This is a silver Third Class ” Bao Dai Merit Medal” established by the last emperor of the Nguyen dynasty, Bao Dai, in AD 1938, with a total of three grades.
The obverse of the medal features a central sun motif surrounded by decorative flames. Around the sun are six circles containing Chinese characters forming the phrase ” Dai Nam Hoang De Bao Jian,” with a pearl border embellishing the outer edge. On the central disk of the reverse side are the characters “Tam Hang” (Third Class), encircled by a five-clawed dragon along with flame and cloud motifs.
During the rule of the Nguyen dynasty, the region known as Vietnam today was referred to as “Dai Nam.” Prior to the Nguyen dynasty, Vietnam may have had a system similar to European medals, but there is a lack of precise records. It wasn’t until AD 1840, when the French arrived in Vietnam, that Europeans first documented the Nguyen dynasty’s court in Hue having a medal award system similar to the West.
In Vietnam, medals are locally referred as “Tien”, and in French as “Coin of honour,” due to their close resemblance to local currency coins. This is because Vietnamese currency systems were largely influenced by Chinese culture, with most coins made of copper or zinc with square holes. Precious metals like gold or silver were often crafted into rectangular ingots called “Nen” by the court or merchants, with the era name stamped in Chinese characters on top. In the 18th century, with a significant influx of Spanish and Mexican silver coins into the Far East, Vietnam initially continued the practiseof recasting them into “Nen” before gradually shifted to producing silver or gold “Tien.”
During the Nguyen Dynasty, the court would cast gold and silver into “Tiens” as honorary rewards or appeasements for civil and military officials. In addition to this, on special occasions such as the New Year, the Elder Worshipping Festival, or the emperor’s 50th, 60th, and 70th birthdays, “Tien” would also be awarded as commemorative and reward tokens. Recipients could wear them by threading a rope through the central hole of the “Tien,” often adorned with tassells at the bottom.
The grade of “Tien” could be roughly determined by the metal used. The highest grade, “Kim Tien” (Gold Tien), had four levels, initially made of real gold during the early Nguyen Dynasty but later transitioned to gold plating or basic metals. The next grade, “Ngan Tien” (Silver Tien), had three levels and was distinguished by terms like “Third Class,” sometimes only bearing the era name without additional markings.
Sometimes, recipients would only receive titles from the court and had to purchase “Tien” privately through informal channels. During the French colonial period, influenced by Western-style medals, “Tien” started to feature tricolour green-yellow-red ribbons with various colour combinations. “Tien” produced during the end of the French colonial rule often used casting techniques, resulting in a rougher appearance and reduced weight compared to earlier versions.
Bao Dại, as the last emperor of the Nguyen Dynasty, initiated a coup d’état in March AD 1945, declaring Vietnam’s independence from French domination and renaming the country the Empire of Vietnam. However, Vietnam faced internal political complexities, and in August of the same year, the Viet Minh launched the “August Revolution.” Faced with immense political pressure, Bao Dại abdicated the throne, and transferred power to the leader of the Viet Minh, Ho Chi Minh, thereby ending Vietnam’s imperial history.
Viet Minh: Vietnam Independent Allies Association, was a left-wing nationalist political alliance founded by the Indochina Communist Party on May 19, AD 1941, with the public purpose of ‘uniting all classes of people’ and the goal of establishing a Democratic Republic of Vietnam. Their aim was to work together to expel Japan and France, thereby achieving complete independence for Vietnam.”
