Orde van het Bolwerk van het Vaderland

The Order of the Bastion of the Fatherland (Vietnamese: “Thanh Dong To Quoc”) is a Vietnamese decoration established by the government of North Vietnam on 23 September 1963. Three classes were envisaged, and holders were entitled to the honorary title “Sentinel of the Southern Border.”

The name of the decoration is difficult to translate; in English it is called the “Brass Fortress of the Fatherland Decoration.”

The medal has a diameter of 32 millimeters and is partially enamelled red. On the ring are the words “THANH DONG TO QUOC,” above a five-pointed star with a red flame, a crossed dagger and sword, and rice ears as in the coat of arms of North Vietnam. The reverse is plain.

In the past, the badge was worn on the left breast alongside the Vietnamese orders for heroes. Today, veterans of the Vietnam War wear their Order of the Bastion of the Fatherland in a less honorable position on the right breast.

It is worn on a copper clasp containing a red ribbon with two golden-yellow stripes.

In its design and decoration policy, it is a typical example of a socialist decoration. Earlier decorations of the Soviet Union served as its model.