vietnamese sun helmet

[MAP]

Very nice James. I was in northern Vietnam a year and half ago. Was hoping to find a nice old one to bring home but alas.... They were all humped up fakes.

[AZPhil]

Nice touch James

Semper Fi
Phil

[Mark K]

Thanks Mark if you do find one for the collection please post up mate

I will indeed James I know of one now that would fit in well with my collection and the gent that has it has said he may consider parting with in the near future..

Regards Mark

[battle gear]

I saw a Chinese sun helmet at the flea market that looked like an older model and the colour was a brownish tan, possibly one of the Vietnam era sun helmets, it was $10 but I passed on it, I should have picked it up and put one of my salty PAVN badges on it.

most of them are green, this one was a older brownish khaki

[battle gear]

East German DDR poster with a little girl wearing a sun helmet

translation:

"SOLIDARITY HELPS TO WIN"

VIETNAM OUTPOST AT THE AFRO ASIAN SOLIDARITY COMMITTEE , THE DDR 108 BERLIN , ERNST THALMANN PLACE 8/9 , POST OFFICE BERLIN 99 999

[battle gear]

Battle Damaged NVA sun helmet war trophy:

here's an actual bring back NVA helmet that was brought back by a former Green Beret that served with the 5th Special Forces Group in the central highlands.

John Wast kept the bullet-scarred pith helmet for more than 40 years.

Damaged and dented, it served as a reminder of his time as an Army Green Beret sergeant in Vietnam, where he picked up the helmet of a North Vietnamese soldier while inspecting the enemy dead after the three-day Battle of Duc Lap in August, 1968.


this North Vietnamese helmet that John Wast found on a battlefield in 1968 reminds him of his service in Vietnam. Markings inside helped locate the slain soldier’s family.

John Wast, a Green Beret sergeant in Vietnam, is pictured with Montagnard soldiers in 1968. He served with the 5th Special Forces Group in the Central Highlands.


Toledoan returning war trophy to Vietnamese family - The Blade

[Composite]

....for these things (which are after all virtually 100% non-man-made materials) to survive any length of time in a tropical jungle environment is amazing......their battle grounds must've been the most aggressive environment........

I've seen quite a few out East but have no doubt that they were all tourist items......sadly.

Thanks for sharing.

[battle gear]

here are a few interesting PAVN sun helmets I saw at a museum, one even shows the soldier that brought the helmet back actually wearing it in Vietnam shortly after finding it on the battlefield.

you know that one is an original

[Anderson]

I bought one in 1991 at a market on the Thai side of the Mekong river, which sold goods imported from Laos. It was new but exactly the same as your one, they were still in production in Vietnam. Today a whole industry has developed in Vietnam producing "Vietnam war" souvenirs, and everything bought in Vietnam is suspect, Zippo lighters, you name it.

[James C]

Thanks BG for sharing these pictures ,the captured helmet shows in my opinion the same thick chinstrap as found on mine so thanks for the comparison ,the other two examples shown are real nice too especially the one with the camo chute covering