At the end of World War II and long before the United States entered the war in Vietnam, France attempted to re-establish control over its former Southeast Asian colonies. From 1946 onwards the French army was actively engaged in suppressing the Vietminh communist factions in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to save French Indo-china.

The French propagandized this North Vietnamese 50 dong note by creating a facsimile in which the image of Ho Chi Minh was dropped from the front of the note. A crude picture of a peasant with a North Vietnamese banknote in his hand was substituted instead. The propaganda message left no doubt as to what he should do with it.

There are innumerable examples of the propaganda banknotes even used after the World War. Throughout Asia, various countries issued these propaganda notes. Duplicity and propaganda had been around since ancient times. One can use many things for the propaganda, but the most brilliant way to convey one’s message is to use a medium that is used by people on daily bases, a medium that can be easy without any kind of problem. Such a medium can only be paper money, the most favoured way to communication and a vehicle of propaganda also called Propaganda Banknotes.

Image Courtesy: realbanknotes.com