Trường Sơn money

Nguyễn Văn Mai, Vietnam Numismatics #3 (04-2018), p.3-8

After the Geneva Agreement of 1954, the Americans manipulated the government of Prime Minister Ngô Đình Diệm, abandoning the consultations for a general election to reunify North and South Vietnam.

After the government of the Republic of Vietnam was established, the revolutionary movement in South Vietnam was suppressed and suffered heavy losses. At this time, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN) resolved to supply aid to the southern revolution to restore and strengthen its forces. The overriding principle was to operate with utmost tact and absolute secrecy, preventing the United States from using the pretext of a DRVN "invasion" of the South to launch a military intervention in Vietnam. In early May 1959, Colonel Võ Bẩm was assigned the task of establishing a secret "Special Military Task Force" to open the Trường Sơn route to provide support to the Southern battlefield. The unit was established in May 1959, so it was designated Group 559. Khe Hỏ, located in a narrow valley southwest of Vĩnh Linh, was the starting point of the route crossing the Trường Sơn Range, in an extremely remote and rugged area.

The initial strength of Group 559 was 500 soldiers and officers, with Colonel Võ Bẩm serving as its commander. The group was organized into a foot transport battalion (Battalion 301, commonly referred to as Group 301) and support units responsible for warehouse construction, cargo packing, weapon repair, equipment maintenance, and other services. The ground transport force was mainly recruited from Division 305 of Interzone 5 troops, who had regrouped and were stationed in Phú Thọ. Most of the soldiers and officers were from Quảng Nam and Quảng Ngãi and were between 28 and 35 years old.

The "3 no" policy - "Move without traces, cook without smoke, speak without sound" - became an absolute rule of Group 559. On June 14, 1959, Group 301 was ordered to begin operations along the route. After two days of traveling by train to Hàm Rồng Station in Thanh Hóa, and continuing by transport truck, Group 559 arrived at the barracks of Division 325, southwest of Đồng Hới town. Here, the unit was "civilianized" and "localized" in all lifestyle aspects, by switching to local civilian clothing, wearing tire sandals, replacing backpacks with rattan baskets, and so on. To ensure maximum secrecy, all of the unit's weapons and essential gear were old models left over from the French colonial era. After reviewing all preparation steps and reinforcing determination, the commander of Group 301 ordered the advance into the Trường Sơn Range, opening a campaign to establish a supply route supporting the Southern battlefield. On August 20, 1959, soldiers of Group 301 carried supplies on their backs through forests and over mountains, successfully delivering the first shipment, consisting of 20 Thompson submachine guns, 20 MAT rifles, and 10 crates of ammunition for submachine guns and rifles, safely to Tà Riệp (Thừa Thiên - Huế), greatly encouraging the soldiers and officers of Interzone 5.

With the consent of the Lao side, in mid-1961, Group 559 expanded its operations from the Eastern Trường Sơn route by opening an additional supply route along the Western Trường Sơn, running along the Vietnam-Laos border. After this highly important special border route, the unit opened Route 129, the third corridor, which used motor transport and crossed two major rivers, the Xe Pangkong and Xe Pangkhiang, in Laos.

In addition to the three main transport corridors, from 1961 to 1964, Group 559 opened additional east-west routes to strengthen support for the Southern battlefield and to assist the neighboring countries of Laos and Cambodia. At this point, the Trường Sơn route system had become a strategic supply network, growing significantly in both manpower and operational importance. The official strength of Group 559 at this time had increased to 24,000 men. In addition, there was support from reinforced engineer units participating in route construction, Vietnamese volunteer units coordinating with Pathet Lao forces to hold newly liberated key areas in Laos, youth volunteer forces, frontline laborers, and marching units passing through the route to reinforce the Southern battlefield. In total, the number of personnel operating along the entire route reached 60,000. At this time, logistics support work required improved and upgraded management measures to match the rapidly increasing number of personnel in operation.

