Postmarks of Indochina’s Railroads and Promotion of the Indochina Railroad Hardcover – February 4, 2025

This book is the history of railroads in Indochina.As early as 1873, colonial authorities invited bids for constructing and operating an urban railway that would connect Saigon with Cholon. After various misstarts, the Saigon-Cholon “high road” tramway opened to the public on 27 December 1881. Concurrent with tramway construction, plans were created for the colony’s first railway. The Saigon-Mytho Line opened to the public on 20 July 1885.After those successful efforts, plans proliferated around Indochina for railroads to take advantage of access to agricultural products and natural resources. Several government-run construction projects were supplemented with concessions granted to companies to build and maintain rail sections, with a portion of profits going to the government. Indochina’s golden age of railroad construction culminated with the completion of the Trans-Indochina Railway on 2 September 1936.This exhibit is arranged geographically according to regions and the directions of rail lines extending from the major cities. Postmark types and periods of use are identified. Read more