Flag of South Vietnam
Aspect Ratio 2:3
The flag of South Vietnam was adopted in 1949 and was used until the state’s end in 1975. The yellow background and three red stripes have origins in the 19th century, during the reigns of Emperors Gia Long (1802-1820) and Thành Thái (1889-1920). The latter implemented the “Yellow flag” design, which was at the time considered to be the first national flag of Vietnam. Artist Lê Văn Đệ finalized the design, bringing it to its current form, mostly altering the width of the red stripes. In both iterations, the stripes represent Vietnam's three geographic & cultural regions (Northern, Central, and Southern). The yellow background originally represents the Nguyễn House, though this was retired in 1944. As the flag of a defunct state, it is not used in Vietnam today, but is flown by many Vietnamese emigrés (Viet Kieu) overseas, particularly in North America and Australia.
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