Postcards: Vietnamese soldiers 1917.

[No one]

Dear Gentlemen,

 

To postcards of Vietnamese soldiers.

 

- the fisrt one the "1st Battallion Vietnamese Soldiers". What is interesting is the legend.

 

 

- the second one in the trenches in 1917. The soldiers are decorated with "ngan or kim tien (sapèque d'honneur argent ou or)" and one has a "bai":

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

[TracA]

Great postcards, No One. Fascinating.

 

Tracy

[Gordon Craig]

No one,

You have circled some badges? on the uniforms of these men.  What are they?  They don't look like French awards although the French did award medals to the Vietnamese who serviced in France and Salonika.

Regards,

Gordon

 

[No one]

Dear Gordon Graig,

 

Those are Vietnamese decorations.

The green ones are " Sapèque d'honneur / ngan tien in silver or kim tien in gold", they are coins used as rewards/medals.

The red one is a "bai" it's a function plate, it indicates the rank and office of the bearer.

 

 

Here is another postcard "1916-Tirailleurs-annamites":

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one

[No one]

Dear Gentlemen,

 

On the Western front:

 

 

 

On the Estern front:

 

Annamite Tirailleurs at the French camp of Zeitlenick on the eastern front in Thessaloniki (Greece) in May-June 1916:

(source: Grande Guerre et colonies : l'armée française était-elle raciste ? (france24.com))

 

 

-Salonique:

 

 

 

 

Somewhere in France:

 

 

Yours sincerely,

No one