Coin Viet Nam Tu Duc - 60 Van, 2nd Issue - 1871 / 1880

According to numismatist François Thierry, this coin belongs to the category of fiduciary currencies, that is, currencies whose value rests on the trust placed in the issuer rather than on the intrinsic value of the metal. In practice, it was intended to be exchanged for 60 zinc coins, which gave it a role as a practical monetary substitute in everyday transactions.

The reign of T? ??c (1847-1883), the fourth sovereign of the Nguy?n dynasty, was marked by profound political and military difficulties. The period during which this coin was issued corresponds to a particularly critical phase in the history of the kingdom: Vietnam was then facing growing French colonial pressure and had already ceded Cochinchina to France in 1862. State finances were weakened by the indemnities imposed following the Treaty of Saigon (1862), as well as by recurring internal unrest. In this difficult economic context, the use of fiduciary brass coins, intended to replace a large number of low-value zinc coins, illustrates the monetary adaptations implemented by the Nguy?n government in order to facilitate trade despite growing budgetary constraints.