Flag |
Date |
Use |
Blazon |
Description |
|
c. 1858 – 1885 |
The diplomatic flag of the Empire of Đại Nam. |
Or |
Yellow field with gold border (2:3). |
|
c. 1885 – 1890 |
The provisional flag of Đại Nam. |
Or, two Chinese characters 大南 Gules |
National name (大南 ) centered on the yellow field (2:3). Influences: |
|
1885 – 9 March 1945 |
The French protectorate flag of Annam and Tonkin. |
Or, in the canton side, tierced in pale, Azure, Argent and Gules. |
French flag canton on a yellow field (2:3). Used as the government flag. Influences: |
|
c. 1941 – 12 June 1945 |
Flag of Đại Nam and the Empire of Vietnam. |
Or, a fess Gules. |
A yellow field with a single large red stripe (2:3). Designed according to the pattern of the medal riband of the Order of the Dragon of Annam. Emerging in the 1920s as a regal flag of the Nguyễn court. In the World War II, adopted as the national flag of Đại Nam, assigned as the civil flag. Other influences: |
|
12 June – 30 August 1945 |
Flag of the Empire of Vietnam. |
Or, the trigram of fire Gules. |
A yellow field with four red stripes (2:3). The stripes formed the Quẻ Ly, or Li trigram ☲. Designed by Lê Quý Trinh. Influences: |
|
September 2, 1945 – November 30, 1955 |
Flag of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. |
Gules, a mullet Or. |
A large yellow star centered on the red field (2:3). Influences: |
|
June 2, 1948 – July 2, 1949
July 2, 1949 – April 30, 1975 |
Flag of the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam, the State of Vietnam, and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam). |
Or, three bars Gules. |
A yellow field with three red stripes (2:3). Adopted by Chief of State Bảo Đại and signed into law by Prime Minister Nguyễn Văn Xuân in 1948. The flag was also used by the State of Vietnam and its successor, the Republic of Vietnam. Influences: |
|
November 30, 1955 – July 2, 1976 |
Flag of North Vietnam. |
Gules, a mullet Or. |
A large yellow star centered on the red field (2:3). Influences: |
|
April 30, 1975 – July 2, 1976 |
Flag of the Republic of South Vietnam. |
Per fess Gules and Azure, a mullet Or. |
A yellow star on the red and blue background. Influences: |
Flag |
Duration |
Use |
Name/Description |
|
1910–1930 |
Flag of the Indochinese Constitutionalist Party. |
A yellow field with a red saltire in its centre extending to all corners. |
|
1925–1930 |
Flag of the Tân Việt Revolutionary Party. |
|
|
c. 1912–1925 |
Flag of the Việt Nam Quang Phục Hội. |
A red flag with a canton containing five white round-stars centered on a dark blue field. Influences: |
|
1929–1945 |
Flag of the Vietnamese Nationalist Party. |
|
|
1930– |
Flag of the Communist Party of Vietnam. |
Influences: |
|
1931—1946 |
Flag of the Trotskyist League of Vietnam. |
|
|
1939–1951 |
Flag of the Vietnam National Restoration League. |
Influences: |
|
1941–1951 |
Flag of the League for the Independence of Vietnam. |
A yellow star centered on a red field. Influences: |
|
1942–1946 |
Flag of the Vietnam Revolutionary League. |
Influences: |
|
1939– |
Flag of the Nationalist Party of Greater Vietnam. |
Influences: |
1945– |
Flag of the Vietnamese Nationalist Party. |
Influences: |
|
1943–1947 |
Flag of the Đại Việt Populist Revolutionary Party. |
|
|
Variant flag of the Đại Việt Populist Revolutionary Party. |
|
|
1945 |
Flag of the Vanguard Youth. |
A red star centered on a yellow field. |
|
1945 |
Flag of the Vietnam National Independence Party. |
A tricolour with the colours yellow-blue-yellow. |
|
1951– |
Flag of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union |
Influences: |
|
1954–1963 |
Flag of the Personalist Labor Revolutionary Party. |
|
|
1958–1964 |
Flag of the BAJARAKA. |
|
|
1960–1977 |
Flag of the National Liberation Front for South Vietnam. |
Influences: |
|
1964–1992 |
Flag of the FULRO. |
|
|
Flag of the FULRO, Variant flag. |
|
|
|
