An Giang (VNA) – Inside a modest home in Thoai Son commune, the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, dozens of stamp albums are the treasured possessions of veteran philatelist Tran Huu Hue. To him, every postage stamp is a miniature page of history, preserving the nation's collective memory while connecting Vietnam with friends across the globe.
A passion that crosses borders
Hue's lifelong fascination with stamps began when he was just 14 years old.
"Back then, money was scarce, and buying a new stamp was a luxury," he recalled. After school, he would often visit the Long Xuyen post office or the local People's Committee headquarters, waiting for used envelopes to be discarded so that he could carefully cut out and save the stamps.
He soon realised that building a meaningful collection required connections with fellow enthusiasts. At first, he exchanged stamps by post with collectors across Vietnam. Later, a philatelist friend in Ho Chi Minh City introduced him to the Japan Philatelic Society, opening the door to an international community.
Joining the club was no simple task. Hue had to submit a membership application together with 400 Vietnamese stamps to Japan. Every form had to be completed in English, forcing him to painstakingly look up each unfamiliar word in the dictionary, particularly specialist philatelic terminology.
Not long afterwards, an envelope arrived from Japan containing a selection of beautifully designed stamps, an official membership card and a letter confirming his admission to the club. From then on, he became part of an international network of collectors, regularly exchanging stamps with enthusiasts around the world.
More than 2,000 rare stamps featuring President Ho Chi Minh
After more than six decades devoted to philately, Hue has amassed around 10,000 Vietnamese stamps and more than 300,000 international stamps from 60 countries and territories.
Over the years, he has completed 24 thematic collections covering subjects such as President Ho Chi Minh, Vietnamese women, folk culture, transport, the military, renowned historical figures and Vietnam's landscapes.
According to the man, completing a thematic collection requires far more than years of searching for rare pieces. Each stamp, genuinely postmarked envelope and supporting document must be carefully selected and arranged to tell a coherent historical narrative.
In 1998, he entered his collection, “Ho Chi Minh dep nhat ten nguoi” (Ho Chi Minh – the most beautiful name), in the 2nd national postage stamp exhibition in Ho Chi Minh City, where it won a bronze medal. The award marked the first official recognition of his many years of dedication to stamp collecting.
Three years later, in Hanoi, three of his collections on President Ho Chi Minh’s life and revolutionary career, Vietnamese women, and aircraft as means of transport all received medals.
For Hue, however, the greatest reward has never been the medals themselves, but the recognition of his efforts to preserve and share Vietnam's historical heritage through postage stamps.
Following the reunification of Vietnam in 1975, he began exchanging stamps featuring President Ho Chi Minh with collectors in the northern region. Later, through his international network and the Japan Philatelic Society, his collection was enriched by stamps and first-day covers issued by the former Soviet Union, Germany, Cuba, India, Laos and many other countries.
Today, his collection includes more than 2,000 stamps and postal covers bearing images of the late President.
Stamps affirming Vietnam's maritime sovereignty
Between 2010 and 2018, Hue mailed around 200 envelopes bearing stamps depicting the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos to collectors in numerous countries.
In each letter, he asked recipients to affix additional Hoang Sa and Truong Sa stamps to the envelope before sending it back to Vietnam so that it would carry the postmark of the country of origin.
To date, around 100 of those envelopes have been returned, from which he selected 77 representative items to complete a specialised collection.
Through the project, he goes global with the message that "Hoang Sa and Truong Sa belong to Vietnam". When the envelopes return bearing postal marks from different countries, they gain additional philatelic value and spread awareness of Vietnam's sovereignty over its seas and islands.
Over the years, Hue has displayed his historically significant collections at numerous domestic and international stamp exhibitions, earning a wide range of medals and awards.
In early 2026, the Vietnam Records Organisation (VietKings) recognised Hue and his wife, Vuong Thi Mui Em, for owning the largest collection of Vietnamese and international postage stamps covering cultural, historical and social themes that have participated in exhibitions and received numerous awards both in Vietnam and abroad.
Later that year, VietKings also honoured Hue for his 60-year journey of researching and collecting postage stamps, acknowledging his ownership of 24 thematic collections and his substantial contributions to the development of Vietnam's philatelic movement.
Despite the accolades, Hue remains committed to inspiring future generations. For many years, he has maintained local stamp clubs and regularly taken his albums into schools, where he introduces students to the stories behind each stamp. Through these tiny pieces of paper, he tells them about President Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam's national heroes, and places across the country and around the world.
He believes stamp collecting is far more than a hobby. It broadens knowledge, nurtures patience and meticulousness, and fosters a lasting appreciation of history./.
