A brief overview of the meaning, history, and key facts about the national flag of Vietnam.
Flag of Vietnam
The national flag of Vietnam consists of a red field with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center. The red background represents passion, will, belief, and the revolutionary fighting spirit of the Vietnamese people. The yellow star symbolizes the light of revolutionary leadership. The five points of the star represent the unity of the major social groups of Vietnamese society: intellectuals, farmers, workers, merchants and soldiers.
Printable Vietnam Flag (PNG Download)
Interesting facts about the Vietnamese flag
1. The red flag with a yellow star first appeared in 1940 during revolutionary movements in southern Vietnam.
2. On 5 September 1945, the provisional government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam officially adopted the flag as the national flag.
3. The design of the star was slightly modified in 1955, when the curved edges of the star were replaced with straight lines to create the modern version of the flag.
4. Every year on 2 September, Vietnam’s National Day, a flag-raising ceremony takes place at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi, the site where President Ho Chi Minh proclaimed the country’s independence in 1945.
5. The flag of Vietnam is the only national flag among ASEAN member states that does not contain the color white.
Explore more about Vietnam:
Flag of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (1945–1955)
The early version of the Vietnamese flag featured a red field with a yellow five-pointed star in the center. In this version, the star’s points were slightly curved and larger than in the modern design.
History of Vietnam’s flag
Origins of the flag
The red flag with a yellow star first appeared during the Cochinchina uprising of 23 November 1940, a revolutionary movement against French colonial rule in southern Vietnam.
The flag was later adopted by the Viet Minh, a nationalist movement founded in 1941 that fought against both Japanese occupation and French colonial control.
Adoption as a national flag
At the end of World War II, Viet Minh leader Ho Chi Minh declared Vietnam independent on 2 September 1945.
Shortly afterward, on 5 September 1945, a government decree officially adopted the red flag with a yellow star as the national flag of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
Later modifications
In 1955, the design of the star was slightly adjusted to create straighter points and reduce its size. This updated version became the standard design of the flag.
After the Vietnam War
During the Vietnam War, North Vietnam used the red flag with a yellow star, while South Vietnam used a different flag consisting of a yellow field with three red stripes.
After the war ended and the country was reunified, the red flag with the yellow star was officially adopted as the national flag of the unified Socialist Republic of Vietnam in 1976.
Explore more: Asian flags.
Caitriona Maria is an education writer and owner of The Facts Institute. With seven years of teaching experience and a background in educational content, she specialises in creating clear reference resources about countries, geography and global topics.