Flag of the New Greater Viet Party. |
Influences: |
|
1964–1985 |
Flag of the Liberation Front of Kampuchea Krom. |
|
|
|
Flag of Khmers Kampuchea-Krom Federation (KKF). |
|
|
1964– |
Flag of the Front for the Liberation of Central Highlands. |
|
|
1965– |
Flag of the Greater Viet Revolutionary Party. |
Influences: |
|
1965– |
Flag of the Caodaist Youth Union. |
|
|
1967—1975 |
Flag of the National Social Democratic Front. |
A red star centered on a yellow field. |
|
1973 |
Flag of the Four Power Joint Military Commission. |
A black Arabic number "4" (four) centered on a square red field. |
|
1968–1977 |
Flag of the Alliance of National, Democratic, and Peace Forces. |
Influences: |
|
1981– |
Flag of the Coalition of Vietnam Nationalist Parties. |
|
|
1981– |
Flag of the Alliance for Democracy in Vietnam. |
A yellow field with three red stripes and five blue stars in the upper canton. Influences: |
|
1982— |
Flag of the Viet Tan. |
|
|
1991— |
Flag of the People's Action Party of Vietnam. |
Influences: |
|
1993— |
Flag of the Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League. |
Influences: |
|
1993— |
Flag of the Vietnamese Constitutional Monarchist League, variant flag. |
Influences: |
|
2003– |
Flag of the Vietnamese National Party. |
Influences: |
|
2006– |
Flag of the Democratic Party of Vietnam. |
|
|
2006– |
Flag of the Vietnam Populist Party / For the People Party. |
A blue field with the map of Vietnam in gold. The party's name "Đảng VÌ Dân" at the bottom and the slogan "Hòa bình - Tự do - Ấm no - Tiến bộ" (Peace - Freedom - Prosperity - Progress) on top. |
Flag |
Date |
Use |
Description |
Historical |
|
1923–1945
1945–1949 |
Civil and Naval Ensign of French Indochina. |
A yellow ensign with the French tricolor in the canton and swallow tail. (proportions 1:2). Influences: |
|
1952–1975 |
Naval ensign of State of Vietnam and Republic of Vietnam. |
Yellow field with three red stripes and an anchor in the middle (2:3). Influences: |
Current |
|
1998–present |
Ensign of Vietnam Coast Guard. |
A dark blue pennant with the Vietnamese national emblem in the middle and a yellow/golden arrow pointing toward the pole (2:3). |
|
2014–present |
Naval ensign of Vietnam People's Navy. |
A white flag with an emblem of Vietnam People's Navy in the top and a blue strip below (2:3).Influences: |
|
2014–present |
Ensign of the Vietnam Fisheries Surveillance. |
A light blue pennant with the agency's emblem in the middle (2:3). |
|
2021–present |
Ensign of the Vietnam Self-Defence Militia. (alternative) |
A red pennant with the force's emblem in the middle (2:3). |
|
2022–present |
Ensign of the Vietnam Self-Defence Militia. (alternative) |
The emblem of the Vietnam Self-Defence Militia centered on a red field. |
Flag |
Duration |
Use |
Name/Description |
|
1946 |
Flag of the Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina. |
A yellow field with two yellow strips and three blue strips. Possibly the inspiration for the yellow flag with three blue stripes featured on the cover of the first issue of the Cahiers franco-vietnamiens (1948) |
|
1946–1948 |
Flag of the Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina. |
A yellow field with two white strips and three blue strips. Influences: |
|
1888–1889 |
Flag of the Kingdom of Sedang |
A white maltese cross centered on a blue field. |
|
1888–1889 |
Flag of the Kingdom of Sedang (1927 Bulletin des Amis du Vieux-Huế variant). |
Light blue in colour with a red cross of Malta and in its centre a white star, alternatively it could have been red in colour with a blue cross of Malta and a white star. |
|
1888–1889 |
Flag of the Kingdom of Sedang (K. Fachinger variant). |
Blue with a white St. George's cross and a red star. |
|
1888–1889 |
Flag of the Kingdom of Sedang (Vexilla Belgica variant). |
A light blue flag with a white cross of Malta. |
|
1889–1897 |
Flag of the Confederation of Sedang. |
