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Throughout its roughly twenty year history literally hundreds of insignia designs were established for the formations of the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) Armed Forces. The material presented on this page are all original pieces held in the collection of the Republic of Vietnam Historical Society, and pertain to the divisions and regiments of the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN). However, it is far from a complete overview, the divisional and regimental patches shown here represent only roughly half of those put into service. The exact number of insignia designs employed by the Army of the Republic of Vietnam is unknown. Divisional level patches were established for formations at divisional level, the number of which varied between divisions. At most an ARVN army regiment could have a general regimental patch, a headquarters patch, a scout/reconnaissance/strike company patch, and battalion patches, but this also varied between units. Some regiments had only a general regimental patch while others had only a general regimental and battalion patches. Designs for particular formations were also modified over time, resulting in a number of variations for the same unit. The material used for making insignia also varied. Patches could either be made of silk, printed on cotton, hand embroidered, or machine made, and could further be in color or subdued in olive drab/black. Enlisted personnel in most cases wore printed cotton insignia, and officers a mixture of the other three types with silk made being the most predominant. Divisional insignia was worn on the left sleeve, seven cetimeters below the shoulder seam. Regimental, battalion, and company insignia were worn on the pockets, with the right pocket being reserved for the higher level insignia. Most of the identifications below were made by Cecil B. Smyth in the 1970s, whose publications covering the insignia of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Vietnam remain the most profound cataloging of the subject. |
Divisional Patches
 1st Division |
 1st Division: Subdued |
 1st Division: Reconnaissance Battalion |
 1st Division: Strike Company |
 1st Division: Strike Company: Variation |
 1st Division: Strike Company: Variation |
 1st Division: Strike Company: Variation |  2nd Division |  2nd Division: Variation |  3rd Division |
 3rd Division: Subdued |  3rd Division: Variation |  3rd Division: Variation: Subdued |  3rd Division: Headquarters |  5th Division |
 5th Divison: Headquarters |  5th Division: Pocket Patch |  5th Division: Pocket Patch: Variation |  5th Division: Strike Company |  7th Division |
 7th Division: Headquarters |  9th Division |  9th Division: Subdued |  9th Division: Variation |  9th Division:Headquarters |
 9th Division: Medical |  9th Division:Reconnaissance Battalion |  9th Division:Reconnaissance Battalion: Variation |  9th Division: Signals |  9th Division: Engineers |
 10th Division |  18th Division |  18th Division: Reconnaissance |  18th Division: Reconnaissance Variant |  21st Division |
 21st Divison: Unknown Unit |  22nd Division |  22nd Division:Scout Company |  22nd Division: Reconnaissance |  22nd Division: Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol |
 23rd Division |  25th Division |
 23rd Infantry Division "Kontum Hero 1972"  25th Division:Subdued |
Regimental Patches
 1st Infantry Regiment |  1st Infantry Regiment:Variation |  1st Infantry Regiment:Variation |  1st Infantry Regiment:Variation |  1st Infantry Regiment:Variation |
 1st Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |  1st Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion:Variation |  1st Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |  1st Infantry Regiment:4th Battalion |  2nd Infantry Regiment |
 2nd Infantry Regiment:Subdued |  2nd Infantry Regiment:Variation |  2nd Infantry Regiment:Variation:Subdued |  2nd Infantry Regiment:"Batman" (Scout) Company |  2nd Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |
 2nd Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |  2nd Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  2nd Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion:Variation |  2nd Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion:Variation |  3rd Infantry Regiment |
 3rd Infantry Regiment: Variation |  3rd Infantry Regiment:Variation |  3rd Infantry Regiment:Variation |  3rd Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |  3rd Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company:Variation |
 3rd Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |  3rd Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion:Variation |  3rd Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |  3rd Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  3rd Infantry Regiment:4th Battalion |
 4th Infantry Regiment |  4th Infantry Regiment:Variation |  4th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |  6th Infantry Regiment |  7th Infantry Regiment |
 7th Infantry Regiment:Variation |  7th Infantry Regiment:Variation |  8th Infantry Regiment |  8th Infantry Regiment:Variation |
 8th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |  9th Infantry Regiment |  9th Infantry Regiment: Variation |  10th Infantry Regiment |
 10th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |
 10th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion Variation |
 11th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |  11th Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |  11th Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion:Variation |  11th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |
 12th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |  12th Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |
 12th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  12th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion:Variation |  12th Infantry Regiment:4th Battalion |
 12th Infantry Regiment:4th Battalion:Variation |  13th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  14th Infantry Regiment |  14th Infantry Regiment:Strike Force |  15th Infantry Regiment |
 15th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |  15th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |  15th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  16th Infantry Regiment |  16th Infantry Regiment:Variation |
 16th Infantry Regiment:Variation |  16th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |  16th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company:Variation |  16th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company:Variation |  31st Infantry Regiment |
 31st Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  31st Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion: Variation |  31st Infantry Regiment:4th Battalion |  32nd Infantry Regiment |  33rd Infantry Regiment |
 |  33rd Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |  33rd Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |  33rd Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion:Variation |  33rd Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |
 33rd Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  33rd Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion: Variation |  33rd Infantry Regiment:4th Battalion |  40th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |  42nd Infantry Regiment |
 42nd Infantry Regiment: Reconnaissance |  42nd Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |  42nd Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion:Variation |  42nd Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |  42nd Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |
 43rd Infantry Regiment |  44th Infantry Regiment |  44th Infantry Regiment:Task Force |  45th Infantry Regiment |  45th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |
 45th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |  45th Infantry Regiment:4th Battalion |  47th Infantry Regiment |
 47th Infantry Regiment: Subdued |
 47th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |
 47th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company:Variation |  47th Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |
 47th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  48th Infantry Regiment |  48th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |
 48th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company:Variation |  48th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company:Variation |  48th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |  48th Infantry Regiment:2nd battalion |  48th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |
 51st Infantry Regiment |  51st Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |
 51st Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  52nd Infantry Regiment |
 52nd Infantry Regiment Reconnaissance Company |
 53rd Infantry Regiment |  53rd Infantry Regiment:Variation |  54th Infantry Regiment |  54th Infantry Regiment:Variation |  54th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |
 54th Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |  54th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  54th Infantry Regiment:4th Battalion |  56th Infantry Regiment |  56th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion |
 56th Infantry Regiment:1st Battalion: Variation |  56th Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |  56th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |  57th Infantry Regiment |  57th Infantry Regiment:Reconnaissance Company |
 57th Infantry Regiment:2nd Battalion |
 57th Infantry Regiment:3rd Battalion |
