The Shenyang F-5 was the denomination the Chinese licensed copies were given to the MiG-17. Most of them were copies of the MiG-17F variant, but some of them were of the earlier MiG-17 (Fresco-A) variant. During the Vietnam war hundreds of F-5s served with the North Vietnamese Air Force and were used by many of their aces, like Nguyen Phi Hung, whose aircraft is depicted below, flew an F-5 ,numbered 2315, regularly over North Vietnam between October 1967 and July 1968 and it was during that time when he got the ace status, however, it's not clear which claims he made flying the 2315.
Another flying ace who, at some point in his career flew the F-5 was Le Hai who, together with Nguyen Dinh Phuc, claimed two F-4Bs shot down on 19th November 1967. However, US Navy's records only confirm Hai's victory.
Later, Hai added another aerial victory flying another F-5, numbered 3020, which granted him his seventh star. He shot down a Ryan Firebee drone over North Vietnam on 3rd August 1969. Flying that same aircraft, he claimed another F-4 over Thanh Chuong on 14th June 1968. He claimed that he had hit the Phantom twice with two bursts of fire at an altitude of 2000 m (6561 ft) high causing the Phantom to crash into the sea. The USAF loss records do not corroborate this kill, though.
Luu Huy Chao was another ace who flew an unusually camouflaged F-5 and was credited with 9 aerial victories over American aircraft. Chao was flying the F-5 depicted below when he claimed an F-8 Crusader on 14th December 1967 as his fifth victory, the one that granted him the ace status. However, the US Navy didn't recognise the loss, at least not on that day. That aircraft survived the war and is now present in Vietnam People's Air Force in Hanoi.
Sources:
1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenyang_J-5
2. Salamander Books - The Complete Book of Fighters
3. Osprey - Aircraft of the Aces 130 - MiG-17-19 Aces of the Vietnam War
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