In the early period, the troops had to take care of their own cooking and daily needs while on the move. Food supplies always had to be carried as personal reserves. Gradually, logistics support along the routes was organized into communication stations (later upgraded to military transport stations), with each station located about one day's march apart. Passing through each communication station, the troops could rest, turn in a meal coupon for a meal, and then receive packed rice to carry with them on the march to the next station.

Food supplies for the troops were very scarce, as they had to be transported by pack baskets and bicycles, and little remained by the time they reached the route. To comply with the "3 no" policy, the use of firearms to hunt wild animals for additional food was strictly limited. Conditions along the trail were incredibly harsh. The official meal allowance of 0.98 đồng per person per day in meal coupons was often little more than a formality. Sometimes, they had only a handful of rice for the whole day, and in some meals they ate only wild roots and forest bamboo shoots. In the later period, the supply of food rations and foodstuffs was relatively sufficient, but the route had been discovered by the enemy and was heavily attacked and destroyed. Some stations were bombed by the enemy before meals could be cooked, and because of mission requirements, the soldiers could not stop to wait for a meal at the station. When logistics stations were hit by bombs, soldiers were left with only roasted rice and dry rations carried with them.

Besides food, essential supplies for the troops were also not provided regularly or in sufficient quantities, and were often distributed uniformly regardless of actual needs. Stations issued whatever supplies they had available, while marching units, fearing they might not receive them again for a long time, would accept whatever was offered. Distribution was both insufficient and overlapping, leading to situations where one unit had enough sweets to last a month, while another had nothing but pipe tobacco throughout the year. No wonder that nearly every soldier became an expert at smoking the heavy rustic tobacco. The smoke drifted from their mouths like a flock of dragons winding through the air, and the crisp crack of the water pipe echoed like mothers tickling their children's bellies, a sound that delighted the ear and swept away the weariness of the long, difficult march... Logistics support lacked proper methods for managing and distributing supplies, and there was no system for tracking and making up shortages to ensure troops received their full food and living allowances. Bookkeeping by the units, based on meal coupons, no longer accurately reflected the financial situation of the troops along the route.

Furthermore, the troops along the route were from diverse backgrounds. Apart from some young soldiers receiving allowances, most officers and soldiers were married and already on salary; after joining the route, they also received additional field duty allowances. At this time, the special financial task was to find measures to ensure stability for both the front line and the rear for the officers and soldiers of Group 559; to ensure that troops along the route had enough food and clothing, while still allowing part of their salary to be sent back home to support their families.

In April 1965, Comrade Nguyễn Văn Chu, who was serving in a unit under the Finance Department of the Ministry of National Defence, was sent to the route and appointed Head of the Finance Section of the 559 Command. His first priority with the Finance Section was to establish regulations and guidelines for troops to deduct part of their salaries and send them to their families via postal service. To carry out this task, Group 559 set up a rear finance office at Station 63, Lý Nam Đế Street, Hanoi.

Next was how to ensure that troops along the route received and used the full standard recorded on their meal coupons and other daily necessities; if the full amount was not available at present, it had to be compensated later. Therefore, a form of document or voucher system was needed to serve as a basis for ensuring compensation and additional supply distribution to the troops.

In May 1966, Comrade Nguyễn Văn Chu was sent to Hanoi to report to the Finance Department and the General Department of Logistics on the irrational use of meal coupons along the Trường Sơn route and to propose a new type of voucher to replace them. With the approval of the General Department of Logistics and the Finance Department of the Ministry of National Defence, Comrade Chu was then assigned to work with the State Bank of Vietnam.

Using standard currency was naturally very convenient for daily spending, ensuring the entitlements and benefits of officers and soldiers, and facilitating smooth auditing and settlement with superiors. However, under the conditions of intense war, with operations spread across vast and rugged mountainous forest areas, transporting cash would face countless difficulties. Furthermore, the number of troops operating along the route was constantly changing, so to meet needs in all situations, a reserve amount of cash had to be kept in the Trường Sơn area. Keeping a large amount of money idle in the Trường Sơn area would directly affect the entire national economy... The Governor of the State Bank of Vietnam agreed to print and issue within Group 559 a type of "military canteen stamp" with a value equivalent to the Vietnamese đồng issued by the State Bank of Vietnam.

