I found some great postcards at a shop called Little Cat Studio in the old city of Hỏi An, Vietnam. They have watercolor illustrations of Vietnamese food and life on the front, and are printed on soft, thick handmade paper. It wasn’t until a couple of days after buying them that I sat down to address the cards and noticed something strange. There was a small box indicating where the postage should go, and lines printed for the address … but those lines were on the opposite side of the card from what I would expect.
I’ve designed quite a few postcards over the years as a graphic designer and know that the US Postal Service has specific guidelines about where stamps, addresses, barcodes, etc. belong, so I was worried that my pretty postcards wouldn’t be successfully delivered. Before giving up all hope, though, I did a little bit of internet research and was assured that this setup is normal in Vietnam, that the USPS is used to it, and that I should feel confident that my mail would reach its destination.
So, I optimistically addressed each of the cards and took them to the Hoi An Post Office this week. There was no wait at the counter and after she saw my cards and asked “How many?” I responded, and she showed me the price on a calculator. We paid in cash and she handed me a bunch of stamps – the first time in awhile that I’ve gotten to apply the stamps and drop them in the box myself.
How much of a challenge will these postcards present to the automated systems at the post office? Will they need to sit in a pile of mail waiting to be looked at by a human? How long will that take? The average time for overseas delivery has, so far, been about a month.
Mailed: Feb 3, 2026
Received: TBD
Postcards each: 60,000 DNG
Postage each: 35,000 DNG
