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Orders, decorations, and medals of South Vietnam

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The system of Orders, decorations, and medals of South Vietnam came into being with the establishment of the National Order of Vietnam in 1950. Established by Bảo Đại, the head of state of the State of Vietnam, the order was the highest award of the state for both civilians and military personnel. This level of precedence continued under the government of South Vietnam. Lower ranking awards for both the military and civilians were subsequently established. The systems of civilian and military awards had their own order of precedence.

National Order

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Grand Cross
Grand Officer
Commander
Officer
Knight

Military awards and decorations

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Military awards are worn in the following order:[2]

Army First Class
Army Second Class
Air Force First Class
Air Force Second Class
Navy First Class
Navy Second Class
Army Meritorious Service Medal
Air Force Meritorious Service Medal
Navy Meritorious Service Medal
Gallantry Cross with Palm (cited at the Armed Forces level)
Gallantry Cross with Gold Star (cited at the Corps level)
Gallantry Cross with Silver Star (cited at the Division level)
Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star (cited at the Regiment or Brigade level)
Gallantry Cross Unit Award
Gold Wing Ribbon
Silver Wing Ribbon
Bronze Wing Ribbon
Gold Anchor Ribbon
Silver Anchor Ribbon
Bronze Anchor Ribbon
First class
Second class
Armed Forces level
Corps level
Division level
Brigade level
Regiment level
Battalion level
Company level
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
Unit Citation
First class
Second class
Third class
Fourth class
Fifth class
First class
Second class
Third class
Fourth class
Fifth class
First class
Second class
Third class
Honor class
First class
Second class
Third class
Honor class

Civilian awards and decorations

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Civilian awards are worn in the following order:[3]

Exceptional class
First class
Second class
Third class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
Third class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
First class
Second class
Third class
Unit Citation
First class
Second class
Third class
Unit Citation
First class
Second class
First class
Second class

Other awards

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These awards are not listed in the order of precedence for military or civilian awards:

Foreign recipients

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Many of the South Vietnamese military awards and decorations were awarded to members of foreign military forces fighting with and advising the South Vietnamese military. Some civilian awards were also presented, but their acceptance and wear was limited by the recipients' governments.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Sylvester Jr, John (1 December 1995). The Decorations and Medals of the Republic of Vietnam and Her Allies, 1950-1975. Medals of America. p. 16. ISBN 9781884452161.
  2. ^ HUY CHUONG AN THUONG TRONG QUAN-LU'C VlET-NAM CONG-HOA (Medals and Decorations of the Republic of Vietnam Armed Forces). Government of the Republic of Vietnam. 1967. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
  3. ^ Martin, Michael, ed. (2001). Warriors of the Sea. Paducah, KY.: Turner Publishing Company. p. 61. ISBN 9781563116636.
  4. ^ United States Federal Register (1972). The Code of Federal Regulations of the United States of America. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 671.