National flag of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam.
The single yellow-colored five-pointed star that features on a red field has always been the pattern on the flag of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. It was originally adopted at the end of November 1955 soon after the partition of Vietnam when the Indo-China War finished. It then went on to be named as the flag that represented a reunified Vietnam on the 2nd July 1976.
The "Red Flag with the Yellow Star", designed by Nguyễn Hữu Tiến, was initially seen when the unsuccessful 1940 Cochin-China uprising against French Colonial rule took place. During this time, Tiến was arrested and later killed for being one of many leaders in the uprising. It looked almost the same as other socialist-inspired flags that featured during that period, and all of these flags had a red field that was taken from the red flags that were flown during the Paris Commune back in the early 1870s.
The Viet-Minh controlled areas that can be found in Southern and Northern Vietnam (that later became just Northern Vietnam) also had their own flag and this flag was very similar to the ensign of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The flag was in use from 1945-1955 and the only notable difference is the more obtuse angle of the points of the star on the short-lived flag.
The flag originally featured stars that had their arms slightly curved and widened at the bottom. All five points of the golden yellow star stand for the five different Confucian classes of person: the artisans, the intellectuals, the merchants, the farmers and lastly the soldiers. This flag has remained in the form it appears in now since 1955. The red part of the flag stands for the war of independence and the yellow color is the traditional hue that represents people from Vietnam.
When the war ended many people took part in political reeducation sessions. The red color stands for the representation of proletarian blood as well as the success that was achieved during the communist revolution. The golden star represents the various social classes of peasants, laborers, the military, intellectuals, and the younger generation. Not a lot is known about the use or the history of this particular ensign that was acquired at the Bay Area Militaria show that was held in San Jose, California during the 1990s.
Text on tag reads: "42+28 captured flag by US Army unit from a North Vietnam Army unit during Vietnam War circa 1970".
Sources:
War Trophy, Wikipedia, 15 November 2011, from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_trophy
National Flag of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, Flags of the World, 10 August 2012, from: http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/vn-vcong.html
Image Credits:
Zaricor Flag Collection
