Flag of Vietnam
co do sao vang ("red flag with a yellow star")
A red flag with one large yellow five-pointed star in the middle.
At a glance
- Adopted
- November 30, 1955first used in 1940 and adopted by North Vietnam in 1945; the star was redrawn in 1955; flag of all Vietnam since reunification in 1976
- Shape (height : width)
- 2:3
- Capital
- Hanoi
- Continent
- Asia
- Colours
- red
- yellow
What it means
- Red: revolution and the blood shed for the country's freedom
- Yellow star: the Vietnamese people and the soul of the nation
- Five points: five groups that build the country: workers, farmers, intellectuals, soldiers, and either young people or business people (sources list the fifth group differently)
Where it came from
The flag first appeared on 23 November 1940 in an uprising against French rule in southern Vietnam (Cochinchina). It is often credited to Nguyen Huu Tien, but this is disputed: in 2001 the Ministry of Culture found no documents proving it, and another official later named a different person. Nobody knows for sure who designed it.
History
The Viet Minh, a communist-led movement founded in 1941, used the flag in its fight against Japanese occupation and French rule. Ho Chi Minh declared the Democratic Republic of Vietnam on 2 September 1945, and a few days later a decree made this its national flag.
On 30 November 1955 the star was made a little smaller with straighter points. South Vietnam used a yellow flag with three red stripes until 1975. After reunification, the red flag with the yellow star became the flag of the whole country in 1976.
Fun facts
- It is the only flag among the ten Southeast Asian ASEAN countries that has no white in it.
- The star must fit inside a circle three fifths as tall as the flag.
- Red and yellow have been used in Vietnamese flags for a very long time.
- Its designer is still a mystery, even though the flag is famous.
Easy to mix up with
China
MoroccoQuestions
What does the flag of Vietnam look like?
A red flag with one large yellow five-pointed star in the middle.
What do the colours and symbols on the flag of Vietnam mean?
Red: revolution and the blood shed for the country's freedom; Yellow star: the Vietnamese people and the soul of the nation; Five points: five groups that build the country: workers, farmers, intellectuals, soldiers, and either young people or business people (sources list the fifth group differently).
When was the flag of Vietnam adopted?
The current flag of Vietnam was adopted on November 30, 1955. (first used in 1940 and adopted by North Vietnam in 1945; the star was redrawn in 1955; flag of all Vietnam since reunification in 1976)
What colours are on the flag of Vietnam?
The flag of Vietnam uses red and yellow.
Which flag is easy to mix up with the flag of Vietnam?
It is easy to mix up with the flag of China. China also has yellow stars on red, but one big star and four small ones in the top left corner
Famous landmarks in Vietnam
🎯 Play the flag quiz 🌍 Play the globe
Sources
- en.wikipedia.org
- crwflags.com
- Flag picture: flagcdn.com (Wikimedia Commons)