The bank’s Publishing and Treasury Department also asked Vietnam Machinery Erection Corporation (Lilama) to confiscate all notes it had printed and submit a report on all aspects of the printing..

According to the department, Lilama late last month printed hundreds of notes vaguely resembling the Vietnamese dong, though they did not contain the trademark picture of President Ho Chi Minh, with printed values of between VND1-5 million.

Though some of the toy bills did contain similar details to some official Vietnamese notes, they were all emblazoned with Lilama’s logo and a statement that said “The money is valid only for the Lilama party”, the agency said.

In an interview with local newswire VnExpress, Nguyen Le Van, deputy head of the corporation’s human resources department, said the 600 notes were planned for use in an auction game with prizes like snacks, a DVD player and mobile phones.

He said the company wasn’t aware that it was illegal to print such notes.

VietNamNet/Thanh Nien/Tuoi Tre