Issuance of "Squirrel" stamp set featuring species listed in Vietnam's red book
The Ministry of Science and Technology issues the "Squirrel" stamp set introducing typical Vietnamese squirrel species that are recorded in the Red Book.
Vietnam is a country with a high level of biodiversity, ranked among the world's most biologically rich nations. This abundance is reflected in the large number of animal, plant, and microorganism species living in various natural ecosystems.
Among these, the Squirrel family (Sciuridae) is one of the most common groups of small mammals found throughout Vietnam's mountainous regions, from the deltas and midlands to the highlands, playing a crucial role in the ecological balance of the forests.
To honor the beauty of Vietnamese squirrel species and contribute to raising community awareness of nature conservation, spreading the message of biodiversity preservation, love for nature, and aiming towards a sustainable living environment, the Ministry of Science and Technology is issuing the "Squirrel" stamp set featuring representative Vietnamese squirrel species.
These are squirrel species currently listed in the Vietnam Red Book, reflecting the risks of population decline due to habitat loss, logging, and hunting.
Using a realistic artistic style combined with a lively design approach, the stamp designer Nguyen Phu Cuong has depicted the morphological characteristics and typical habitats of each species, celebrating the wild beauty of Vietnamese nature.
The stamp set comprises 4 stamp designs with face values of 4,000 VND, 4,000 VND, 6,000 VND, 10,000 VND and 1 block of 15,000 VND, illustrating the characteristic morphology and habitat of each species.
Specifically, the first stamp design features the spotted giant flying squirrel (Petaurista elegans), which is one of the largest and most beautiful flying squirrels, boasting a reddish-brown coat blended with golden-yellow and bright, star-like patterns on its back. They inhabit the mountainous regions of the North, the Central Highlands, and some areas of pristine humid tropical forests such as Lam Dong, Kon Tum, Nghe An, Lao Cai, Son La, etc. They are nocturnal, live in high trees, feed on ripe fruits, seeds, and young leaves, and possess a membrane of skin connecting their limbs to glide flexibly between tree canopies.
This species is now extremely rare due to shrinking habitat and sharp population decline in recent years.
Meanwhile, the second stamp design features the red-cheeked flying squirrel (Hylopetes spadiceus), a small, palm-sized squirrel that is usually active at dusk. With glossy black eyes and soft dark brown fur, the small flying squirrel symbolizes the delicate beauty of the tropical forest. This species is distributed in the Central Highlands and the South, but is under great pressure from deforestation and hunting.
The third stamp design features the black-white flying squirrel (Hylopetes alboniger), distinguished by its strong contrasting coat color - black back, white belly, and white ear fringes - a dynamic species often found in pristine forests from North to South. However, due to the conversion of forest land, logging, and hunting for food, the population of this species has significantly declined recently.
The fourth stamp design features the hairy-ear flying squirrel (Belomys pearsonii), which possesses a unique beauty with long tufts of hair on its ears and soft silvery-gray fur. This species usually lives in pine and mixed forests in high mountainous regions, where the climate is cool year-round. The habitat of the hairy-ear flying squirrel is being reduced due to logging and hunting, causing the number of individuals to continuously decrease.
The stamp block features the Hon Khoai squirrel (Callosciurus honkhoaiensis), a species endemic to Hon Khoai Island (Ca Mau), only described in 2018. They have a shimmering golden-brown coat and a long, bushy tail, living in a narrow range of only about 4 km² on the island. The species' habitat is being affected by infrastructure development and tourism activities, thus requiring strict protection.
The stamp set has a stamp format of 43x32mm and a block format of 75x90mm, and will be supplied on the postal network from 8 December, 2025, to 30 June, 2027.
Previously, Vietnam Post issued stamps on squirrel species such as the flying squirrel (MS 413, issued in 1965); the red-bellied squirrel (MS 901, issued in 1976); the giant flying squirrel (MS 2474, issued in 1992); and the red-bellied squirrel (MS 2836, issued in 1997)./.
Translated by Vietnam Journal of Science and Technology (VJST - MOST).