FAMOUS CANAL: A new postage stamp celebrating the 200th anniversary of the completion of the construction of the Vĩnh Tế Canal in An Giang Province (1824-2024) has been released. — Photo courtesy of VNPost

AN GIANG — A new postage stamp celebrating the 200th anniversary of the completion of the construction of the Vĩnh Tế Canal in the Mekong Delta province of An Giang (1824-2024) has been released.

The stamp, published by the Ministry of Information and Communications and the province, features the portrait of Marquis Thoại Ngọc (1761-1829), who led the construction of the canal, and a diagram of the waterway system.

The stamp designed by painter Nguyễn Du of Việt Nam Post Corporation measures 66x26mm, and costs VNĐ4,000.

The construction of the 91-km long canal began in 1819 under the lead of Marquis Thoại Ngọc, whose real name is Nguyễn Văn Thoại.

The canal was dug parallel to the border between Việt Nam and Chân Lạp (now Cambodia), starting from the west bank of the Châu Đốc River in An Giang to the Giang Thanh River in Kiên Giang Province.

The canal was completed in 1824 and became an important irrigation work contributing to developing economic production and trade, and protecting Việt Nam's territorial sovereignty under the Nguyễn dynasty.

Today, the canal still plays an important role in the region, bringing water and fish from the Hậu River to agricultural land in the Long Xuyên Quadrangle in An Giang and Kiên Giang provinces and Cần Thơ city.

Lê Quốc Cường, director of An Giang’s Department of Information and Communications, emphasized that the Vĩnh Tế Canal was one of the great irrigation achievements of the Nguyễn dynasty. It reflected the ancestors’ intelligence, creativity, and strategic vision in developing economy, and protecting the country’s territory.

Cường added that the release of the stamp reminded people of Marquis Thoại Ngọc and the people’s devotion to building the canal, as well as promoting the cultural and historical values of the canal to domestic and international tourists.

The stamp is available at 63 postal offices in the country and will be used in the Universal Postal Union's 192 countries and territories until December 2025. —  VNS