The Australian War Memorial Collection. Test site
South Vietnamese Technical Service Medal, Second Class. It is rectangular shaped, and the obverse has a sword, point upwards, surmounted by an open book with the words 'HUAN-VU' below, all being on a slightly pebbled background. The reverse is plain apart from a small stamped diamond containing the words 'HUAN-VU BOI-TINH' around the sides and the word 'VIETNAM' horizontally in the centre with incised lines above and below. The ribbon is pink, with a broad white central band and narrow white bands at the edges.
The Vietnam Technical Service Medal was a decoration of the Republic of Vietnam that was awarded between the years of 1964 and 1972 during the years of the Vietnam War.
Also known as the Republic of Vietnam Technical Service Honors Medal, the Technical Service Medal was bestowed in two classes, one for issuance to commissioned officers and the other class for warrant officers and enlisted personnel. The award appeared as a propellered disc suspended from a blue-grey ribbon. The second class version contained two vertical red lines while the first class medal displayed an additional set of thin red lines down the center of the award ribbon.
The award of the Technical Service Medal was open to both civilians and military personnel who had performed duties “as technicians or of a technical nature” and had demonstrated “outstanding professional capacity, initiative, and devotion to duty”. The decoration was therefore a “behind-the-lines” type of award, mainly awarded to those who were engaged in support and upkeep duties for units deployed to the front lines of the Vietnam War.
The two classes of the Vietnam Technical Service Medal were denoted by a slight variation in the award’s ribbon bar, with the suspension medal for the decoration identical in both cases. The Vietnam Technical Service Medal was occasionally bestowed to foreigners, but not to the extent as other well known Vietnamese awards such as the Vietnam Gallantry Cross, Civil Actions Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal.
The Vietnam Technical Service Medal became obsolete upon the fall of South Vietnam in 1975.
Twenty two Technical Service Medals, Second Class, were awarded to Australian servicemen, along with 11 First Class awards (to Officers). Permission from the Australian Government for them to be worn was not granted until the late 1990s.
South Vietnamese Army Distinguished Service Order, Second Class. A Maltese cross in white enamel with divided rays. Between the rays are golden trident heads, and in the centre is a red disc containin
South Vietnamese Armed Forces Honour Medal, Second Class. The medal is a silvered cross made of sun rays with additional points on the arms and thin blade points radiating from the angles between the
South Vietnamese Civil Actions Medal, Second Class. An eight pointed gold star, the points on the diagonals being smooth and somewhat longer than the horizontals and verticals which have inscribed rad
South Vietnamese Staff Service Medal, First Class. The medal shows a crossed sword and writing brush surmounted by a large diamond, with smaller diamonds at each corner (a 'square fortress' design). I
South Vietnamese Training Service Medal Civil Actions Medal, First Class. An eight pointed gold star, the points on the diagonals being smooth and somewhat longer than the horizontals and verticals wh
South Vietnamese Armed Forces Honour Medal, First Class. This decoration was originally known as 'La Medaille du Merite Vietnamien', and was intended for French or foreign advisors to the Vietnamese f
