The flag of Vietnam has a much storied history. Although the flag design itself has not changed much over the years, the Vietnam flag has withstood some very tumultuous political and economic events throughout the years of its existence.
The design of the Vietnam flag is a very simple one – a bright yellow star emblazoned upon a bright red background. Although simple, the design of the flag does indeed have a very significant meaning. As can probably be guessed, the red background of the Vietnam flag was based upon the flag of the Communist Party. The yellow star does not have such an obvious meaning, however. Each point of the five pointed yellow star on the Vietnam flag represents a different segment of the Vietnamese people. The star is representative of the unity of peasants, workers, soldiers, traders and intellectuals all working together for the common good of socialism.
The Vietnam flag was not officially recognized as the “national flag” until August 18, 1945 at a meeting held in Northern Vietnam. Not long after, the Vietminh proclaimed Hanoi part of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam towards the end of World War II. A few years after, in the year 1954, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam became the government of North Vietnam, following the conditions of the Geneva Accord between France and Vietnam.
The current Vietnam flag would not fly over the entire country of Vietnam until over 20 years later. Northern and Southern Vietnam remained separate entities until North Vietnam overran Saigon in 1975. The current flag of Vietnam was adopted in 1975, and the entire country of Vietnam became the Socialist Republic of Vietnam shortly thereafter on July 2, 1976. The flag of Vietnam has perhaps endured one of the most tumultuous and difficult histories of any country in the modern world, and the flag has remained remarkably unchanged throughout it all.
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