Laos - Vientiane - Patouxai

Patouxai - Vientiane.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Patuxai (Lao: ປະຕູໄຊ, pronounced [pā.tùː sáj] ; literally Victory Gate or Gate of Triumph, formerly the Anousavary or Anosavari Monument, known by the French as Monument Aux Morts) is a war monument in Downtown Vientiane, Laos, built between 1957 and 1968. The Patuxai was dedicated to those who fought in the struggle for independence from France. In romanizing the name from the Laotian language, it is variously transliterated as Patuxai, Patuxay, Patousai and Patusai. It is also called Patuxai Arch or the Arc de Triomphe of Vientiane as it resembles the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. However, it is typically Laotian in design, decorated with mythological creatures such as the kinnari (half-female, half-bird). (read further)

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.

India - Tamil Nadu - Kanchipuram

Kanchipuram also known as 'the City of Thousand Temples', is located in the Tondaimandalam region of Tamil Nadu. Indians can be seen wearing emerald colour silk clothes during festivals and functions as a sign of royalty (read further).

Sent by Rajesh from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.

India - Karnataka - Manjirabad Fort

A star shaped fort was built by the ruler of Mysore, Tipu Sultan using French military architects in the Hassan district of Kanataka in 1792. The name jeshderives from the word Manjara which is a version of 'manju' meaning 'fog or mist' in Kannada (read further).

Sent by Rajesh from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India.

India - Kerala - Thangassery Lighthouse

Thangassery Point Lighthouse, first commissioned in 1902 is a 44m high circular masonry tower with red and white diagonal stripes is located about 4km from Ernakulam - Trivandrum rail route. The lighthouse, a beautiful relic of the British Empire, stands on a point of land near the ruins of Portuguese and Dutch forts (read further).

Sent by Rajesh from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Thanks for the beautiful stamps.

Laos - Vientiane - Sacred Heart Cathedral

Sacred Heart Cathedral also called Vientiane Cathedral is the name given to a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Vientiane. It was built in 1928. The temple architecture belongs to the neo-romanesque style and it has images of Saint Joan of Arc and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux (read further).

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.

Laos - Lao Airlines

Fly Lao Airlines

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

I flew from Hanoi to Vientiane (12th January 2025) and from Vientiane to Bangkok (15th January 2025) with Lao Airlines.

Lao Airlines State Enterprise (Lao: ລັດວິສາຫະກິດການບິນລາວ, Thai: รัฐวิสาหกิจการบินลาว) is the flag carrier of Laos, headquartered in Vientiane. It operates domestic and international services to countries such as Cambodia, China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand and Vietnam. Its main operating base is Wattay International Airport in Vientiane. It is owned by the Ministry of Public Works and Transport (read further).

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.

Southeast Asia - Mapcard of Upper Southeast Asia

Southeast Asia Map comprising the upper part; Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. It is quite surprising that Myanmar is not included here. ASEAN's stance towards Myanmar is that the consensus calls for an immediate end to violence, dialogue among all stakeholders, the appointment of a special envoy to support mediation and dialogue, allowing the delivery of humanitarian assistance from ASEAN, as well as allowing an ASEAN special envoy to visit and meet with all stakeholders in Myanmar.

I bought this postcard during my visit to Vientiane, the capital of Laos (12th - 15th January 2025). The stamp was cancelled at the Post Office (HQ) in Vientiane. All the postcards from Laos during this trip (except two Luang Prabang postcards) were brought home myself.

Note : Laos Post Office do not have variety of stamp(s). The cost for international postcard is Kip40,000.00. The Post Office only have Kip2,500.00 which value was upgraded (by red marking the stamp) to Kip40,000.00 on February 2024.

Vietnam - Forget Work. Drink Coffee

Coffee in Vietnam: A way of life!

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Fun fact: Vietnam is the world’s second-largest coffee exporter behind Brazil. A testament to the beans, there’s certainly a lot more to the local stuff than the usual lattes and cappuccinos! Explore Vietnam’s coffee culture with us and learn about the unique drink styles you must try (read further).

Vietnam - A Little Vietnam in Hanoi

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Vietnam - The Typical Market

VIETNAM : The typical market.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Vietnam - Harvesting Water Rice

Harvesting water rice. Sont la récolte du riz de l'eau.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Vietnam - Hanoi

Multiviews of Hanoi.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Vietnam - Sapa - Hmong Family

Traditional Black Hmong's house near green terraced rice field!!

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

The Hmong people, Chinese: 苗族蒙人) are an indigenous group in East Asia and Southeast Asia. In China, the Hmong people are classified as a sub-group of the Miao people. The modern Hmong reside mainly in Southwestern China and Mainland Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam, Laos, Thailand, and Myanmar (read further). 

Vietnam - Thê Húc Bridge

Thê Húc Bridge at Hoàn Kiếm Lake

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Thê Húc Bridge (Vietnamese: Cầu Thê Húc, chữ Nôm: 橋棲旭), is a footbridge over Hoàn Kiếm Lake within Hanoi, Vietnam.

