New Server Host

As some of you may have noticed the RVNHS website was down for roughly a week recently. This was the result of our transfer of the site to a new hosting service. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience. The website is now fully back up and running, as is our email account at:   info@rvnhs.com

 

Thank you for your understanding, and we apologize for this minor "glitch."

ARVN 9th Infantry Regiment Captured Viet Cong Flag

ARVN Airborne Officers with Captured Communist Flags

 

As a general practice, RVNHS only acquires material relating to the Republic of Vietnam and its armed forces. However, a slight exception we made some months ago was this period flag of the National Liberation Front, AKA "Viet Cong / VC." The reason for this exception was the unique feature that this flag was captured and kept as a souvenir by the 8th Company of the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Regiment of the 5th Infantry Division of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam.

The flag is marked in Vietnamese as having been captured by members of this unit on Highway 13, near Chan Thanh, on February 15th, 1973.

 

The 9th ARVN Infantry Regiment Captured Flag

 

The flag is signed by officers of the 8th Company, and it was later given to the unit's American advisor who brought it back to the United States. And, this is how it has been kept in the years since, before coming into our possession recently. Captured enemy flags are among the possessions veterans tend to keep, but although such flags captured by American forces are common, it is rare to encounter a piece with strong provenance marked to an ARVN / QLVNCH unit as most of these stayed in Vietnam and were lost or destroyed in 1975.

 

 

 

 

Insignia Variations for the 9th ARVN Infantry Regiment

 

Officer Insignia Misidentifications

RVNHS recently acquired a small grouping of original Republic of Vietnam army and air force rank insignia. The grouping was compiled over many years by a private collector. Among the grouping, labeled by the collector as an "ARVN 2nd Lieutenant" rank, was this insignia:

ROC Army Major Rank

This was not the first time we have seen this insignia labeled as Vietnamese, so we decided to make a post to clarify the matter.

The insignia above is a Republic of China / ROC ("Taiwanese") army insignia. The ROC uses five pointed insignia in a similar style as the Republic of Vietnam did. However, unlike the Republic of Vietnam, the ROC only uses these insignia for senior officer ranks from major (1 blossom) to full colonel (three blossoms). ROC army major to colonel's insignia is gold, while ROC air force major to colonel's insignia is all silver.

This differs from the Republic of Vietnam where 2nd Lieutenant to Captain was denoted with gold blossoms, and major to colonel with silver blossoms. 

The basic difference between the blossoms of the ROC and those of the Republic of Vietnam is that ROC blossoms are one layer with rays of varied length shooting out from the center, while all Republic of Vietnam blossoms were double layer, and  with rays of roughly equal length.

 

ARVN Army 2nd Lieutenant Rank

 

Little Saigon Tet Festival - Garden Grove 2013

 

 

RVNHS was invited to participate with a display in this year's Tet Festival in Garden Grove, California. The festival drew thousands of visitors, many of whom stopped by to view the display. Of particular importance was the opportunity to interact with Republic of Vietnam military veterans who were in attendance. There was a lot of interest in the display. Many conversations took place discussing the history of the Republic of Vietnam, and personal memories of military service. As always, the main purpose of RVNHS for doing these displays is to promote the history of the republic, and interact with veterans and their families. This display was no exception. The Tet Festival proved to be a highly successful event, and we would like to thank all who stopped by to view the display. The many positive comments the display received were greatly appreciated and encouraging. Below are just a few photos of the event.