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Orders Index
O-16 NLF Liberation Exploit Order
O-18 NLF Resolution for Victory Order
(This is a draft page still under preparation - please let me know any corrections or additional information/examples.)
| O-01 | GOLD STAR ORDER | ||
| Huân Chương Sao Vàng |
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The Gold Star Order is the supreme award of the DRV/SRV. It is awarded to individuals, collectives and foreign heads of state. [A partial award recipient list is here - (Vietnamese) (English, partial).] (if anyone has a more complete recipient list, please let me know at rdavemail-medals@yahoo.com)
It was established in 1947 as part of the inital three awards of the DRV, and was maintained with the SRV. Formalizing the regulations for SRV awards was done in 2003, redesign in 2006 and amended in 2013. See also implementation guidelines in 2005 and 2010. Another redesign for SRV awards was done in 2014. (see regulation extracts here)
| 1/A | INITIAL DESIGN (1947) | |||
| one class - established 6 June 1947; revised 26 November 2003; guidelines 30 September 2005; | ||||
| For: | individuals, collectives, and foreigners for exceptional service to the party and the nation; | |||
| Design: | five pointed star, golden-bronze (possibly later gilt), 40mm across, with Hero suspension (similar to the Soviet supreme award); | |||
| Obverse: | star is plain and glossy; | |||
| Reverse: | two laurel branches in a wreath; | |||
| Suspension: | round eyelet at top of star, with ribbon ring to suspension ribbon in "hero" style, a red ribbon, framed on top and bottom in gold; | |||
| Ribbon: | red 20mm; "hero" style; | |||
The order was designed by artist Bùi Trang Chước.
The order is worn on the left breast, centered above all other orders.
Initially it was sparingly awarded - to Vietnamese recipients, only two awards made thru 1974 and only 31 awards made thru 2006. The first award was made by Hồ Chí Minh on 20 August 1958 to Tôn Đức Thắng (then Chairman of the National Assembly). The second was awarded by the North Vietnamese National Assembly to Chairman Ho Chi Minh, who allegedly refused it until final victory was won (reference ?).
It has also been bestowed as the highest unit award, for example five times to the People's Army of Vietnam (1974, 1979, 1984, 1999, 2014). Overall it was awarded 80 times for groups thru 2006.
It was also awarded 26 times thru 2006 to foreign heads of state and other dignitories; such as Leonid Brezhnev (1980), Alexei Kosygin (1980), Kaysone Phomvihane (1981), Erich Honecker (1982), Kim Il-sung (1987) and others.
The first award by Hồ Chí Minh on 20 August 1958 to Tôn Đức Thắng
The Gold Star Order presented to General Võ Nguyên Giáp in 1992
(at SRV Army Museum, Hanoi, Vietnam)
Three Gold Star Orders presented to the People's Army of Vietnam on 35 years, 40 years and 55 years anniversary of the establishment of the People's Army of Vietnam in 1979, in 1984 and 1999 (at SRV Army Museum, Hanoi, Vietnam).
Award certificate for the Gold Star Order presented to the Vietnamese volunteer troops and military experts in Laos by the Chairman of the Socialist Repubilic of Vietnam on November 1, 1999 (at SRV Army Museum, Hanoi, Vietnam).
Official issue with a case
Specimen examples :
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Reverses :
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Gold plated versions, perhaps in 2006 when the SRV medals became gilded: (if anyone has info on these gold plated versions, please let me know at rdavemail-medals@yahoo.com)
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A gold plated cruder version perhaps by the Vietnamese manufacturer Z117 :
(39.5mm across)
Potentially early conceptional design :
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OTHERS
Unknown double-sided gold-star-like medal/badge (if anyone knows what this is please let me know at rdavemail-medals@yahoo.com)
(27mm across)
(ex-Sylvester / found in Vietnam - maybe Soviet ?)
