Indochina Medals - Lao PDR - LP11 Medal of Labor

LP11	MEDAL OF LABOR (or Order of Labor)
	(lian-sai haang-ngan) three classes – established in 1977
	For:	meritorious labor
	Design:	pentagonal breast badge, gold/silver/bronze with enamels, 43mm across, with suspension ribbon
		Obverse:	a five shallow pointed star, and a central red disk with a gold hammer and sickle contained on both sides by sheaves of rice, with a half cogwheel below and a red riband with the Lao inscription for labor (haang-ngan);
		Reverse:	plain
	Ribbon:	25mm; red 6mm, blue 13mm, red 6mm; with a straight suspension; also 28mm; red 7mm, blue 14mm, red 7mm
		service bar: as per class (see below)

The second and third classes are common. The first class is scarce.

Current Variety - Laos Manufacture

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - 1st Class / 2nd Class / 3rd Class (with ribbon bars denoting the class)

11/1	First Class
	Design:	gold metal
	Ribbon:	service bar of blue and red edges, with three thin yellow stripes

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - 1st Class

11/2	Second Class - silver
	Design:	silver metal
	Ribbon:	service bar of blue and red edges, with two thin yellow stripes

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - 2nd Class

11/3	Third Class - bronze
	Design:	pinkish metal
	Ribbon:	service bar of blue and red edges, with one thin yellow stripe

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - 3rd Class

11A - First Variety - Czech Manufacture

The first variety of the Labor Medal was manufactured in the Czech Socialist Republic, and is of a somewhat different design. It reportedly was never used. It was replaced by the second design as above, which appears to be of standard Vietnamese workmanship.

One explanation :- The Czech medal was reportedly not distributed because it was not made according to Lao standards, possibly due to the French and western looking shape of the ribbon suspension. The Czechs, which produced this, have always used straight ribbon fold rather than pentagonal Soviet style or short rectangular suspensions and this perhaps neither fitted into the Lao communist award system nor did it please the responsible government officials. This it is possible that only the initial awards made of this first type have been distributed in the presence of the Czech government officials who brought them to Laos. It is reported that the medals were liquidated. It may also be that these medals were stripped of their Czech ribbons and furnished with new suspension. Possibly initial recipients were asked to exchange their pieces for the new model. (Does anyone have further information about this ?)

Design:	gold/silver/bronze breast badge, 40mm, with suspension ribbon
	Obverse:	five pointed rays, with a shorter pointed single ray in each angle, and heavy red enamel in the center with a design as above.
	Reverse:	plain
Ribbon:	25mm; red 6mm, blue 13mm, red 6mm; with a straight suspension
	service bar: as per class (see below)

Medal of Labor Ribbons
Class 1/2/3 Ribbon Bars

The silver and bronze medals, usually without a ribbon are common. The gold class is scarce.

11A/1

First Class - gold

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - 1st Class (First Type - Czech Manufacture)

11A/2

Second Class - silver

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - 2nd Class (First Type - Czech Manufacture)

11A/3

Third Class - bronze

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - 3rd Class (First Type - Czech Manufacture)

Award Certificates

An interesting certificate for the Medal of Labor, which displays the reported trial version of the medal which was never issued, and with pentagonal ribbon.

Certificate Picture
Label Picture
(from the SRV Army Museum, Hanoi, Vietnam)

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - detail from certificate

Concocted Medals

Some medals may be found with incorrectly assembled components, possibly to facilitate their sale to collectors :

Medal of Labor Picture
Medal of Labor - concocted ribbon & broken enamel

THE ORDERS AND MEDALS OF THE LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC