Flag of Vietnam

The flag of Vietnam, also known as the "red flag with yellow star" ("cờ đỏ sao vàng"), was adopted as the flag of the Vietminh, a communist army, in 1941. In 1945, it was adopted by the newly-established Democratic Republic of Vietnam, which became the government of North Vietnam in 1954. The flag was adopted by the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (united Vietnam), which was founded in 1976 following the Vietnam War.

Design

The flag has a red background with a yellow five-pointed star in the center. It was designed by Nguyễn Hữu Tiến and first used in the "Southern Uprising" (Nam Kỳ Khởi nghĩa) of November 1940 against French rule, according to writer Son Tung. [http://www.vietnamembassy-usa.org/news/story.php?d=20050829125146 VN Embassy : Flag Designer Urban Myths Squelched ] ] Tiến was unknown until 1981, when Tung's research was published in the official press. The red background represents blood while yellow represents "the color of our race’s skin," according to a poem Tiến wrote. The five points of the star represent intellectuals, peasants, workers, traders and soldiers.

The flag was displayed at a 1941 conference at which the Vietminh was founded. The flag's design, especially the large star in the middle, may have been influenced by the flag of the Việt Quốc, a nationalist party allied with the communists at that time. However, the background was changed to solid red, as is characteristic of communist flags. Such red backgrounds honor the Red Flag flown by the Paris Commune of 1871.

The flag was adopted by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, founded by the Vietminh in Hanoi in 1945. Following the Geneva Accord of 1954, the DRV became the government of North Vietnam. In 1955, the flag's design was modified slightly to make the star smaller and its edges straighter. This followed a similar modification of the Flag of the Soviet Union. The flag was adopted in the South in 1975 after the North Vietnamese army overran Saigon. North and South were unified as the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976.

Historical Flags

The Trung sisters flew a yellow banner during their revolt against China in 40AD. [http://www5.brinkster.com/vla/pkt1.asp The National Flag of Free Vietnam] ] The yellow banner was adopted as a national flag by Emperor Gia Long (1802-1820). Three red stripes were added in 1890 by Emperor Thành Thái to represent the northern, central and southern regions. From 1920 to 1945, a yellow flag with a single, broad red stripe was flown. (The Vietnamese emperor was nominal ruler only for central Vietnam at this time.) Thành Thái's three-striped flag was adopted by the State of Vietnam (1949-55) and by its successor, the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) (1955-75).

In the United States, at least 11 states and 113 cities have adopted resolutions recognizing the former South Vietnamese flag as the Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag. [ [http://vcflaguta.com/FlagRecognizing.html Resolution Recognizing: The Yellow Flag With Three Red Stripes as The Official Flag of the Vietnamese American] ] The Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag is permanently displayed at memorial sites at Westminster, California and Cabramatta, Australia.

The Vietnamese government opposes these efforts and complained to the United States federal government on the grounds that it is a sovereign country with diplomatic relations with the United States. This flag is de-facto banned in Vietnam.

ee also

* Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club

References

External links

* [http://www.mekongrepublic.com/vietnam/flags.asp The meaning of the flags of North and South Vietnam]
*FOTW|id=vn|title=Vietnam
* [http://209.85.129.104/search?q=cache:HnRW-_UjiHsJ:www.vpac-usa.org/flag/The%2520National%2520Flag%2520of%2520VN.pdf+%22national+flag+of+vietnam%22&hl=com&ct=clnk&cd=4&gl=com The National Flag of Viet Nam: Its Origin and Legitimacy] or in [http://www.vpac-usa.org/flag/The%20National%20Flag%20of%20VN.pdf PDF]