ChiCom Sterile Export North Vietnamese Army Viet Cong K-44 Type 53 Carbine Ammunition Pouch Two Tone

There are a couple variations of this hard to find pouch. This one has white cotton lining under the flaps is dated 1956.  The white cotton lining is a remnant of Korean War production CPV equipment.   Other variants do not have the white lining and are dated 1960 which is the last year the PRC manufactured the Type 53 Carbine, a copy of the Soviet M-1944 Carbine.

The Type 53 was short and had great stopping power. It was quite obsolete in the Warsaw Pact and was only issued to PLA militia units in the 1960s.  However, it was a front line weapon with the NVA prior to 1964 when the SKS and AK was standardized.  It remained a front line weapon with the Viet Cong through most of the war. It was also the standard militia weapon in the North.

These pouches are hard to find. This one is unmarked for export to Hanoi.