The State Bank of Vietnam (SBV) recently sent its replies to voters’ opinions, including the one which suggested that the country’s notable leaders spanning various periods be portrayed on its smaller-denomination banknotes.

A voter in Long An province proposed that apart from printing the portrait of President Ho Chi Minh on large-denomination notes, the government should consider portraying leaders with recognizable merits on the remaining ones.

Regarding this issue, SBV said it would require careful consideration to make sure that the majority of the population is happy with the images, which are key in showcasing the country’s identity and building rapport with its people.

The choice of the portraits and pictures on the notes and coins is made by the Politburo. President Ho Chi Minh, one of the world’s greatest revolutionists and eminent scholars, who is held in high reverence by many generations of Vietnamese and foreigners, has been printed on the front of the Vietnamese notes and coins since 1945.

Printed on the back are the pictures depicting the Vietnamese army and people, landscapes, historical and architectural works and activities in constructing the country.

Meanwhile, a voter in Da Nang city suggested that a material other than polymer be researched and put into use. The new material should have higher printing quality and give finer, longer-lasting images. He explained that the currently used polymer notes are of poor quality, fade and become messy shortly after use.

Regarding this issue, SBV said that after being put into use since 2003 to replace cotton notes, polymer ones are considered to have remarkable advantages in durability and hygiene apart from being counterfeit-proof compared to their cotton counterparts.

However, polymer notes do have certain flaws: they have blander colors and the printed images are less raised than cotton ones.

SBV added that no matter what material the notes are made of, their quality will definitely get worse with use. Cotton notes easily get dirty, crumpled and tattered and need to be recalled after 20-44 months of use.

Though some of the images and patterns on polymer notes fade with use, they need to be replaced only after 5-7 years of use, SBV noted.

The bank added that in reality, small-denomination notes rarely return to banks and thus can’t be withdrawn and replaced often.

Between 2006 and 2012, SBV took the samples of polymer notes samples once or twice a year to analyze and assess their quality. Analyses found that polymer notes generally are on average 2.5-3 times more durable than their cotton counterparts.