Ngoc Mai with "Cung Dan Bac Menh". Photo by VnExpress/Thoai Ha.

"Cung Dan Bac Menh" or Ill-fated Melody by painter Ngoc Mai appears on French "green letter" stamps. These are commonly used for non-urgent letters of less than 20 grams. The postage stamps are introduced at the "The Tale of Kieu and Its Translations" exhibition in Paris, as part of activities marking the great poet Nguyen Du's 255th birthday and commemorating his 200th death anniversary. The exhibition from September 12-26 also includes a set of stamps illustrated by German painter Claudia Borchers.