FMC Vietnam Heroico Solidarity Pin (Federación de Mujeres Cubanas)

Name/Title

FMC "Vietnam Heroico" Solidarity Pin (Federación de Mujeres Cubanas)

Entry/Object ID

2025.2.29

Description

An upright-leaning rectangular enamel pin within a silver-tone frame. The upper two-thirds is a red field; the lower third a blue band lettered "VIETNAM HEROICO" in white capitals. At the upper right, "FMC" is stacked vertically in white. At left are two stylized female heads in profile (white face, dark flowing hair, one with Western features and a beret, the other with Asian features and a Vietnamese hat). To their right, two figures with arms raised in jubilation stands above radiating lines (a burst/celebration motif).

Use

Obtained in Cuba by Anna Veltfort and brought to New York City with her when she moved back to the US.

Context

The pin expresses Cuban women's solidarity with Vietnam during the Vietnam War, issued by or for the FMC. Cuba was among the most fervent backers of the Vietnamese struggle — "¡Por Vietnam, Cuba está dispuesta a dar hasta su propia sangre!" (Fidel, 1973) — channeled through bodies like the Comité Cubano de Solidaridad con Vietnam del Sur, the CTC, ICAP, and the FMC. "Vietnam Heroico" ("Heroic Vietnam") was a recurring epithet in that campaign; the raised-arm figures evoke the celebrated heroism/struggle of the Vietnamese people. The badge thus joins the FMC's women's-organization identity to the Cuba–Vietnam solidarity theme.

Collection

Anna Veltfort collection

Acquisition

Accession

2025.2

Source or Donor

Anna Veltfort

Acquisition Method

Gift

Made/Created

Place

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

Maker/Attribution: Unmarked on the visible face; maker not identified (reverse not seen). Cuban manufacture (FMC issue). Date: circa late 1960s–1970s (Vietnam War solidarity era) (tentative; not tied to a specific identified FMC event).

Inscription/Signature/Marks

Type

Inscription

Transcription

FMC Vietnam Heroico

Language

Spanish

Translation

FMC Heroic Vietnam

Notes

"VIETNAM HEROICO" (blue band); "FMC" (upper right). FMC emblem (female profile with star).

Dimensions

Height

1.3 cm

Width

2 cm

Parts

Single enamel-on-metal badge.

Materials

Material

Metal

Material Notes

Stamped metal (aluminum or silver-tone alloy) with red, blue, white, and dark-blue/black enamel.

Condition

Overall Condition

Good

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Anna Veltfort

Notes

owner

Person or Organization

F.M.C.

Related Places

Place

City

Havana

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

acquisition

Place

Country

Cuba

Region

Caribbean, Central America

Notes

production

Place

Country

Vietnam

Notes

imagery

Related Events

Event

Vietnam War

Created By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Create Date

March 31, 2022

Updated By

María A. Cabrera Arús

Update Date

June 18, 2026