This very old hand-carved wooden offset printing plate went out of use in Vietnam over 100 years ago. The Vietnamese language has been in existence as long as there have been Vietnamese people but it first became a written language during the 1,000-year period of Chinese occupation, 111 BC - 938 AD, so it was written using the Chinese characters, Chu nom, incorporated into this vintage plate. The modern latin alphabet, universally in use today in Vietnam, was first introduced to Vietnam in the 17th century but was only finally completely adopted for all written language use in Vietnam circa 1918. 12 3/4 x 7 3/4" (32 x 20 cm)