Influences: |
|
1944–1953 |
Flag of the Tai Dón people |
A large red square centered on a yellow field (2:3). |
|
1946–1950 |
Flag of the Montagnard country of South Indochina |
Influences: |
|
1946–1950 |
Flag of Tai Autonomous Territory |
Influences: |
|
1950–1955 |
Flag of Sip Song Chau Tai |
A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red: One white stripe is between two blue stripes, a red star with 16 rays is in white field. Influences: |
|
1947–1954 |
Flag of the Nùng Autonomous Territory |
Influences: |
|
1947–1954 |
Flag of the Thổ Autonomous Territory (Tay people). |
Flag ratio: 2:3. |
|
1947–1954 |
Flag of the Mường Autonomous Territory (Mường people). |
A large white pentagram centered on a green field (2:3). Influences: |
|
?–1975 |
Flag of Khmer Mountain Tribes |
A green field with a white star what has 16 rays charged in the left. |
|
? |
Flag of the Front de Lutte du Kampuchea Krom (FLKK). |
Influences: |
|
1964–1965 |
Flag of Republic of Central Highlands and Champa |
Influences: |
|
1962–1964 |
Flag of Front for the Liberation of Champa |
Flag ratio: 2:3. |
|
March 1964–? |
Flag of the Front de Liberation des Hauts Plateaux (FLHP). |
Influences: |
|
? |
Flag of Lahu |
Flag ratio: 3:5. Influences: |
|
1993— |
Flag of the Hmong people |
|
|
1969–1976 |
Flag of the Provisional Revolutionary Government of the Republic of South Vietnam. |
A yellow star on a red and blue background. Influences: |
|
1969–? |
Flag of the Movement for Unity of the Southern Highland Ethnic Minorities (MUSHEN). |
Three equal stripes of green (top), yellow, and red. These colours stood respectively for the mountains and jungles of the Highlands, the (South) Vietnamese national color, and the spirit of common struggle on behalf of the fatherland. |
|
1985–? |
Flag of Khmer Krom |
Rectangular tricolour with three equal-size horizontal bands: the upper one is blue, the middle yellow, and the lower red (3:5). Influences: |
|
1986– |
Flag of the Save The Montagnard People. |
The 1986 flag of Save the Montagnard People organisation in Greensboro, North Carolina which is supposed to be the flag of all Montagnard / Dega people, was modeled after the earlier flag used by the Movement for Unity of the Southern Highland Ethnic Minorities (MUSHEN) in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. The significant difference might be the removal of the yellow colour because it's associated with the Vietnamese. The golden band represents a montagnard bracelet.
Influences:
|
|
1987– |
Flag of the Montagnard Degar Association (MDA). |
Based on the above flag but the bracelet is a full ring. Influences: |
|
1990– |
Flag or the Degar Foundation. |
|
|
2000– |
Flag of the International Office of Champa for the Cham people. |
|
|
2000–2010 |
Flag of the United Montagnard People (UMP). |
|
|
|
Flag of the Council for the Socio-Cultural Development of Champa. |
A vertical tricolour with the colours blue, green, and red and a photograph of a yellowish-white flower (Plumeria alba) in the middle (green) field. Ratio 3:5. |
|
2000s– |
Flag of the United Montagnard Republic, a claimed exiled southern Montagnard government. |
Seven horizontal stripes, the inner four stripes are white, the outer two are green, while the two stripes in its centre are coloured red (that is: Green-white-red-white-red-white-green). On its upper left area is a squarish canton which takes up five stripes, the canton is blue in colour with a thin yellow Latin cross, representing Protestant Christianity, connected to a laying double concave lens shape that extends to all the sides of the canton. |
|
? |
Flag of the Chinese Nùng people. |
A vertical tricolour with the colours green-red-green and the coat of arms of the Nùng Autonomous Territory in its centre. Influences: |
Though not standardized and rarely seen, state-owned corporations in Vietnam sometimes have they own flags.
