North Vietnamese Army E-tool Entrenching Tool Named with Leather Belt Carrier

Every NVA regular carried one down the HCM Trail.

The NVA and VC were deathly afraid of aerial bombardment, mortars and artillery. They dug in everywhere. The Tunnels of Chu Chi were undoubtedly dug with one of these. Without one, their life expectancy went spiraling down due to the overwhelming ability of the US to mass firepower on NVA and VC concentrations.

These were lashed down to the bottom of the rucksack, carried with a rope or less commonly carried in a belt worn cover made of leather (early) or canvas (later).

This one has its’ original leather belt carrier – cover. This has been displayed with the flap down and will need some elbow grease TLC to close it back in. The leather is supple and pliable but has shrunk a tiny bit over the decades.

One side has the owner’s name, “Tinh” and his unit number carved into the handle. This was done in order to insure he had his e-tool.

The handle is still firmly in place.