tropical regions during the mid-20th century. It was decorated with a full-size officer's hat crest on the front. White or light blue helmets of plastic material but traditional design are official optional uniform items worn today by letter carriers of the U.S. Postal Service to protect against both sun and rain. Vietnam After the Second World War, the communist Viet Minh in French Indochina, and later the People's Army of Vietnam of the North, based their helmet design, called , on the French pith helmet. Today it is still widely worn by civilians in Vietnam (mostly in the North, but its use declined sharply in 2007 when the motorbike helmet became mandatory for motorbike riders). In design, the Vietnamese model was similar to the pre-Second World War civilian type, but covered in jungle green cloth or other colors depend on the army's branches (for example, blue for the Air Force), usually with a metal insignia at the front. It is considered as a symbol of the Vietnamese Army. Commonwealth countries The pith helmet is still used by a number of military units throughout the Commonwealth. In the United Kingdom, the Royal Marines wear white Wolseley pattern helmets of the same general design as the old pith helmet as part of their number 1 or dress uniform. These date from 1912 in their present form and are made of natural cork covered in white cloth on the outside and shade green on the inside. Decoration includes a brass ball ornament at the top (a detail inherited from the Royal Marine Artillery), helmet plate and chin chain. The Home Service helmet is still worn, as part of full dress uniform, by line infantry regiments in the United Kingdom today. Although the wearing of full dress uniform by these units largely ceased after the First World War, it continues to be worn by regimental bands, Corps of Drums and guards of honour on ceremonial occasions. Such personnel are likewise directed to wear the Foreign Service helmet (either colonial pattern or Wolseley pattern according to regimental specification) when full dress uniform is worn "in hot weather overseas stations such as Cyprus". Within the British Overseas Territories, a white Wolseley helmet with red and white swan-feather plume is still occasionally worn by governors of colonial territories when in white tropical uniform. The Royal Gibraltar Regiment routinely wear the white pith helmet with a white tunic