Flag of South Vietnam
The flag of South Vietnam was first introduced by the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam, later served as the national flag of the State of Vietnam (known as "South Vietnam" after 1954), and its successor, the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) from 1948 to 1975 until the fall of Saigon. The design consists of a yellow background with three red horizontal stripes through the middle. It is used to represent the "Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag".
| "Heritage and Freedom Flag" (Lá cờ Tự do và Di sản) "Yellow Flag with Three Red Stripes" (Cờ vàng ba sọc đỏ) | |
| Use | Civil and state flag |
|---|---|
| Proportion | 2:3 |
| Adopted | 2 June 1948 |
| Design | A yellow flag with three horizontal red stripes. |
| Designed by | Undetermined, various allegations |
| Flag of the RVNMF | |
| Use | War flag |
| Design | A yellow flag with three red stripes, and the emblem of RVNMF (red eagle) in the middle. |
| Designed by | Design is a variant of the flag of South Vietnam. |
| Flag of the Viet Cong | |
Flag of the Republic of South Vietnam (1975–1976) | |
| Use | State and war flag, civil and state ensign |
| Design | A large yellow star centered on a bi-colored red and azure field. |
| Designed by | Huỳnh Tấn Phát |
The flag was designed by Lê Văn Đệ in 1948. The flag consists of a yellow field and three horizontal red stripes, and can be explained as emblematic of the common blood running through northern, central, and southern Vietnam.
Although South Vietnam ceased to exist in 1975, the flag is still represented among private citizens in other countries by some Vietnamese emigrés, particularly in North America and Australia of refugee-descent. Since June 2002, several American governmental bodies adopted resolutions recognizing the former flag as "Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom Flag."