WW1 ERA VIETNAM IMPERIAL ORDER OF THE DRAGON OF ANNAM KNIGHT GRADE MEDAL RARE

Description

Offered is an Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam, knight grade medal.

51mm high eight-pointed silver gilt star, each point comprising six faceted chiselled rays, on imperial crown and superb silver gilt and red and green enamel dragon suspension; the face with an imposed oval pale blue medallion inscribed in gilt characters ‘DONG-KHANH HOANG-DE’ within a red enamel ring; the reverse plain; on original ribbon for a civil award.

The Order was founded on 14 March 1886 at the Imperial city of Hue by Emperor Dong-Khanh of Vietnam to be awarded for outstanding service, both military and civil. It was a French colonial order from 1896 to 1950 and was awarded to French citizens who served in Vietnam with distinction for a minimum of ten years. The order was suppressed in 1950. An excellent example, most likely dating from the early 1900’s