Coins of Divided Vietnam: Understanding the Xu and Su

Illustrated Specimen Details: 5 Xu of the Republic of Vietnam (1975)

Example Specimen: 5 Xu, ND circa 1975 (Republic of Vietnam)

Authority & Design: This non-dated (ND) circulating coin was issued by the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) shortly before the unification of the North and South into a single state in 1976. The coin features a distinct round hole in the center. Looking at the reverse on the left, the design is predominantly agricultural and ornamental, displaying the numeral "5" flanked by stylized floral or crop motifs, with the denomination "NĂM XU" (five xu) inscribed along the top edge. Transitioning to the obverse on the right, the central hole is framed by the issuing authority's name, "NGÂN HÀNG VIỆT NAM" (Bank of Vietnam). Below the text, a highly stylized bird stretches its wings outward, while the explicit denomination "5 XU" sits at the very bottom.

1. VIETNAM (1945-present) — including North Vietnam, South Vietnam, and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: 100 xu (sometimes rendered as su) equal 1 dong

The linguistic origins of the xu: The name of the coin is a direct linguistic legacy of Vietnam's colonial past. Between 1858-1884, Vietnam became part of the French colonial possessions in Indochina. The local currency established by the colonial administration was the Indochinese piastre, which was divided into 100 fractional centimes. In traditional French monetary slang, a 5-centime coin was colloquially called a sou. The Vietnamese population adapted this term to their own phonetics, transforming "sou" into "xu". The alternative spelling, "su", simply reflects the southern Vietnamese dialect's pronunciation of the exact same term.

Historical Background of the Xu Denomination

The xu represents the smallest fractional denomination in the history of modern Vietnamese currency, witnessing the country's turbulent transition from a colonized territory to a unified socialist republic.

Early Independence and Division

The xu was officially introduced alongside the first national currencies issued after the declaration of independence in 1945. Following the division of the country, both North Vietnam (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (the Republic of Vietnam) developed their own independent monetary systems. However, both nations retained the dong as their principal currency and maintained the xu as its fractional unit, where one hundred xu equaled one dong.

The South Vietnamese "Su" Anomaly

The numismatic history of South Vietnam presents an interesting linguistic variation. During specific minting years, the government issued South Vietnamese SU coins. For example, in 1953 and 1960, coins were explicitly labeled as "su", while parallel issues in 1953 and 1963 reverted to the standard "xu" spelling. This interchangeability was driven purely by regional pronunciation variations rather than separate economic structures.

Reunification and Modern Obsolescence

In 1976, following the end of the war, the North and South were reunified into the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. By 1978, a single unified currency was established across the entire nation, the modern Vietnamese dong. Formally, this unified dong is divided into 10 fractional hao coins or 100 xu. While the xu theoretically remains part of the legal monetary system, extreme inflation in the late 20th century rendered all small-denomination coins completely obsolete. Today, the xu survives exclusively as an accounting unit and a highly collectible numismatic relic of the 1945-1975 era.