The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military recognition awarded by the Republic of Vietnam, (also known as South Vietnam), to any member of the United States, Australian, New Zealand and allied military forces serving six months or more in support of Republic of Vietnam military operations.
Established in 1966, the Vietnam Campaign Medal is a service medal of the Vietnam War and was the most commonly bestowed foreign military award to United States military personnel prior to the Gulf War.
The Vietnam Campaign Medal is issued with a device known as the “1960 Bar”. The bar displays the date of 1960 followed by a dash and a blank space. The unusual appearance was caused by the government of the Republic of Vietnam stating that the 1960 bar would show the dates of the Vietnam War from start to finish, with the ending date placed on the 1960 bar after the South Vietnamese had triumphed over North Vietnam (the Democratic Republic of Vietnam). Since South Vietnam fell, and the government ceased to exist, an ending date for the 1960 Bar was never established.