasty and expanded in 1262 by the Tran Dynasty.

The 14-storey Pho Minh Tower reaches 20 meters in height and was built in vicinity of the pagoda in 1305. The tower's base and first floor were constructed with flagstones and the upper floors were built with bricks. Each storey is decorated with carved pictures of flowers, leaves, waves and clouds, a typical decorating style in the Tran Dynasty.

Sanchi Stupa, a Buddhist complex, was originally built by the Emperor Ashoka in the 3rd century BCE. Its nucleus was a hemispherical brick structure and it was crowned by parasol-like structure.

As planned, India Post will print 500,000 national and 500,000 international postage stamps as well as 100,000 smaller-sized ones, while Vietnam Post will issue 500,000 national and 500,000 international postage stamps. The 43 x 32mm and 32 x 43mm stamps are sold at VND 3,000 and VND 10,500 in Vietnam and 500 rupees and 2,500 rupees in India.

Source: PANO/VNA

Translated by Tran Hoai