Vietnam VC Liberation War Exploits Order medal.
Viet Cong otherwise known as the "Republic of South Vietnam" Liberation War Exploits Order medals were awarded by the NLF to units as well as individuals for providing outstanding participation while in armed combat in the South, and this particular medal was established on September 23, 1963. The inscription reads: CHIEN-CONG GIAI-PHONG (Armed Achievements Liberation). The Hanoi government has awarded these medals, decorations and orders by the Viet Cong as official.
This Viet Cong Liberation War Exploits Order medal and ribbon bar is an important part of a special group of Viet Cong (VC), decorations, memorabilia, flags and personal items belonging to soldiers that was given to Mr. Jean Phillipe Martinet from Viet Cong veteran Dao Van Duc in Vietnam. As well as two VC flags, the group contains many of the ephemeral personal items a VC soldier would have needed while in battle including a enameled metal eating bowl with an attachment ring, two sets of chopsticks (one made from aluminum and the other made from ebony), a homemade web equipment belt, two knives (one belt knife the other a utility camp knife), an oil lamp, two lighters, a woven pith helmet, a VC insignia, a VC newspaper dated 2 September 1968, a selection of VC medals and a VC propaganda booklet about the Battle of Keh Sanh dated 1968.
While US collections do feature both trophy and GI Bringback VC decorations; such decorations accompanied by a group of personal belongings is rare as they don't usually leave Vietnam ensuring that they are uncommon in the West. These items offer an insight into the life of the average VC soldier and most of the equipment was made while on the battle field. The knives are interesting and both are believed to have been made in the field. The handles of the camp knife look like they were made of Plexiglas that could have been salvaged from an American aircraft. Similarly, the aluminum chopsticks also look like they were salvaged from aluminum from an aircraft. Like soldiers all over the world, merit is always rewarded and these decorations represent a very grateful nation.
Mr. Martinet was lucky enough to acquire these particular medals while he was working for the venerable French water company Lyonnaise des Eaux. The company specializes in water sanitation and services for local communities and industries in France and former French possessions. From 1989 to 1998 Mr. Martinet regularly traveled in the Ty Ninh area in Vietnam where he met and became friends with Viet Cong veteran Dao Van Duc and his family from Trai Bi, which is located in the middle of Tay Ninh and the Cambodian Border.
Ty Ninh is a city as well as a province in Vietnam. The town is located around 90 kilometers (54 miles) northwest of Hồ Ch Minh City, which is the capital and the largest city in Vietnam. Ty Ninh is well known for being the home of the Cao Di religion, which is a syncretistic, monotheistic religion. It is an indigenous faith in Vietnam that includes the teachings of major religions from around the world. The Cao Äi religious building the Holy See was built between 1933 and 1955, and is located around five kilometers to the east of the town centre in Ty Ninh.
Where Dao Van Duc served while he was with the VC is still a mystery but during the Vietnam War, we know that Ty Ninh was the site of large semi-permanent US hospital known as the 45th Surgical Hospital. This was a Medical Unit Self-Contained Transportable (MUST) unit that was originally established in 1966. Throughout its existence, it was the victim of numerous rocket and VC mortar attacks.
When the war ended, Dao Van Duc became a municipal official of the city council of Cu Chi, which is a suburb of Hồ Ch Minh City. It is also the nexus of the Viet Cong Cu Chi tunnel complex, which served as a major base of operations that the Viet Cong used during the Tet Offensive in January and February 1968.
This medal was awarded to a fallen relative of Dao Van Duc, who was a fellow VC soldier called Thao Pham. His medals and ribbon bars are pinned onto a white pad as white is the color of mourning in Vietnam. The medal is fixed onto a small red cloth shield shaped plaque that is topped off with a red Valley Flower. Stands or plaques like this one that include the name of the deceased, used to be accompanied by incense sticks as well as photographs that would be placed on a Vietnamese home altar and used during their mourning rituals.
In Vietnam, the dead are mourned by friends and relatives who come to pay their respects by standing in front of the altar and burning incense, while saying good-bye and quietly saying a prayer for person who has passed. Incense is burned every day on the alter as a token of respect and remembrance. Ancestor veneration is one of the most unifying aspects in Vietnamese culture, as regardless of religious affiliation (Buddhist or Christian); most Vietnamese houses will have an ancestor altar in their home. The red Valley Flower is a poppy and it is a symbol of wartime remembrance and are often used as an offering to the dead. These offerings and practices are often respected during traditional or religious celebrations and they are a hallmark of the emphasis Vietnamese culture places on filial duty.
Second Acquisition - eBay Sales Copy
All four items are original and were given to me (Mr. Jean Phillipe Martinet) by the VC veteran's family from the Tay Ninh area:
1) One really rare VC reed sun helmet, sweatband and four piece crown suspension that are made from olive green plasticized cloth with a white cotton backing, four aluminum vent grommets and one on the front.
2) One VC fighting knife and sheath made of leather. The knife measures 12 overall with a 7.5 blood grooved blade, the handle looks like ebonite, the leather sheath has a brass button grip restraint, broken but complete and the knife was made in the jungle.
3) Three order(s) awarded by the NLF on display on a small stand (6.7 x 6.7) with above what looks like a red flower and below a paper (dated 1968) with information about the veteran.
4) One NLF flag (45x 30) with one pole sleeve and a yellow star sewn on both sides. In good used condition with some stains and small tears only on the lower border.
Also included in the acquisition were:
a) Two photographs: one of Jean Phillipe Martinet and Dao Van Duc and one of Jean Phillipe Martinet and Dao Van Duc and family.
b) Two lighters: one a high quality French made Quercia Commodore brand lighter and one low quality Asian made Luc.Ky lighter.
c) One propaganda booklet about the Battle of Keh Sanh.
ZFC Significant Flag
Sources:
Ancestor worship, netHelper, May 29, 2012, From: nethelper.com/article/Ancestor_worship
Veneration of the dead, Religion Wiki, May 29, 2012, From: http://religion.wikia.com/wiki/Veneration_of_the_dead
Tay Ninh, Wikipedia, May 29, 2012, From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tay_Ninh
