Bending fatigue strength tests were made for VC coated die steels which were coated by immersing in a molten borax bath and for hardened die steels which were quenched and tempered, in order to clarify the effect of VC coating at $1000^{circ}C$ and $1025^{circ}C$. The material used in this investigation was a representative cold and hot die steels STD11, STD61. The results obtained are as follows. 1) The endurance limit of VC coated die steels was a little lower than that of hardened die steels. It is considered to be mainly due to the decfl.lase of hardness in the substrates. Accordingly, the endurance limit reo covered almost to the level of hardened die steels by an additional diffusion treatment. 2) The initiation point of fatigue fracture of VC coated die steels in reversed bening was on the substrate just under the VC layer. Hence, the endurance limit is corrected to the hardness of this part. 3) But, there is a considerable scatter in this relationship and the endurance limit of VC coated die steels was a little lower than that of hardened die steels with equal hardness. These results suggest that the fatigue strength of VC coated die steels is determined not only by the hardness but also by other factors. For example. the residual stress in the substrate just under VC coating layer is one of the factors besides hardness which is mainly related to the retained austenite(${gamma}_R$).