- 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 theVietminh , acommunist army, in 1941. In 1945, it was adopted by the newly-establishedDemocratic Republic of Vietnam , which became the government of North Vietnam in 1954. The flag was adopted by theSocialist Republic of Vietnam (united Vietnam), which was founded in 1976 following theVietnam 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 theRed Flag flown by theParis 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 theFlag of the Soviet Union . The flag was adopted in the South in 1975 after the North Vietnamese army overranSaigon . 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 EmperorGia Long (1802-1820). Three red stripes were added in 1890 by EmperorThành 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 theState of Vietnam (1949-55) and by its successor, theRepublic 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 andCabramatta, 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
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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]
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