South Vietnamese Beo Gam Bush Hat (1960’s)

September 8, 2021Camouflage, Custom and Tailored Items, Early Cold War (1945 - 1968), Headgear, United States, Vietnam War

“Beo Gam” is Vietnamese for “leopard”, referring to the spots on the pattern. The hat is based on the French Mle 1949 Chapeau de Brousse (Bush Hat) design.

Sample 1:

Made from thin silk (?) fabric printed with duck hunter camouflage. These were popular private purchase items to be used in the field or as souvenirs, particularly early in the Vietnam war.

Inside:

Brim is stiffened with a re-used newspaper with Vietnamese text.

Usage Photos:

Most of these photos were taken early in the Vietnam War, before and including 1968.

1962: An American military advisor instructs villagers in the central highlands of South Vietnam in the use of rifles (Full credit: Jacoby – ullstein bild / Granger, NYC — All rights reserved)[1]. Another source says the year could be 1966 [2].

1962: An American military advisor instructs villagers in the central highlands of South Vietnam in the use of rifles (Full credit: Jacoby – ullstein bild / Granger, NYC — All rights reserved)[1]. Another source says the year could be 1966 [2].

References

↑ (EN) The Granger Collection LTD d/b/a GRANGER – Historical Picture Archive.: ullstein bild / Granger, NYC, “VIETNAM: AMERICAN ADVISOR.” (https://www.granger.com/results.asp?inline=true&image=0087534&wwwflag=1&itemx=7), 1962
↑ (EN) U.S. Militaria Forum: gunbarrel, “ VIETNAM BEOGAM PATTERNS” (https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/40924-vietnam-beogam-patterns/page/10/#comment-254576), January 6, 2009
↑ (EN) U.S. Militaria Forum: warpath, “VIETNAM BEOGAM PATTERNS” (https://www.usmilitariaforum.com/forums/index.php?/topic/40924-vietnam-beogam-patterns/page/26/#comment-995036), January 7, 2012
↑ (EN) U.S. Navy Naval History and Heritage Command: Carsten Fries, “A Chronology of the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and Southeast Asia, 1950–75” (https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/vietnam-war0/chronology.html), March 2018; last updated June 21, 2024

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