In 1865, during the reign of Tự Đức, the scholar Nguyễn Văn Siêu commissioned a bridge connecting the bank of the river with the Ngọc Sơn Temple (Vietnamese: Đền Ngọc Sơn). He named it "Thê Húc" (meaning "the rising and perching sun"). (read further)

Vietnam - Hanoi

Multiviews of Hanoi.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Vietnam - Sơn Đoòng Cave

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Sơn Đoòng cave (Vietnamese: hang Sơn Đoòng, IPA: [haːŋ˧ ʂəːn˧ ɗɔ̤ŋ˨˩]), in Phong Nha-Kẻ Bàng National Park, Bố Trạch District, Quảng Bình Province, Vietnam, is the world's largest natural cave.
Located near the Laos–Vietnam border, Hang Sơn Đoòng has an internal, fast-flowing subterranean river and the largest cross-section of any cave, worldwide, believed to be twice that of the next-largest passage. It is the largest known cave passage in the world by volume.

Its name, Hang Sơn Đoòng, is variously translated from Vietnamese as "cave of the mountain river" or "cave of mountains behind Đoòng [village]".

As a solutional cave, it was formed in soluble limestone and is believed to be between 2 and 5 million years old (read further).

Vietnam - The Old Town Hanoi

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

The Old Quarter (Vietnamese: Phố cổ Hà Nội) is the name commonly given to the historical civic urban core of Hanoi, Vietnam, located outside the Imperial Citadel of Thăng Long. This quarter used to be the residential, manufacturing and commercial center, where each street was specialized in one specific type of manufacturing or commerce (read further).

Vietnam - Đà Nẵng

Multiviews of interesting places in Đà Nẵng.

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Da Nang or Danang (Vietnamese: Đà Nẵng, Vietnamese pronunciation: [ɗaː˨˩ n̪a˧˥ˀŋ]) is the fifth-largest city in Vietnam by municipal population. It lies on the coast of the South China Sea of Vietnam at the mouth of the Hàn River, and is one of Vietnam's most important port cities. As one of the country's six direct-controlled municipalities, it falls under the administration of the central government (read further).

Vietnam - Red Flag With Nón Lá

 

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Nón lá (chữ Nôm: 𥶄蘿; lit. 'Leaf hat') or nón tơi (𥶄𥵖) is a type of Vietnamese headwear used to shield the face from the sun and rain. It is a common name for many types of hats in Vietnam, but now it is mainly used to refer to cones with pointed tips (read further).

Vietnam - The Transporters

 

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Hong Kong - Victoria Harbour

The night view of Victoria Harbour

Sent Ah Si Lan from Hong Kong.

Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. The harbour's deep, sheltered waters and strategic location on South China Sea were instrumental in Hong Kong's establishment as a British colony in 1841 and its subsequent development as a trading centre (read further).

India - Kunbi Dance

Kunbi dance is a tribal folk dance of the Kunbi community of Goa that potrays social themes. The dance is simple in its presentation and is performed during various social occasions.

Sent by Abhay who sent this from Goa, India.

 

Kunbi, named after the indigenous farming community of Goa, traces its origins to the agrarian lifestyle prevalent in rural Goa. Historically performed by the Kunbi tribe during agricultural festivals and social gatherings, this dance form is a symbolic expression of gratitude for a bountiful harvest and a means of celebrating life's joys and challenges. The dance is characterized by its simplicity and rhythmic movements, reflecting the close bond between the people and the land. Over the years, Kunbi has evolved from a tribal ritual to a cherished cultural tradition, embraced by various communities across Goa (read further).

Germany - Wartburg Castle

Wartburg Castle.

Sent by Dagmar from Mühlhausen, Germany.

Wartburg Castle blends superbly into its forest surroundings and is in many ways 'the ideal castle'. Although it has retained some original sections from the feudal period, the form it acquired during the 19th-century reconstitution gives a good idea of what this fortress might have been at the height of its military and seigneurial power. It was during his exile at Wartburg Castle that Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German (read further).

USA - Arizona - Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument

 

ORGAN PIPE CACTUS NATIONAL MONUMENT DESERT IN BLOOM - ARIZONA
This national park was created in 1937 as a way to preserve a representative area of the Sonoran Desert. This new monument was part of a movement in the National Parks to protect not just scenic wonders but also the ecological wonders of the country. Over 75 years later, Organ Pipe Cactus is now one of the best preserved examples of the Sonoran Desert wilderness. A scenic drive, wilderness hike, or a night of camping will expose you to a living desert that thrives.

Sent by Jessica from Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is a U.S. national monument and UNESCO biosphere reserve located in extreme southern Arizona that shares a border with the Mexican state of Sonora. The park is the only place in the United States where the senita and organ pipe cactus grow wild.  Along with this species, many other types of cacti and other desert flora native to the Yuma Desert section of the Sonoran Desert region grow in the park. Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument is 517 sq mi (1,340 km²) in size. In 1976 the monument was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and in 1977 95% of Organ Pipe Cactus was declared a wilderness area (read further).

Vietnam - Hanoi Train Street

 

I bought this postcard during my trip to Hanoi (10th - 12th January 2025) and got the stamps cancelled at the Central Post Office in Hanoi.

Hanoi Train Street is a narrow train bypass in Hanoi which sees a twice-daily train pass close to buildings on either side of the tracks (the railroad tracks take up nearly the entirety of the "train street"). The track was built by the French in 1902 and is still an active rail line as of 2025 (read further).