At the end of June 1966, the military canteen stamps were introduced in four types, differing in color and size. They were printed uniface with clear designs. At the top was the large words "TRƯỜNG SƠN", below it another large inscription "PHIẾU BÁCH HÓA" (general store coupon) in two rows, and at the bottom were four denominations: 1, 2, 5, and 10, corresponding to 1, 2, 5, and 10 đồng issued by the State Bank of Vietnam. Small repeated inscriptions reading "Thật thà khiêm tốn phục vụ tốt" (Honest, modest, and good service) were microprinted across the background, like slogans reminding Trường Sơn personnel to always carry out their duties with dedication. Military canteen stamps were known and referred to as Phiếu Bách hóa Trường Sơn (Trường Sơn general store coupons.

This type of coupon was reserved exclusively for Group 559 and for troops marching or serving along the Trường Sơn route, including the routes running through Laos and Cambodia. Serving as legal tender in theater, the coupons were distributed monthly directly to soldiers and officers based on their respective pay grades and allowances. The notes could be spent on canteen goods and daily necessities, bartered among personnel, or used to pay for meals at Group 559 logistics bases. When first introduced, all soldiers and officers were instructed to use the General Store Coupons in place of North Vietnamese currency according to the denomination printed on each coupon. Troops entering the route who still carried North Vietnamese currency would exchange it for Trường Sơn General Store Coupons for use along the route. The General Store Coupons were managed and used in circulation just like regular currency, so they were also called Trường Sơn Money.

In the book Military Logistics Memorabilia^[1], there is a passage: "... Receiving a memorabilia item from Major General Tô Đa Mạn, former Deputy Director of the General Department of Logistics. ... He spent more than ten years serving on the Trường Sơn route in various positions: Deputy Commander and Commander of Regiment 98, Deputy Commander of Military Transport Station 37, and with Division 470 and Group 559. His duties included directly fighting the enemy, opening and securing the strategic transport route, transporting weapons, providing manpower and supplies to the B2 and B3 battlefields, and assisting the revolutionary movements in Laos and Cambodia... He was issued several Trường Sơn General Store Coupons by his unit as travel funds, including one with the denomination 5".

When personnel left the route and returned to the North, any remaining Trường Sơn Money could be exchanged for bank currency at two locations: Cự Nẫm, Bố Trạch District, Quảng Bình, and 3 Lý Nam Đế Street, Hanoi. After collecting the Trường Sơn Money, these two offices packaged it and sent it back to Trường Sơn for continued use.

In the book 65 Deep Memories of the Finance Sector^[2], there is a passage recorded from the account of Colonel Vũ Mạnh Hùng, former officer of the Finance Department of the Ministry of National Defence: "... To save expenses and use supplies rationally, by 1972, on my way home on leave, passing through Làng Ho (Quảng Trị), I exchanged all my Trường Sơn Money and received 450 đồng in North Vietnamese currency. That sum was nearly enough to cover the entire cost of my wedding, which turned out to be one of the grandest celebrations the village had ever seen".

There is an anecdote about the early Trường Sơn currency on the route, told among the young finance officers of Group 559. One day, in the command bunker, a young orderly returned to the commander the allowances for the past few months that the commander had not yet used. Staring at the unfamiliar coupon with its rather sensitive name, the commander barked: "What the ... is this?" The young orderly, confused and frightened, replied: "These are your Trường Sơn General Store Coupons, Sir!" "Where did this come from?" "From the Finance Section, Sir." "Call Finance in here, now!"

A finance officer with a worried look on his face followed the orderly inside. The commander pointed and shouted: "What is this?"

The officer reported firmly: "Reporting, Sir! Trường Sơn General Store Coupons!"

Bang! The teacups rattled and clinked, then fell under the table and shattered into pieces. "Have you completely forgotten about military secrecy?!"

[1] Những kỷ vật hậu cần quân đội. NXB Quân đội Nhân dân, 2014, pp. 153-154.

[2] 65 kỷ niệm sâu sắc về ngành Tài chính. NXB Tài chính, 2010, p. 127.