Item Description
Original Item. One-of-a-Kind. In Vietnam, the nón lá, nón tơi (“hats”), nón gạo (“rice hat”), nón dang (“conical hat”) or nón trúc ("bamboo hat") forms a perfect right circular cone which tapers smoothly from the base to the apex. Special conical hats in Vietnam contain colourful hand-stitch depictions or words. The Huế varieties are famous for their nón bài thơ (lit. poem conical hats) and contain random poetic verses and Chữ Hán, which can be revealed when the hat is directed above one's head in the sunlight. In modernity, they have become part of Vietnam's national costume.
This is an extremely rare souvenir Nón Lá painted for a South Vietnamese soldier serving in the 105th QC (Quan Canh) Military Police. The QC was responsible for the internal security of the military as well as other functions such as the overseeing of POWs. They operated in all branches of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam, and also served in the roles of civil policemen when needed.
The hat is painted black with the proper red, white, red stripes painted around the circumference with QC, 105 in a circle, and the winged star insignia in a circle on the other side. The paint is mostly retained with roughly 10% loss in certain areas, including on the 105.
The underside of the helmet shows two spots for the attachment of a chinstrap which is now gone. Under one of these is a maker’s tag for Hoang-Quan, with Chan-Hung-Xuat-Pham under this. A great opportunity for further research!
This is a fantastic souvenir helmet made for a South Vietnamese soldier, then supposedly brought back by an American soldier. Comes ready for further research and display!
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