Republic of Vietnam

The country that is today officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (Cộng hòa xã hội chủ nghĩa Việt Nam) was once a part of French Indochina. After the Japanese occupation of the Second World War ended, the Việt Minh (who had fought the Japanese during the war) strongly opposed French re-occupation of the country. This rapidly brought about the First Indochina War (1946 to 1954), in which French Colonial forces battled the Việt Minh. After ten years of warfare, the Geneva Accords of 1954 effectively ended the conflict by declaring Indochina's independence from France. Two nations were created out of the territory traditionally considered Vietnamese: the Democratic Republc of Vietnam in the north, and the State of Vietnam in the south. Within a year, the South Vietnam was established after Ngô Đình Diệm deposed Emperor Bảo Đại. His refusal to enter negotiations with North Vietnam over holding nationwide elections led to gradual disintegration of diplomatic relations between the two countries, and instigated the Second Indochina War (1959 to 1975).

South Vietnamese Camouflage Patterns

• During the First Indochina War, French troops wore a variety of uniforms donated from their former allies in the Second World War. Among these, the British M1942 windproof brushstroke pattern was quite popular due to its light weight. The government of South Vietnam produced a copy of this pattern in 1962 specifically for issue to their Airborne (Nhãy-Dù) units. Similar to the original British design, the ARVN version has broad pea green & purplish-brown brushstrokes on a pinkish-tan base. This pattern was occasionally worn by US military advisors to the ARVN Airborne Division during the very early years of the Vietnam War, but production ceased in 1964 (although the uniforms continued to be worn occasionally until the end of the war). Some collectors and historians refer to this pattern as "ARVN pinks" due to the obvious pinkish overtones.

• Another early camouflage design was the ARVN "starburst" pattern. Little is known about this design, except that it was produced between 1963 and 1965 and worn by some ARVN units. The design features brown and olive green "starburst" shapes on a khaki background.

• Locally-produced versions of the commercial duck hunter patterns introduced by American military advisors in 1961 began production circa 1964. The Vietnamese name for this pattern was Beo Gam (leopard) as the spots in the design had some similarity to those of the leopard. Although a number of variations existed, for the most part the Vietnamese made beo gam patterns can be differentiated from those obtained through commercial sources in the USA or elsewhere in Asia as the concentration of spots is denser. The typical beo gam pattern is a multi-colored design with dark blue-green, mauve, maroon, dark pink & olive green spots on a khaki background. This was not a standard issue uniform for any ARVN units, instead being sourced primarily for wear by the Montagnard CIDG (Civilian Irregular Defense Group) units.

• South Vietnam introduced a copy of the US m1948 ERDL camouflage pattern circa 1965, interesting in light of the fact that the US version had still not been mass produced yet. This ARVN "leaf" or "Airborne leaf" pattern was a fairly accurate copy of the US ERDL design, having the same mid-brown & grass green organic shapes with black "branches" on a lime green background. The ARVN version was initially printed on light or medium weight sateen fabric, but as this faded quickly after a few washings it was later produced in a ripstop fabric. The pattern replaced the earlier "pinks" with the Airborne Regiments, and was also commonly issued to ARVN Ranger units.

• A Vietnamese-produced copy of the US-designed "Mitchell" (or clouds) camouflage pattern was worn by the National Police Field Force throughout much of the war. The design incorporates overlapping dark brown, russet, beige, light brown & ochre "cloud" shapes on a tan background.

South Vietnamese Tiger Stripe Patterns

The tiger stripe camouflage pattern is a direct descendant of the original French tenue leopard lizard pattern of the 1950s. French camouflage uniforms were in fact worn by Vietnamese troops during the First Indochina War. The Vietnamese referred to these different designs as Sọc Răn (striped uniform). Many different styles of tiger pattern emerged between 1964 and 1975 and have been exhaustively documented by author Richard D. Johnson in his excellent book Tiger Patterns. Presented here are a handful of samples from original garments that were produced during this time period.

• The very first tiger stripe design was a locally-made copy of the French lizard pattern produced for the Vietnamese Marine Corps (Sọc Răn Thữy Quân Lục-Chiến). The pattern incorporates bold black stripes over lesser brownish-drab stripes & light green trace elements, with an olive green base color. Production of this design ended in 1967, although units continued to wear the pattern until 1970.

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• The tiger pattern seen below emerged in 1962 and continued in production until 1975. Johnson has named this John Wayne Dense pattern, owing to its specific use in the film The Green Berets starring John Wayne himself . The pattern features bold black stripes over a background comprising dark green & dull brown with tan trace elements.

• The tiger pattern illustrated below has been named Tadpole Sparse pattern in Johnson's book. It was introduced circa 1964 and saw production until the end of the war. The pattern features bold black (or dark blue) stripes over a background comprising dark green & brown with pea green trace elements.

• A variation of the above is seen here, which Johnson calls Tadpole Dense pattern. The pattern features bold black stripes over a background comprising bright green & light brown with dull pea green trace elements.

• Another distinctive tiger pattern to emerge towards the middle of the war (circa 1968) has been named Advisor's Type Dense. A Sparse variation also exists. This pattern saw service primarily with CIDG units, ARVN Rangers & Special Forces, and featured bold black stripes over a background comprising bold black stripes over a background comprising dark green & dull brown with dull tan trace elements. Two versions are illustrated below.

• The distinctive pattern seen here has been named Late War Lightweight Sparse (LLS) in Johnson's book. Introduced in 1969, the design features bold black stripes over a background comprising bright green & light brown with dull pea green trace elements.

Other Camouflage Patterns Worn by South Vietnam

• French Colonial forces operating against the Viet Minh during the First Indochina War included Vietnamese airborne and commando units as well as conventional forces. Some early units were outfitted in British 1942 windproof brushstroke pattern camouflage uniforms which had been donated to the French government by the United Kingdom following the Second World War.

• Likewise, large stocks of surplus American jungle camouflage uniforms, printed in the reversible M1942 spot pattern, were donated to the French fighting in Indochina, and many of these saw service with Vietnamese airborne units as well.

• By 1952 most of the Vietnamese airborne and commando units were outfitted as were their French counterparts, in tenue de leópard or lizard pattern camouflage uniforms.

• Early US Army Special Forces advisors deployed to Southeast Asia were outfitted rather inadequately for serving in the extremely warm and wet tropical climate there. Their search for more appropriate clothing, particularly to be used in conducting reconnaissance and ambush operations, led to the procurement of commercially-produced items, as no US military equivalent was available at the time. Based on the original US M1942 jungle spot camouflage pattern, lighter weight hunting uniforms made by American and Asian retail companies - frequently nicknamed "duck hunter" camouflage - were obtained privately by unit commanders and also supplied to indigenous units as part of the CIA-sponsored CIDG program. Commercial duck hunter spot pattern is generally a four or five-color dappled design of multi-sized brown, green & tan spots on khaki, tan, or pale green background. Between 1961 and 1966-7, significant numbers of these commercially available uniforms were worn by US military personnel. The example seen below is but one of several that were commonly employed.

Notes

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