Here is an interesting Type 53 Mosin Nagant, with a Vietnam era presentation plaque attached to it.
The rifle is a 1960 dated example, and it has a mismatched bolt but the floor plate does indeed match. The bolt appears to be that of a different Type 53. The butt plate is not numbered, which is correct for these 1960 Type 53's. The stock seems to have been refinished, but is a correct 1960 type as it has the serial number still lightly visible on the side, though it is mismatched. Overall condition is very nice, though the bolt is covered in gunk and clearly hasn't been shot in years. The bore matches the bolt's condition as well and looks pretty poor overall. The bluing is very nice on the rifle however, and there is little wear. The bolt is also interesting in that it seems to be blued. I disassembled it and it looks very nice under the wood too.
The plaque on the butt stock reads:
To MAJ ANDERSON
From Dai-Uy HAO
9th DIV G-2
VIETNAM
"Dai-Uy" is Vietnamese for "Captain" I believe.
It's held in by 4 pins on the corners. There also looks to be an adhesive on the back portion of it helping to keep it attached.
The "9th DIV" may be a reference to the ARVN 9th Division or the US 9th division. If it's a reference to the Vietnamese division, it would be safe to assume this meant that Major Anderson would be an adviser and the Captain Hao may have been the Vietnamese officer equivalent serving with him. These type of plaques are very fairly common to find on Vietnamese bring backs.
