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The flag of South Vietnam (more properly, the flag of the Republic of Vietnam) or National Flag was designed by Emperor Bao Dai in 1948, and was the flag used by one of the two states established in Vietnam after the country's partition. It is also used by many ethnic Vietnamese now living in other countries, particularly by some Vietnamese-Americans.
The flag consists of a yellow field and three horizontal red stripes that represent North, Central and Southern Vietnam.
Origins
In 40 AD, the Yellow Flag first appeared in the Vietnamese history when the Trung Sisters, waved the Yellow Flag to fight against the Chinese invaders to regain independence for Vietnam.
In 1802-1820, Emperor Gia Long, the Yellow Flag was also used as the symbol of the Vietnamese Nation.
In 1916-1925, Emperor Khai Dinh, the two red bands were added to the Yellow Flag to form the Long Tinh flag (Dragon Flag).
In 1945, during Tran Trong Kim's government the middle broken red band was added to the flag in the position between the two red bands of the former Yellow Flag to form the Quẻ Ly Flag. The Quẻ Ly Flag was the official flag of Vietnam at that time. Quẻ Ly is a divination sign of fabulous unicorn, sixth of the Bt Qui (the Eight Trigrams): Cn, Khm, Cấn, Chấn, Tốn, Ly, Khn, Đoi. This divination sign of fabulous unicorn represents the sun, fire, beam of light, and civilization.
In 1948, when the former Emperor Bao Dai, ordered to change the broken red band (which was then the central element of the Vietnamese flag) into a continuous red band, and form the Yellow Flag with three yellow red bands.
On June 2nd, 1948, the Chief of the Temporary National Government of Vietnam, Brigadier General Nguyen Van Xuan, signed an Ordinance to specify the characteristics of the Vietnamese National Flag as follows: "The national emblem is a flag of yellow background, the height of which is equal to two-thirds of its width. In the middle of the flag and along its entire width, there are three horizontal red bands. Each band has a height equal to one-fifteenth of the width. These three red bands are separated from one another by a space of the band's height."
The three red bands have the divination sign of Quẻ Cn, the first of the Eight Trigrams mentioned above. Quẻ Cn represents heaven. Based on the worldview of Vietnamese people, Quẻ Cn indicates the South Sky, the Vietnamese Nation, Vietnamese people, and the people's power.
The flag was used by the Republic of Vietnam (more commonly known as South Vietnam) for the duration of that state's existence (1954 - 1975). It was abolished by North Vietnamese government on 30 April 1975, when they seized Saigon.
Political significance The South Vietnamese flag remains highly controversial, particularly in the case of former Vietnamese nationals now living in the United States and abroad. The controversy is focused on the question of whether they should accept the current flag of Vietnam as their national symbol, or whether they should use the flag of the Republic of Vietnam. | 
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