Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal

Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal
Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal (obverse)
TypeMedal
Awarded forParticipation in the Tonkin campaign and Sino-French War, 1883–1885
Presented by France
Established6 September 1885
Last awarded1 October 1895
Total97,300
Ribbon of the Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal

The Tonkin Expedition commemorative medal (French: Médaille commémorative de l'expédition du Tonkin) was awarded to all the French soldiers and sailors who took part in the battles of the Tonkin campaign and the Sino-French War between 1883 and 1885. The medal, decreed by a law of 6 September 1885, was minted at the Monnaie de Paris and distributed shortly before the Bastille Day parade on 14 July 1886 to around 65,000 soldiers and sailors. The medal was later awarded to participants in a number of earlier and later campaigns in Indochina, bringing the total number of recipients to 97,300.