5000 Dong (front) / 2000 Dong (back) VND #564

Front

Industrial hydroelectric facility with dam, power transmission towers, and construction cranes. This scene represents Vietnam's post-reunification industrialization and infrastructure development efforts, particularly the expansion of electrical power generation capacity in the 1980s. The denomination shown is 5000 Dong with the text 'NAM NGHIN DONG' (five thousand dong) partially visible beneath the holder's fingers.

Back

Ho Chi Minh (1890–1969), Vietnamese revolutionary leader and founding president of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam). He led the Viet Minh independence movement against French colonial rule and later guided North Vietnam during the Vietnam War; he is the most frequently depicted figure on Vietnamese currency and is regarded as the father of modern Vietnam. The denomination on this side is 2000 Dong (HAI NGHIN DONG), and the national emblem of Vietnam appears at left.

History

This note exhibits a denomination mismatch between front (5000 Dong) and back (2000 Dong), which is highly unusual and indicates either a mismatched pair of notes from different denominations or a significant printing error. The front matches the 1987–1991 cotton-fiber series 5000 Dong notes which featured industrial themes emphasizing socialist economic development. The back matches the 2000 Dong denomination from the same series. Both denominations were demonetized during the 1985–1991 currency reforms as Vietnam transitioned from the old dong to the new dong, combating hyperinflation that had devastated the currency. The serial number 'GM 1267081' is visible on the back. Without being able to examine both notes separately, it is impossible to determine which denomination this actually represents, though the physical mismatch strongly suggests these are two different notes photographed together rather than a single genuine banknote.