Flag |
Duration |
Use |
Name/Description |
|
1994-present |
Flag of the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) |
Blue field with the logo of the EVN |
|
1988-present |
Flag of the Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (Agribank) |
Red field with the logo of Agribank, on is the text "Ngân hàng Nông nghiệp và Phát triển Nông thôn Việt Nam" (Vietnam Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) |
|
1975-present |
Flag of Vietnam Sea Transport & Chartering Co. |
Horizontal bicolor of red over blue with a yellow "V" in the middle. Influences: |
|
1995-2007 |
Flag of Falcon Shipping Company |
Green field with a white letter "F" |
|
2007-present |
Flag of Vietnam Oil and Gas Transportation Joint Stock Company (previously Falcon Shipping Company) |
Green field with a red six-pointed star and the white letter "F" in the middle |
|
2006-present |
Flag of Vinaship Joint Stock Co. |
Sky blue flag with a "V" formed by a white bird |
Flag |
Duration |
Use |
Name/Description |
|
1702–1705 |
Flag of Poulo Condor. under the English East India Company |
Prior to the Acts of Union which created the Kingdom of Great Britain, the flag contained the St George's Cross in the canton representing the Kingdom of England. Influences: |
|
1863 |
Flag of the Diplomatic Delegation of Annam from Red Sea to France. |
Yellow field with four red word "Đại-Nam khâm-sứ" (大南欽使). Influences: |
|
1887–1923 |
Flag of French colonial empire. |
A vertical tricolour of blue, white, and red. |
|
1917 |
Flag of Empire of Daihung. |
Five red dots connected with saltire on a yellow field. |
|
c. 1900 – 9 March 1945 |
The protectorate flag of Annam and Tonkin. |
French flag canton on a yellow field. Influences: |
|
1930–1931 |
Flag of the Red Guards (Nghe-Tinh Revolt). |
Flag ratio: 2:3. Influences: |
|
January 15, 1931 |
Flag of the Indochinese Communist Party used at Vinh, Nghệ An. |
The Chữ Hán "黨共產東洋" (Đảng Cộng sản Đông Dương) surrounding a hammer and a sickle. Slogans: 1 ° Increase in wages, reduction of the working day, reinstatement of the 21 workers made redundant; 2 ° Punishment of the strongmen and mandarins who harm the masses. Influences: |
|
1936–1945 |
Flag of the Enlightenment Union. |
Flag ratio: 2:3. |
|
1936–1945 |
Flag ratio: 2:3. |
|
1944–1945 |
Flag of the Đại Việt Quốc gia Liên minh. |
A yellow field with three red stars. |
|
March 9 – August 14, 1945 |
Flag of Empire of Japan. |
Flag ratio: 7:10. Disc is shifted 1% towards the hoist (left). |
|
1945–1960 |
Flag of Bình Xuyên. |
A dark red banner and a small blue banner inside, a small yellow star centered on a blue banner (2:3). Influences: |
|
1947 |
Cờ Quẻ Càn |
A yellow field with three red stripes. The stripes formed the Quẻ Càn, or Qian trigram (☰). Influences: |
|
1929–1946 |
Party flag and proposed national flag of Republic of Vietnam, used by the Vietnamese Nationalist Party at Yên Bái mutiny. |
Two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom). |
|
1929–1946 |
Flag of Vietnamese Revolutionary Army, used at Yên Bái mutiny. |
Two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom). Influences: |
|
2 October 1955 – 1 November 1963 |
Flag of Vietnamese National Revolutionary Movement. |
Flag ratio is 2:3. |
|
2 October 1955 – 1 November 1963 |
Flag ratio is 2:3. |
|
1961–1963 |
Flag of Vietnamese Republican Youth Movement (Thanh Nữ Cộng Hòa). |
Flag ratio is 2:3. |
|
1965–1970 |
Flag of 4-T Union. |
A large green four-leaf clover centered on a white field. |
|
1968–1973 |
Flag of National Progressive Movement. |
Two horizontal red stripes enveloping a horizontal yellow stripe. The red arrow in the middle of the yellow stripe. Influences: |
|
1951-1960 |
Flag of Air Vietnam. |
|
Flag |
First proposed |
Name / Proposed by |
Description |
|
c. 1912–1925 |
The Quốc kỳ Ngũ Tinh (國旗五星, "Five stars national flag") according to Tự phán, written by Phan Bội Châu. |
Five red dots connected with saltire on a yellow background that is to symbolise the "yellow" race. |
|
1929–1946 |
Proposed flag for the independent state of the Republic of Vietnam (越南民國, Việt Nam Dân Quốc), used at Yên Bái mutiny. |
Two equal horizontal bands, red (top) and white (bottom). |
|
1938–1940 |
Proposed flag for Vietnam by the Vietnam National Restoration League. |
The word "King" (王, Vương) symbolises the constitutional monarchy. A red background symbolises struggle for independence. A white background symbolises "cleanliness of the people". |
|
17 January 1973 |
The Reconciliation Flag of Vietnam (Cờ Hoà Giải Của Nước Việt Nam). According to the Flags of the World website the creation of this flag is attributed Nguyễn Thành Trí and Tristan Nguyễn in Saigon (present-day Hồ Chí Minh City), South Vietnam in 1973, following the signing of the Paris Peace Accords. In the year 2007 it was later re-introduced in San Francisco, United States. |
A vertical tricolour with the colours yellow-green-red and a white 12-pointed star in its centre. The colour yellow is supposed to be a symbol of both the continent of Asia and the Vietnamese people, the colour green symbolises peace, while the colour red symbolises the concept of "revolutionary enthusiasm". The white star in the centre of the flag stands for freedom, peace, and national reconciliation. The points of the star correspond to the years of the âm lịch stands for the three values of freedom, equality, and pluralism - which are the values its advocates expect to be the most respected values in a new Vietnam (Tân Việt Nam). The ratio is 2:3. |
|
|
An untitled flag proposal at a Vietnamese language website by a group of Vietnamese students from USA, Canada, and France, acknowledge the legitimacy of the current red and yellow flags of Vietnam. |
The proposed flag is a horizontal tricolour with the colours blue-orange-blue divided in the ratio of 1:2:1. In its orange centre is a white lotus flower, fimbriated brown. The colour blue is said to represent both the sky and the sea and stands for peace. The colour yellow (orange) is said to be the traditional national colour and represents the Vietnamese people. The lotus flower is the national flower of Vietnam. |
This is a list of incorrect, fictitious or unknown flags which have been reported on as being factual and/or historical flags of Vietnam by contemporary or otherwise reputable sources.
