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Indochina Campaign Commemorative medal
(Full Size Local Version, With Indochine clasp)
法屬印度支那戰役征戰獎章
(本土官方版, 附印度支那銘牌)
Item number: M140
Year: AD 1953
Material: Bronze
Size: 35.7 x 35.7 x 1.5 mm
Weight: 19.65 g
Provenance: Private Collector, France, 2022
This medal is the Indochina Campaign Commemorative Medal established by France on August 1, AD 1953. It was awarded to members of the French Far East Expeditionary Corps who participated in the Indochina War. (To be eligible, French and French colonial military personnel must have served for at least three months in the Indochina theatre of operations.)
The appearance of this medal is a circular bronze plaque. On the obverse side, there is a plaque inscribed with the French word “Indochine” (Indochina) in the centre of the medal, below which is a seven-headed cobra, and above is a three-headed elephant. Along the edge of the medal is engraved “REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE,” which translates to “French Republic.”
It is worth noting that this medal is a relatively rare locally manufactured version from Vietnam, produced by craftsmen from French Indochina. The design and text on the reverse side have been simplified, and the ribbon is accompanied by a clasp inscribed with “Indochine” to denote its origin.
The reverse side features an inscription reading “Corps Expéditionnaire d’Extrême-Orient,” translating to “French Far East Expeditionary Corps.” Additionally, a dragon clasp is visible at the connection between the medal and the ribbon, with the ribbon itself adorned in yellow and green.
During the Indochina War, particularly following the Battle of Dien Bien Phu, French combat personnel suffered severe casualties, with over ten thousand individuals taken as prisoners of war. Consequently, French legislators began proposing the establishment of a medal from around AD 1950 onwards, as a tribute to all individuals who served in this arduous conflict. Ultimately, in AD 1953, an ordinance was issued to establish the Indochina Campaign Commemorative Medal.
The Indochina War (AD 1945-AD 1954) was a complex and protracted conflict involving France and its colonial rule over the Indochinese Peninsula (including present-day Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia) and the resistance against French rule led by Vietnamese independence movement leader Ho Chi Minh and the Viet Minh.
After World War II, the Vietnamese independence movement erupted, with the Viet Minh led by Ho Chi Minh proclaiming the establishment of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam to resist French colonial rule. During the Cold War, China and the Soviet Union supported the communist forces of Vietnam, while the United States supported France. The scale of the war continued to escalate, with the Viet Minh’s armed forces strengthening and engaging in fierce battles with the French military. In AD 1954, a decisive battle occurred on the Dien Bien Phu Plain, resulting in the defeat of the French forces by the Viet Minh and ultimately leading to the signing of the Geneva Accords. This period of history also marked the end of French colonial rule in Indochina and the beginning of the Vietnam War.
Geneva Accords: According to the agreement, Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam, temporarily separated, with North Vietnam under communist control and South Vietnam becoming a US-supported anti-communist regime. However, this division led to the Vietnam War in the AD 1960s and AD 1970s, ultimately resulting in the collapse of the South Vietnamese government and the reunification of Vietnam.