Vietnam Flag

The flag of Vietnam consists of a red banner, centered by a gold star, inspired by flags of various Communist movements around the world. The flag of Southern Vietnam consisted of a gold-yellow banner with three horizontal red stripes and was sued as the flag of this region from 1948-1975. The current flag was officially adopted by Northern Vietnam on 30 November 1945 but was used previously in 1940 as the symbol of a Vietnamese uprising against French colonial rule. When Vietnam was reunified in 1976, the flag was used for the entire country, permanently replacing the flag of Southern Vietnam.

The red within the flag represents the Communist movement. This colour has been associated with Communism since the 1871 Paris Commune. The red is therefore symbolic of a social revolution, or a national uprising, in Vietnam in which Communism will rise to become the dominant ideology. The colour also has a connotation to the spilt blood of those who struggled in the name of revolution. The five-pointed star on the flag is representative of the five classes of the Vietnamese population: businessmen, farmers, intellectuals, workers, and military personnel.

The design of the original red and gold star flag has been a point of contention for some time in Vietnam. Varying historical accounts of the original design exist but what is irrefutable is the fact that the banner was used for the first time in 1940. The 1992 Constitution of Vietnam states that "the National Flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam is rectangular in shape, its width is equal to two-thirds of its length, in the middle of fresh red background is a bright five-pointed golden star".

Previous versions include the flag above of Southern Vietnam, which is now banned, as well as using the French flag while under colonial rule. From 1941 until 1945, the region was under Japanese occupation, and the flag of the Empire of Japan was commonplace in Vietnam. The current flag is prominently displayed in the whole country and remains one of the most recognizable symbols of a nation today.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

More on Graphicmaps

Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Hanoi
Languages	Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer, mountain area languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Ethnic Groups	Kinh (Viet) 85.7%, Tay 1.9%, Thai 1.8%, Muong 1.5%, Khmer 1.5%, Mong 1.2%, Nung 1.1%, Hoa 1%, other 4.3%
Religion	Buddhist 7.9%, Catholic 6.6%, Hoa Hao 1.7%, Cao Dai 0.9%, Protestant 0.9%, Muslim 0.1%, none 81.8% (2009 est.)
Government	Communist state
Independance	2 September 1945 (from France)
Area	331,210.00 km²
Water Area	21,140.00 km²
Land Area	310,070.00 km²
Population	95,261,021.00 Though it has one of the highest population densities in the world, the population is not evenly dispersed; clustering appears heaviest along the South China Sea and Gulf of Tonkin, with the Mekong Delta (in the south) and the Red River Valley (in the north) having the largest concentrations of people
Location	Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, as well as China, Laos, and Cambodia
No. Bordering Countries	3
Bordering Countries	Cambodia 1,158 km, China 1,297 km, Laos 2,161 km
GDP(PPP)	$595,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$6,400.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, China, and Japan.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are clothes, shoes, electronics, and seafood.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, South Korea, and Singapore.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include machinery and equipment, petroleum products, and steel products.
Climate	Subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November
Terrain	Low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Learn More	Vietnam

Vietnam Flag

More on Graphicmaps

What is a Trade Embargo?

Which Two Countries Used to Have the Same Flag?

What Is the Only Two-Sided State Flag?

Which Country Flag Looks Like the Texas Flag?

Flags That Resemble the US Flag

What is Demography?