Flag |
Supposed date |
Supposed use |
Description |
Origin of the misattribution |
|
1802–1885 |
Flag of the Nguyễn dynasty. Allegedly as imperial flag (đế kỳ) from 1802 to 1863, and then as national flag (quốc kỳ) until 1885. |
Said flag can be found in a chart titled Generaale gezicht der Vlaggen welke meeste Natien ter Zee voeren "A general view of the flags which most nations bear at sea" between page viii and page 1 of the book Alegemeene verhandeling van de heerschappy der zee "General Treatise of the Dominion of the Sea" |
Likely based on a flag stated to be flown on ships of the "nation" Tunquin in China. Tonkin was the European exonym during the 17th and 18th centuries for the northern region of modern Vietnam, then nominally reigned by the Revival Lê dynasty (1533-1789) yet effectively ruled by the Trịnh lords (1545–1787). The flag was also used in real life despite its questionable origin.
|
|
1821–1922 |
Alleged standard of emperor Minh Mạng. |
Yellow field with gold border. |
Several plain yellow flags can be seen displayed along with the tricolour flags of France and a partially seen yellow flag containing red-coloured 大南 (SV: Đại Nam "Great South"), as depicted in the 1903 oil painting Les mandarins et les autorités françaises attendant l’arrivée de l’Empereur Thanh Thai "The mandarins and the French authorities awaiting the arrival of Emperor Thành Thái" by Trần D. Trọng
|
|
1885–1890 |
Alleged flag of emperor Đồng Khánh. |
Found in Nguyễn Đình Sài's article Quốc Kỳ Việt Nam: Nguồn Gốc và Lẽ Chính Thống "The National Flag of Viet Nam: Its Origin and Legitimacy". A visually similar is found on the webpage Vietnam from website Worldstatemen by UConn-affiliated researcher Ben Cahoon. |
An incorrect reading of the Chinese characters 大南 (SV: Đại Nam "Great South") by foreigners with no experience with the script.The correct flag:
|
|
N/A |
Flag of the French protectorate of Tonkin |
Is actually the flag of Tonga. |
|
|
1890–1920 |
National flag of Đại Nam |
Đại Nam Quốc Kỳ (National flag of Đại Nam), claimed to have been originally issued by Emperor Thành Thái Alleged influences: A description was given that claimed that the flag had a number of symbolic meanings. Yellow, beyond the meaning of a royal symbol, is the traditional colour of Vietnamese nation and the colour of Vietnamese skin, red is the colour of Vietnamese blood together is the "red blood, yellow skin" of the Vietnamese. three red stripes symbolised the united Vietnam under three regions Northern Vietnam (Bắc Kỳ), Central Vietnam (Trung Kỳ) and Southern Vietnam (Nam Kỳ) |
The story behind this flag was fabricated by Nguyễn Đình Sài, a former member of the anti-Communist organization Việt Tân, who wrote the article "Quốc Kỳ Việt Nam: Nguồn Gốc và Lẽ Chính Thống” (The National Flag of Viet Nam: Its Origin and Legitimacy) in September 2004. To back up his claim, Nguyền Đình Sài cited a webpage from Worldstatesmen website by Ben Cahoon, an American researcher affiliated with University of Connecticut. However, Nguyễn Đình Sài admitted Cahoon "did not name any specific documents" for Cahoon's claim that the yellow flag with three red stripes was used between 1890 and 1920. Nguyễn Đình Sài fabricated this story so he could give the South Vietnamese flag more historical legitimacy by connecting it with anti-French resistance and national pride decades before it actually existed. |
|
1945 |
Flag of the Empire of Vietnam (a Japanese puppet state during World War II). |
Inaccurate depiction of the Empire of Vietnam's national flag, Cờ Quẻ Ly "Li Trigram Flag", which is authentic. This inaccurate depiction has been present on the World Statesmen website since at least 2005, and was on Wikimedia Commons from 2006 to August 2021. |
|