COLLECTOR COPIES
Several collector copies have been available on the market - some reportedly with plain reverses (observed by 1996) and others with laurel leaves (observed by 2003). One type has a printed ribbon (observed by 2003). There is a lot of individual variation in the copies. (If anyone has examples or pictures of a plain-reverse copy, or any others variations not shown below - or anything about who made them or when these were made or when seen for sale or any other background about any of them - please let me know at rdavemail-medals@yahoo.com)
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 (35mm across) observed in 2003 |
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 (36mm across) |
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False numbering on different copies : (030 / 031 / 033) - (if anyone has any duplicates of these numbers or any other numbers, please let me know at rdavemail-medals@yahoo.com)
| 1/B | DESIGN OF 2006 | |||
| one class - redesigned 19 May 2006; revised 16 November 2013; guidelines 30 September 2005, 15 April 2010; | ||||
| For: | individuals, collectives, and foreigners for exceptional service to the party and the nation; | |||
| Design: | five pointed star, gold plated, 47mm across, with suspension ribbon; | |||
| Obverse: | in the center a red disk with a small gold star, surrounded with a red riband with the inscription in gold above "HUÂN CHƯƠNG SAO VÀNG" and below "VIỆT NAM", all coated in clear laquer, on a polished 5-pointed gold star; | |||
| Reverse: | plain, with manufacturer name "C. TY. CƠ KHÍ 17 - BQP"; | |||
| Suspension: | round eyelet at top of star, and ribbon ring to golden pentagonal plate with pin-back; | |||
| Ribbon: | 28mm - red 14mm, yellow 14mm; pentagonal. | |||
After the redesign, from 2007 thru 2024 so far, there have been 57 awards for Vietnamese, 64 awards for groups, and 7 awards for foreign dignitoriers. (based on Wikipedia information)
Special example from 2015 parade, for 70 years of the August Revolution (August 1945) and National Day September 2nd.
(70 năm Cách mạng Tháng 8 và Quốc khánh 2/9)
Some videos of the 2015 parade:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EC23qKSfTjU&t=78s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBJO9W9mBjg
| 1/C | DESIGN OF 2014 | |||
| one class - redesigned 10 September 2014 and 20 July 2018; guildelines 31 July 2017 | ||||
| For: | individuals, collectives, and foreigners for exceptional service to the party and the nation; | |||
| Design: | five pointed star, gold plated, 55mm across, with suspension ribbon; | |||
| Obverse: | in the center a red disk with a small gold star, surrounded with a red riband with the inscription in gold above"HUÂN CHƯƠNG SAO VÀNG" and below "VIỆT NAM", all coated in clear laquer, on a polished 5-pointed gold star; | |||
| Reverse: | plain (confirm any reverse marking); | |||
| Suspension: | small 6-pointed star with eyelet at top of star, and ribbon ring to golden pentagonal plate with pin-back; | |||
| Ribbon: | 28mm - red 14mm, yellow 14mm; pentagonal. | |||
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OTHER ITEMS
(perhaps some kind of test piece)
References (Please let me know others at rdavemail-medals@yahoo.com) :
| 1 | QUÂN ĐỘI NHÂN DÂN (DRV National Army), magazine, 1955. | ||
| 2 | Handbook on Uniforms and Insignia of Sino-Soviet Bloc Ground Forces (Asian Members), Chapter 3 Vietnamese People's Army, Department of the Army Pamphlet 30-55, 1959. [Out of Print] | ||
| 3 | Orders and Decorations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Nước Cộng Hòa Xã Hội Chủ Nghĩa Việt Nam), Institute of Orders (Viện Huân Chương). (Does anyone know the date of publication ?) | ||
| 4 | The Orders and Medals of the Communist Governments of Indochina, Revision II, John Sylvester Jr., 1994. (JS94) [Out of Print] | ||
| 5 | Orders, Decorations and Badges of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam, Edward J. Emering, 1997. (EE97) Availalbe at https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0764301438/ | ||
| 6 | Encyclopedia of the Orders, Decorations, Medals and Badges of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Edward John Emering, 2000. (EE00) Available at http://www.themedalhound.com/books/titles.html | ||
| 7 | Orders and Decorations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam: An Update, Edward John Emering, 2008. (EE08) Available at http://www.themedalhound.com/books/titles.html | ||
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Articles (Please let me know others at rdavemail-medals@yahoo.com) :
| 1 | “The Gold Star Order”, by Emering, Edward J, JOMSA Vol. 47, No. 8 (Oct 96): 14-16. | ||
| 2 | “Stray Notes on the Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Democratic/Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, John Sylvester Jr., 2000. | ||
| 3 | “Addendum to the Stray Notes on the Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Democratic/Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, John Sylvester Jr., 2003. | ||
| 4 | “Gold Star Order Fakes”, by Emering, Edward J, JOMSA Vol. 55, No. 3 (May-Jun 04): 36-38 | ||
| 5 | “The New 2007 Orders and Decorations of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam”, by Emering, Edward J, JOMSA Vol. 62, No. 1 (Jan-Feb 11): 21-28 | ||
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Websites (Please let me know others at rdavemail-medals@yahoo.com) :