The Bài (牌) was an imperial

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

ese decoration for merit. The decoration, an oblong shield of

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile me ...

set with ten

rubies A ruby is a pinkish red to blood-red colored gemstone, a variety of the mineral corundum ( aluminium oxide). Ruby is one of the most popular traditional jewelry gems and is very durable. Other varieties of gem-quality corundum are called sap ...

was worn on a cord around the neck. It was given to meritorious princes, mandarins, generals, ministers and the highest civil servants. The decoration is very old but was reformed by the emperor

Thành Thái Thành Thái (, vi-hantu, 成泰; 14 March 1879 – 20 March 1954) born Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Lân (阮福寶嶙), was the son of Emperor Dục Đức and Empress Dowager Từ Minh. He reigned as emperor for 18 years, from 1889 to 1907. Biog ...

in 1889. It ceased to exist after the fall of the Vietnamese monarchy in 1945.

Gallery

Emperors with the Bai

Image:Roi-Khai-Dinh.jpg, Emperor

Khải Định Khải Định (; chữ Hán: 啓定; born Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Đảo; 8 October 1885 – 6 November 1925) was the 12th emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty in Vietnam, reigning from 1916 to 1925. His name at birth was Prince Nguyễn Phúc Bửu Đ� ...

with Bai and Kim Khanh Image:Vua Thanh Thai.jpg, Emperor

with Bai and Kim Khanh Image:Vinh-thuy-bao-dai-1-.jpg, Emperor

Bảo Đại Bảo Đại (, vi-hantu, , lit. "keeper of greatness", 22 October 191331 July 1997), born Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thụy (), was the 13th and final emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty, the last ruling dynasty of Vietnam. From 1926 to 1945, he was em ...

with Bai and Kim Khanh

External links

Overview of Annamese orders, decorations, and medals
{{Nguyễn dynasty topics Orders, decorations, and medals of Vietnam