Reproductions sold in Vietnam

[Garth Thompson]

Ran across this link to a short article with pictures on the vast amount of reproduction material for sale in HCMC Vietnam. It will put you of from collecting Vietnam related material.

Garth

 

the link:

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/17280737@N02/...0602642/detail/

[normaninvasion]

WOW, I feel bad for the new 'Nam collectors, better hit the books

[nguoi tien su]

It has been many years already that almost nothing interesting came out of Dan Sinh (for Yersin) aka the American market. That was really different 10 years ago !

[gwb123]

It is a shock the first time you see something like this.

 

However, after you take a close look at everything here, there nothing here that should really fool anybody.

 

The US patches are all factory made by large loom machines. In this set, there is not even a single hand embroidered item.

 

The ARVN Ranger helmet is a pretty poor imitation. The VNMC helmet is slightly more convincing, and must have taken some time to accomplish.

 

What I find interesting is all the painted NVA field gear. Years ago, you rarely came across painted items (there were a few), but now they are everywhere.

 

The comment about the market 10 to 15 years ago is correct.. I have photos taken by a friend of mine where you still found ARVN visor caps and uniforms and piles. But by then, most of the US stuff was already gone.

 

While we had a travel embargo, Japanese tourists were visiting the country and buying up everything they could find. Following them came the French and the Australians.

 

Even 10 years ago the local dealers had wised up to prices, and even what could be found was not cheap. It was okay if you were a collector, but most dealers stopped going because their profit margin got cut out.

 

As far as collecting Vietnam period items... hitting the books, or even the information on this website is a very good idea for a novice collector.

[doyler]

Gil

 

Very sound advice

 

Ron

[marentius]

Very interesting pictures,but apart from some items that I'd like to see in person I'd dismiss all the rest without any esitation.Always hit the books and try to learn from somebody's else hard learned mistakes (i am the first who has done such mistakes but I am trying to evolve)....

As with TR militaria,copies and replicas are getting more and more closer to the original specimen.I hope(but I am afraid I am wrong) it will not happen what has happened with TR militaria,that is increasing interest for original items,increasing prices thus more convenience for fakers to reproduce the items as close to the original as possible.At one point,when it'll be virtually impossible to choose between an original item and a perfect copy because they are the same then the big question will arise,at least for me,the same question I had to face whn collectign TR items:what am I going to do,am I going to pay big bucks for something that seems to be original,gives "good vibes",comes from an honest and reliable seller,am I going to buy something because in the end I get the right feeling even though I'd not be able (and I'll never be able) to be on the safe side 100%?Or better stay low and buy only items I am sure they are original without any doubt,as for example common pieces of equipment or insignias,thus limitating the possibility to expand and make the collection complete?

That's something I have been already truough,as I have been collecting TR militaria for some 15-18 years.

A collection is a passion,I don't know if there is a point when someone for example can say:ok now I am done with collecting VN era related militaria because I have all kind of standard uniforms,or standard equipments or official issued insignias or whatsoever.I think that if I should ever reach that point I'd feel lost:and now what am I going to do?I see with my collection,it's increasing,I am starting to look for variations,exceptions,personalized unifroms and so on,a never ending story....It's like trying to reach the highest peak of a mountain,knowing that I can anyway have a chance,although really very low,to become the owner of some of the rarest items it's fuel for my passion.It has nothing to do with competition or rivalry,it's my personal pleasure.As for climbing,I need to train myself,my eye,my knwoledge to avoid all the traps along the way and to be able to recognize not only the original items but also the good friends (as the people mostly met in this forum)that can give good advice and good friendship along the route from ugly people trying to separate me from my hard earned money or willing to push me off the track!!

Sorry for my long post,now I understand all I wanted to say is:be careful,be prepared don't be afraid to ask for advice and you'll still be able to enjoy the world of collecting!

[noexpert]

I can only say that I saw a VC flag on eBay recently that took my breath away it came so close to the one hanging on my wall since 1968. Up until recently they were either so beautiful that it was obvious they'd been made for tourists or they were so crude that on self-respecting Chuck would've used them for toilet paper. These weasels are getting sharper and sharper as the prices go up and up. There weren't many VC or NVA flags to be found to begin with, I only saw one VC body with medals [3] in his pack, most VC only had the uniform they were wearing and most NVA went into combat w/o packs so it was the same with them. It wasn't the kind of war that lent itself to taking a lot of souvenirs home and because of the nature of the war a lot of guys, myself included, just chucked the stuff after awhile.

 

What I'm saying is that I think there's way too much VC and NVA stuff on the market compared to what I saw being picked up in my year in the Delta and what's being sold is in way, way too good condition compared to the condition it was being picked up in...unless it happens that all of the pieces now on the market were owned by very fastidious ex-Infantrymen.

[Mr-X]

You can still find some good things a Saigon's Co Dan Sinh Market.

 

I was there last in 2007/8 and came back with bag loads of good stuff.

One the other hand there were were truck loads of items you wouldn't go near.

[Sabrejet]

Ironic isn't it? America went to war in Vietnam to halt the spread of communism and preserve democracy. Capitalism is one of the corner-stones of democracy. The Vietnamese have successfully embraced the capitalist free-market and this is evidence of it. I've got branded sneakers "Made in Vietnam". The current USMF ball cap is also "Made in Vietnam". That's progress.

 

Sabrejet

[treetop]

there is a small group of collectors here in town that gets together at each others homes to chat and look at new insignia and uniforms. One of the guys while returning from Korea stopped in Viet Nam for a while. He is a serious SOG collector, and he brought back a bag full of recently made fakes for comparison. They were held up beside originals and there were a lot of discrepancies as to size,color and design. they had all been aged and are certain to fool the novice collectors. If you want to collect RVN insignia research is mandatory as you can get burned for a lot of $$$$ Also buy from the vet.

[kjones5452]

If you take a look around you'll not find a lot of Vietnam collecting books to 'hit'.

[shrapneldude]

Also buy from the vet.

Sad thing is...there's also a lot of Fake VETS too! I met a guy at a flea market here in Ohio once who had a tray of assorted VN era insignia that he "wore in the 'Nam" and most of it looked pretty suspicious to begin with. Then he started with the "I was in Laos and Cambodia...unofficially, of course. Team Delta, Special Forces Brigade, Special Operations Group. We answered directly to JFK and even the Green Berets thought we were bada__es." Ok buddy...your story is about as real as the brand new SF patches stained with coffee.

 

Lot of pitfalls and risks associated with collecting Vietnam era stuff. It'll probably end up the way Third Reich stuff did. Even the hardcore expert collectors are sick of all the fakes and starting to move onto other things unless it's iron-clad.