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.

物件編號: M140

年代: 公元 1953 年

材質: 青銅

尺寸: 35.7 x 35.7 x 1.5 mm

重量: 19.65 g

來源: 法國私人收藏 2022

此枚獎章為法國授予的印度支那戰役征戰獎章，此獎章於公元1953年8月1日設立，頒發給參加印度支那戰爭的法國遠東遠徵軍成員。(在印度支那戰區服役3個月或以上的法國和法國殖民地軍隊)

此獎章的外觀為圓形銅牌，獎章正面有一個匾額，寫有法文「印度支那Indochine」，匾額下方為一條七頭眼鏡蛇，上方則為一隻三頭象。沿著獎章邊緣刻有「 REPUBLIQUE FRANÇAISE 」的字樣，意為法蘭西共和國。背面則刻有法文「Corps Expéditionnaire d’Extrême-Orient」，為遠東遠征軍的意思。圓形獎章與綬帶連接處還有一條龍的圖樣，綬帶的顏色為黃綠相間。

值得注意的是，此枚獎章屬於較罕見的本地(越南)製造版本，由印度支那的工匠製作，背面的圖案與文字都經簡化，並在綬帶上附有「Indochine 印度支那」的銘牌。

在印度支那戰役，特別是在奠邊府戰役後，法國戰鬥人員遭受了嚴重的傷亡，並有超過萬人被俘虜。因此，自公元1950年起，法國議員們開始提議設立一枚獎章，以向參與這場艱辛的戰鬥的各人員致敬。最終，於公元1953年頒布法令，設立了印度支那戰役征戰獎章。

印度支那戰爭(公元1945年至公元1954年)是一場複雜而長期的衝突，牽涉到法國及其殖民統治下的印度支那半島(包括今天的越南、寮國和柬埔寨)與反抗法國統治的越南獨立運動領導者胡志明領導的越南獨立同盟會(越盟)之間的對抗。 

在二戰結束後，越南獨立運動爆發，由胡志明領導的越南獨立同盟會宣布成立越南民主共和國，反抗法國的殖民統治。冷戰期間，中國和蘇聯支持越南的共產主義力量，而美國則支持法國。戰爭規模不斷擴大，越共武裝力量增強，與法國軍隊展開激烈對抗。公元1954年，奠邊府的迪恩平原發生了決定性的戰役，法軍被越共擊敗，最終導致了日內瓦協議的簽署。這一段歷史也標誌著法國在印度支那的殖民統治的終結，以及越南戰爭的開始。

日內瓦協議: 根據協議，越南被劃分為北越和南越，暫時分開，北越由共產主義勢力控制，南越則成為美國支持的反共政權。然而，這一分裂導致了公元1960年代和公元1970年代的越南戰爭，最終導致南越政府的崩潰和越南的統一。