Huge Source of Vietnam Decals, both VN War and Modern

Introduction

With AMPS having chosen Vietnam as the theme for their 2026 Convention, some of you may be pleased to know there are plenty of kits from the war, especially in 1/35th. Or should I say "wars," since there was continual fighting in Vietnam from 1945 until 1975 and even beyond? But model makers have released plenty of aircraft, AFVs, soft skins and figures covering all of the four major combatants: France, the People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN, also called the NVA), the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) and of course, the US. There's a mix of new kits being released, as well as older ones available from resellers like eBay.

One of the challenges, however, is finding the appropriate markings. That's because in the case of the North Vietnamese Army (more correctly called the PAVN), they received large amounts of aircraft, AFVs, artillery, trucks, small arms and sundry armaments from the Soviet Union. The Soviets were pleased to have the United States bogged down in a stalemated conflict with one of their proxies; additionally, they did not want to see a Communist state defeated. China also supported North Vietnam with many of the same armaments, and some are reproduced in plastic.

Yet most of these kits have only Soviet or Chinese markings.

Soviet/Chinese paint schemes were usually maintained after a vehicle's arrival in Vietnam; markings, on the other hand were changed and even enhanced with local flair. The differences can be subtle, and in fact, many North Vietnamese softkins had no national markings, whether as a measure of camouflage or from the necessity of getting them into the field quickly in order to move the many tons of supplies that flowed south along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. But they most definitely had non-Soviet identification codes and even the occasional "personalizing" slogans, etc.

Even for the PAVN's foes in South Vietnam (the Army of the Republic of Vietnam or ARVN), there is a limited amount of decals on the market, mostly for the M113, which like nearly all of the ARVN's motor pool was supplied by the United States. However, the ARVN M113s and all their other vehicles used non-US identification codes and even sometimes slogans (see the photo below of my rendering of the ARVN M107 emblazoned with "King of the Battlefield" and "Thunder:). Yet even with all the kits dedicated to US vehicles in the Vietnam conflict, the markings in these kits or aftermarket options don't come close to all the individuality showing up in photos from the conflict.

Fortunately, De Can Quoc Dan Studio in Vietnam offers an extensive line of waterslide decals to cover a large and growing array of North and South Vietnamese subjects, along with US vehicles, artillery, helicopters and ordnance. They even have some items for post-Vietnam War PAVN vehicles and aircraft. Also, if you have purchased any of Hobby Link's 3D-printed resin kits, you will be familiar with De Can Quoc Dan Studio decals since they supply Hobby Link.

The Decals

As stated above, De Can Quoc Dan Studio's catalog has ARVN and US offerings, along with a few French items. But their primary focus in on North Vietnam. The selection is broad, covering everything from tanks (T-54B, Type 59, PT-76) to various trucks, and even markings for Trumpeter's SA-2 SAM missile transporter. This includes markings for the M113 armored personnel carriers captured when South Vietnam collapsed in 1975, and which took part in Vietnam's 1978 invasion of Cambodia. The range of decals isn't limited to AFVs, artillery and softskins, either: there are three sets of markings for helicopter-mounted rocket pods painted to look like giant American beer cans (I purchased a set of Budweiser markings, but wish now I'd also bought the Pabst Blue Ribbon set).

The Review

The decals are all printed on a single sheet of film, so care should be taken to cut out each marking before dipping it in water. The edges of the transfer sheet film can sometimes be thicker or rougher than the rest of the sheet, so again, be sure to trim off that edge. Color saturation, especially with white, is generally good, and silvering is minimal if the surface is properly-prepared. I recommend laying down a coat of gloss and then using strong decal setting solutions like Mr. Mark Softer and Mr. Mark Setter.

I recently received an order from De Can Quoc Dan Studio for nearly 20 sets of decals, so I will focus in this review on seven of them:

Markings for 155mm charge cases (W350040)
"Budweiser" wrap for Lau-3 rocket pods (W350055)
US dump truck M51 (W350063)
CT-15A armored car (W350108)
ZIL-157 Soviet truck (W350113)
ARVN or PAVN M113 )W350154)
PT-76 "Vegas" (W350164)

Before moving forward, I should point out the total number of decals is often quite small for the price (usually $5-$8). In the case of the CT-15A for the Mirror Models kit (which survives despite the end of Mirror Models), you get two small sheets of bumper codes and two tactical markings. But the price is only $2, and there simply isn't any other source for French or ARVN markings for this vehicle which saw service, first with the French and then later with the ARVN after the French left Indochina and turned over their remaining equipment to the newly-created South Vietnam.

The markings for the 155mm powder charges will complete 8 units, and the price is also only $2.

Markings for the M51A2 dump truck might seem superfluous, since AFV Club has a kit with four vehicle markings from the Vietnam War. Yet why not have another option for a mere $2?

The "Budweiser" wraps are meant for Lau-3 rocket pods, usually attached to Huey helicopters. A wide variety of rockets were used in Vietnam, but the 2.75 inch variety were extremely common. De Can Quoc Dan Studio has Bud, Pabst and Coors (see actual photo below of this creative take on wartime markings).

Most helpful for me will be the many different marking sets for Soviet-built vehicles in North Vietnamese service. As mentioned, Trumpeter and also Hobby Boss offer a number of softskins, but usually with Soviet markings only. I have the ZIL-157 in my stash, as well as other trucks that plied the Ho Chi Minh Trail.

Since the M113 was the workhorse of the ARVN and the US forces, it's only fitting to include mention of the set that allows for modeling an ARVN M113 that later fell into the hands of the PAVN with decals for both versions.

And finally, the PT-76 was the workhorse of the PAVN, so it's appropriate to have a set just for this very useful AFV.

Conclusion

That these decals exist at all is reason enough to rejoice. I have a stash of Vietnam models, and most of the Soviet kits have generic Soviet decals. These sets will allow modelers to get it right. But the true value is that, instead of purchasing expensive sets of decals just to get markings for a single vehicle as you must do with the Vietnam-era markings from Star, Echelon or Bison (if you can even find them!), you can get just the decals you need for a particular project and at a very reasonable price.

How to Order these Decals

I only know of one reseller outside of Vietnam offering these decals (Wanamaker Hobbies in the US, though they are not listed on Wanamaker's website). But they can easily be ordered directly from De Can Quoc Dan Studio with fast and safe shipping that provides tracking numbers. Alternately, they are also on Facebook.

Thanks to De Can Quoc Dan Studio for providing some review samples. Other decals reviewed here were purchased by me. Be sure to mention you saw these items reviewed on Armorama when ordering your own.