Ho Chi Min Sandal : Battle of Long Tan

Rubber sandal hand-made from car or truck tyres. The sole of the sandal has been cut from an oval-shaped section of tyre, with the tread side downwards. There are four straps on the sandal with space for a fifth. The straps have been made from rubber inner tube threaded through slots in the soles. Two of the straps are broken and one is missing. The entire surface of the sandal is covered in a red/brown powdery coating. This could be a rubber deterioration product but is more likely to be mud.

Collected from the battlefield at Long Tan, this style of sandal was developed by the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers operating in the warmer, damper climate of South Vietnam. They were the main type of footwear worn by both the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese soldiers during the battle of Long Tan and were named Ho Chi Minh sandals after the president of North Vietnam.