Type Order of Merit Established 14 March 1886 | Status Obsolete 1945 | |
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Eligibility Vietnamese, French and foreign nationals Awarded for Useful services to the state or the Emperor Description The badge was an eight pointed star charged with a central medallion of blue bearing the legend "Hoàng đế Đồng Khánh" ('Emperor Đồng Khánh'; in stylised Chinese characters) with four radiant suns surrounded by a red band, all suspended from an imperial crown surmounted by a green dragon. The star for Grand Officers and Grand Cross holders was charged with a green dragon holdling the same blue medallion as featured on the badge. There were two ribbons, red with gold border stripes for awards by the Emperor, and green with gold border stripes for President's version. | ||
The Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam (French: Ordre impérial du Dragon d'Annam) was created on March 14, 1886, in the ancient Vietnamese city of Huế, by Emperor Đồng Khánh of the Imperial House of Annam, upon the "recommendation" of the President of France as a jointly awarded French colonial order. The Order was designed as a reward for services to the state, the French colonial government, or the emperor.
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When French colonial rule over Indochina ended, the Order of the Dragon of Annam was abolished and replaced by the National Order of Vietnam which was later retained and revised by the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). The ribbon of the Dragon of Annam was retained for this award, but it was (belatedly) recognized that a colonial order had no place in the new regime as the order was always historically associated with the period of French rule. Even the name of "Annam" in the title of the order was a point of dishonor as the name comes from the old Chinese term for Vietnam, which means "the pacified south".
Classes and insignia
In its classes and insignia, the Order was modelled on the French Légion d'honneur and the other French colonial orders.
Unrelated organisation bearing the order's name
An unrelated political organization called the 'Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam' created by a Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh of Chicago, Illinois, US – a self-styled "Prince" and "Regent of the Imperial Nguyễn Dynasty" – enjoys no recognition or sanction from Prince Bảo Thắng of Vietnam, Head of the Imperial Nguyễn Dynasty or from the Vietnamese Imperial Family Overseas Council. The self-styled 'Prince' has no affiliation with the Vietnamese Imperial Family in any form.