[Philip]

The asymmetrical grip (slight downward cant and a low "hump" on the upper side) is stylistically Chinese, I can't think of any SE Asian swords that have this feature. The guard is not necessarily Chinese, since most Chinese saber guards have a raised flange or moulding around the rim, unless they are quite thick to begin with. The metal pommel with its flattened, bun shaped extremity sitting on top of a cylindrical body looks more Burmese to me. A suggestion has been made that this weapon could be Vietnamese -- the possibility can't be discounted completely but in my experience, a hilt of this configuration coming from Vietnam would tend to either not have a metal pommel cap, or else have a lobed pommel vaguely reminiscent of that on a jian from China. In the former case (no metal), the end of the grip would either expand slightly if it were the downward-curving type, or else taper to a bullet-shaped terminus if it were the longer style that was straight or slightly upward-curving.