Flags of Vietnam

The flags of Vietnam are all interesting with a unique history. They are the heritage and beliefs of Vietnamese people that have shaped these flags, each representing a symbol. It’s always fascinating to learn more about flags, and particularly about the flags of Vietnam.

The Official Flag of Vietnam

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Today, the red flag with a yellow five-pointed star in the center is used throughout Vietnam. The five points of the yellow star represent the five main classes of Vietnamese society participating in the construction of socialism (intellectuals, peasants, soldiers, workers, and businessmen), while yellow is the color of Vietnamese people, and red recalls the bloodshed and revolutionary struggle of the Vietnamese people.

Over the past centuries, Vietnamese emperors essentially used yellow, as it was the imperial color of the Ching dynasty in China. A flag similar to the current official flag was first used by North Vietnam in 1940. South Vietnam, on the other hand, used a yellow flag with three red stripes for 2 years and later, a red and blue flag with a yellow star.

This Vietnamese flag was officially adopted in 1976 when Vietnam was unified.

The Flag of the Communist Party of Vietnam (The Red Party Flag with Yellow Hammer and Sickle)

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The yellow hammer and sickle, tools of peasants and workers, appear on the red background of the Communist Party of Vietnam flag. This symbolizes the union between agricultural and industrial workers. You will see this flag in front of the country’s administrative buildings alongside the country’s official flag.

There are different variations of the hammer and sickle. The Korean Labor Party uses a hammer, sickle, and brush as its symbol. A hammer and hoe appear on the flag of the People’s Republic of Congo

The Festival Flag

The colors of the flag symbolize the five elements (metal – white, wood – green, water – black/dark blue, fire – red, earth – yellow) which are the foundation of the universe according to Chinese philosophy. Colored flags are used at village festivals, traditional religious sites, or any other Vietnamese historic site and during traditional events. These similar flags are used during festivals with the Vietnamese Buddhist flag. This flag is known by the name “cờ ngũ sắc” (five-color flag) or “cờ ngũ hành” (five-element flag).

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There are color variations depending on the ideas of the users (or manufacturers). Another variant with alternating black and white stripes is used during funerals (at home / in the neighborhood)

The Vietnamese Buddhist Flag

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The Vietnamese Buddhist flag has five vertical bands of blue, yellow, red, white, and orange and five bands of the same colors horizontally.

These five colors represent the five sources of perfection necessary for Buddhist practice. Blue, symbolizing meditation; light yellow, for “right thinking”; red, for spiritual energy; white, for “purity”; and orange, for wisdom, which is a composite of the four previous colors.

This flag was accepted as the international Buddhist flag by the World Buddhist Congress of 1952. It is used throughout the world and in almost 60 countries during Buddhist festival periods, particularly during Vesak celebrations.

The Buddhist flag as a whole symbolizes the unity of Buddhists and means the indivisibility of all sentient beings regardless of race, nationality, class, color, etc.