Wound Medal (Vietnam)

The Vietnam Wound Medal was a military decoration of South Vietnam first created in 1950. The decoration was the South Vietnamese equivalent of the (United States military) Purple Heart, and was awarded to any personnel of the South Vietnamese military who, while engaged in armed combat with enemies of the Republic of Vietnam, were either killed or wounded in action.

During the Vietnam War, the Vietnam Wound Medal was often issued to ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) personnel for combat wounds received fighting the forces of North Vietnam or the Vietcong. The decoration was seldom bestowed upon members of allied militaries (such as the United States military) and then only if the allied soldier in question was attached and under the direct command of a South Vietnamese unit. For service members of the United States military, the Vietnam Wound Medal is not authorized for wear on a military uniform as it is the foreign equivalent to (or competes with) the Purple Heart medal.

With the fall of South Vietnam in 1975, the Vietnam Wound Medal became obsolete. It is now only available through private dealers in military insignia.