Viet Cong Soldier of Liberation Order 2nd Class Medal & Ribbon Bar.
The Viet Cong Soldier of Liberation Order 2nd Class was awarded by the NLF to units as well as individuals who were notable for their outstanding achievements while in armed combat in the south. This particular order was established on September 23, 1963 and the inscription reads: CHIEN-CONG GIAI-PHONG (Armed Achievements Liberation). According to the Hanoi government, these medals, orders and decorations awarded by the Viet Cong are all official.

This Viet Cong Soldier of Liberation Order 2nd Class medal & ribbon bar is part of a great group of Viet Cong (VC) flags, decorations, memorabilia and personal items that belonged to soldiers and they were acquired in Vietnam by Mr. Jean Phillipe Martinet from Viet Cong veteran Dao Van Duc.

The collection contains many of the necessary personal items that a VC soldier would need while serving in the field including an enameled metal eating bowl with an attachment ring, two knives - one a belt knife the other a utility camp knife, two sets of chopsticks - one aluminum the other ebony, a homemade web equipment belt, two lighters, an oil lamp, a woven pith helmet, a selection of VC medals, a VC insignia, a VC newspaper dated 2 September 1968 and a VC propaganda booklet written on the Battle of Keh Sanh that was also dated 1968.

Many GI Bringbacks include paperback booklets but they are still relatively scarce in US collections and such booklets accompanied with a collection of personal equipment rarely leave Vietnam and are very rare in the West. They offer a valuable insight into the life of an average VC soldier and many of the belongings were notably made while on the battle field. The handle of the camp knife look as though they have been made from Plexiglas that was possibly salvaged from an American aircraft. The aluminum chopsticks were also likely salvaged from aircraft aluminum.

These medals were acquired while Mr. Martinet was employed by the French water company Lyonnaise des Eaux that specializes in sanitation and water services in local communities as well as industries in France and former French possessions. Mr. Martinet traveled often in the Ty Ninh area between 1989 and 1998 and befriended Dao Van Duc the Viet Cong veteran and his family.

No one is sure where Dao Van Duc actually served while he was with the Viet Cong but during the Vietnam War, a large semi-permanent US hospital - the 45th Surgical Hospital - was erected in Ty Ninh. It was established in 1966 and acted as a Medical Unit Self-Contained Transportable (MUST) unit but the hospital was the site of countless VC mortar and rocket attacks.

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
From 1989 to 1998 I was working in Viet Nam (Saigon) for a French Water Company and travelled often to the Tay Ninh area and the Cambodian border and had the opportunity to meet many VC and NLF veterans. All (4) items are guaranteed to be original, given to me by the VC veterans family from the Tay Ninh area:
1) One really scarce VC reed sun helmet, sweatband & four piece crown suspension 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 (leather); the knife measures 12 overall with a 7.5 blood grooved blade, (the) grip looks like ebonite, the leather sheath has a brass button grip restraint, broken, but complete; the knife is a jungle made one.
3) Three order(s) awarded by the NLF on display on a small stand (6,7 x 6,7) with above what its look(s) 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, yellow star sewn on both side(s), good used condition with some stains and small tears only on the low(er) border.
Thanks for looking and good luck in your bidding.

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

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