This Third Class “Bao Dai Merit Medal” was created during the reign of Emperor Bao Dai of the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam. The medal is primarily made of silver and gilded with a small amount of gold.

The obverse side of the medal features a central sun surrounded by decorative flames. Encircling the sun are six roundels, each containing Chinese characters that read from top to bottom as “大南皇帝寶鑑” (Precious Mirror of the Emperor of Dai Nam). The reverse of the medal bears the inscription “三項” (Third Class) at its centre, indicating its third-class status. Surrounding the inscription is a five-clawed dragon amidst auspicious cloud patterns.

At the top of the medal, a spherical element is marked with a cloud-like hallmark. This sphere is pierced by a ring, which connects to a ribbon. The ribbon is green on the sides and red in the middle, with white stripes separating the green and red sections.

However, according to currently available information, the ribbon of the “Bao Dai Merit Medal” does not exhibit the green, red, and white colours but rather a red and yellow striped pattern. The green, red, and white ribbon more closely resembles that of the “Tibet Medal” issued by the United Kingdom in AD 1905. It is possible that the ribbon of this “Bao Dai Merit Medal” has been replaced by a previous collector, resulting in its current appearance.

In Vietnam, medals are locally referred as “Tien,” 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.

這枚三等「保大榮譽獎章」，在越南阮朝保大帝在位時期創制。其主要為銀質，並鍍上些許金質。

獎章正面的中央有一顆太陽，周遭帶有裝飾性的火焰。同時有六個圓圈環繞著太陽，圈內的漢字，由上至下讀作「大南皇帝寶鑑」。獎章背面的中心鑄有「三項」二字，表示該獎章為第三等獎章。外圍有一隻五爪龍環繞，並伴有祥雲紋飾。

在獎章頂部的圓珠，有一類似雲狀的印記。圓珠兩側被一圓環穿過，並以圓環連接一綬帶。綬帶的兩側為綠色，中間為紅色，在綠與紅之間還隔有白色線條。

不過，依據目前已知資訊顯示，「保大榮譽獎章」連接的綬帶並未見綠、紅、白三色，而是紅、黃相間的綬帶。該綠、紅、白三色綬帶，反倒與公元1905年英國頒布的「西藏獎章」之綬帶十分近似。這面「保大榮譽獎章」之綬帶，或許已經先前的收藏者換置，才有現在的樣貌。

越南的獎章在當地稱作「錢 (Tien)」，由黃金或白銀鑄成，作為犒賞或安撫文武官的榮譽獎勵。除此之外在特殊慶典，例如：新年、敬老的頌神節或皇帝的50、60和70歲大壽上，也會頒發「錢」作為紀念和犒賞。受獎者能以繩子穿繫「錢」中央的孔洞配戴，並且往往在下方飾有流蘇裝飾。

從金屬材質就能大致判斷「錢」的等級，最高等的「金錢(Kim Tien)」有四級，在阮朝早期以真金製成，到後期逐漸改為鍍金或基本金屬。次一等的「銀錢(Ngan Tien)」能細分為三級，以諸如「三項」的級距稱呼作為標示外，有一些是僅有年號的型制。