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`December 22, 2002 marks the tenth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Korea and Vietnam. Despite the relatively short history of diplomatic ties, the two countries have made significant advances in cooperation in such diverse areas as public administration, society and culture with an emphasis on economic collaboration. The rapid development of relations between Korea and Vietnam is primarily attributable to the two nations sharing similar cultural traditions and historic experiences and mutually complementary economic structures as well as the development potential of Vietnam. In commemoration of the tenth anniversary of forming diplomatic relations, Korea and Vietnam will issue a joint stamp on December 21, 2002 featuring the Dabo Pagoda and One Pillar Pagoda, both designated as cultural heritage in the respective nations. The stamp was jointly designed by Kim So-jeong of Korea and Hoang Thuy Lieu and Vu Kim Lien of Vietnam. Dabo pagoda Dabo pagoda stands east to the Daewoongjeon (Main Hall) of the Bulguk Temple in Gyeongju city, facing Seokga Pagoda to the west. These two stone pagodas were built during the era of the Unified Shilla Kingdom (mid 8th century) and were placed at the same site to follow the precept of the Beophwagyeong (the Lotus Sutra), which states that the「 past Buddha Dabo」 stands alongside the 「present Buddha Sakyamuni」 to prove the truth of his Buddhist sermons. The Dabo pagoda is the most spectacular and the oldest stone pillar among Asia``s Buddhist nations. This stone pagoda``s various ornamental features an overall resemblance to a wooden building with its stone staircases with guardrails on the four compass points of the platform, a perfectly harmonized structure of rectangles and octagons, and guardrails surrounding the actual pagoda, through all of which a balanced beauty is achieved. This masterpiece that is Korea``s representative pagoda has been designated as National Treasure No. 20. One Pillar Pagoda One Pillar (Mot Cot) Pagoda in Hanoi, Vietnam, was erected in 1049 and has a unique design in the shape of a lotus. According to legend, King Ly Thai To had a dream while praying to Buddha to give him a son. He soon had a son and the King ordered the construction of the pagoda that he saw in his dream. The pagoda is built on a four-meter stone pillar with a diameter of 1.2 meters in the middle of the square lotus pond named Linh Chieu. Inside the pagoda sits a statue of Buddha.`