Order of the Dragon of Annam

The Order of the Dragon of 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.

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.
 * Grand Cordon
 * Grand Officer
 * Commander
 * Officer
 * Knight

Note
A political organization called the Imperial Order of the Dragon of Annam created by Buu Chanh of Chicago, Illinois - alias Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Chánh - 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, from the Vietnamese Imperial Family Overseas Council, or affiliation with the Vietnamese Imperial Family in any form.