The General Postal Union was established on October 9, 1874 with 22 countries initially signing the Berne Treaty (Switzerland), later renamed the Universal Postal Union - UPU.

As the oldest specialized organization of the United Nations, UPU has now unified a postal network of 192 members. Vietnam declared its participation in UPU activities on August 23, 1976.

The year 2024 marks the 150th anniversary of the UPU. To acknowledge the achievements of the past 150 years and to reinforce its commitment to serving all peoples and nations in the coming decades and centuries, the UPU has launched a series of specific activities.

These include the announcement of the identity set commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the UPU; the announcement of the design of the postage stamp set commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the UPU; and recommendations for member countries to use the identity set to design and issue a stamp set commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the UPU.

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Vietnam's postage stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Universal Postal Union. Photo: Vietnam Post

To promote and raise public awareness of the role of postal services, on October 9, 2024, the Ministry of Information and Communications and Vietnam Post Corporation issued the stamp "Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the establishment of the Universal Postal Union (1874 - 2024)".

The postage stamp set commemorating the 150th anniversary of the UPU's establishment includes one 32 x 43 mm model, with a face value of 4,000 VND, designed by artist Le Khanh Vuong of Vietnam Post Corporation, based on the UPU's 150th anniversary logo.

Inspired by the origami design style, the central image of the postage stamp commemorating the 150th anniversary of the UPU's founding, artist Le Khanh Vuong used a triangular pattern with pink, blue and purple colors arranged in layers to form the image of a carrier pigeon - a typical image of the postal industry.

The stamp's background image is a globe symbolizing the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, demonstrating the UPU's commitment to building a strong and cohesive global postal network, helping member countries work closely together to provide the best postal services.

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Envelope of the first issue of the stamp set "Commemorating the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Universal Postal Union (1874 - 2024)". Photo: Vietnam Post

The stamp set "Commemorating the 150th Anniversary of the Universal Postal Union (1874 - 2024)" will be available on the postal network from October 9, 2024 to June 30, 2026.

Currently, stamp lovers at home and abroad can order online this commemorative postage stamp set and accompanying publications such as first issue day envelopes - FDC, live stamps with teeth, live stamps without teeth on the website VietnamStamp.vn of Vietnam Stamp Company under Vietnam Post Corporation.

This year, the 53rd UPU International Letter Writing Competition, a meaningful activity for young people around the world, also has a theme related to the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Universal Postal Union: “In the past 150 years, the Universal Postal Union - UPU has served more than 8 generations of people around the world. Since then, the world has changed a lot. Write a letter to future generations to talk about the world you hope they will inherit” .

As an active member of the UPU, Vietnam has also organized for students nationwide to participate in this contest, through which they can gain more understanding about the UPU and its mission of serving the people, as well as the valuable connection of the Universal Postal Union with the development of humanity.

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The postage stamp set commemorating the 120th anniversary of the founding of the UPU was issued by the Ministry of Information and Communications in 1994.

Previously, on the occasion of the 120th anniversary of the founding of the UPU, in August 1994, the Ministry of Information and Communications issued a stamp set "Commemorating the 120th anniversary of the founding of the Universal Postal Union" including 2 designs and 1 stamp block, designed by artists Tran The Vinh and Do Lenh Tuan.

The UPU international letter writing competition has been associated with many generations of Vietnamese students. Deputy Minister of Information and Communications Bui Hoang Phuong, Head of the Organizing Committee of the 53rd UPU international letter writing competition in Vietnam, emphasized: The UPU letter writing competition is a meaningful activity, associated with many generations of Vietnamese students.