Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag - Historical Roots Dating Back 2,000 years

By Khai Chinh Pham Kim Thu

Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag has yellow background and three horizontal red bands in the miđle of the flag.

I . The Meaning of National Flag of Free Vietnam's Colours

The yellow background represents the ancestral land and the skin colour of Vietnamese racẹ The yellow colour also represents earth (one of five elements - metal, wood, water, fire, and earth) symbolizing the territory and the national sovereigntỵ That is why the oriental emperors in the past wore Hoaụng Baụo (yellow emperial robe) and proclaimed themselves Hoaụng Ủeá (Yellow Emperors).

The red colour represents fire (one of five elements mentioned above). The red colour is also the colour of the South and symbolizes a brave, unsubmissive, heroic, and independent race in the south region, Vietnam, which is separated completely from the north region, Chinạ

The three red bands represent the three regions of Vietnam: North, Central, and South. But, these three regions unite in the national home, the home of Vietnamese people, who always love and protect one another.

IỊ Origin, Formation, Philosophic Symbol of National Flag of Free Vietnam

In 40 AD, the Trưng Sisters, on the elephants' back, waved the Yellow Flag to fight against the Chinese invaders to regain independence for Vietnam. Since that year, the Yellow Flag appeared for the first time in the Vietnamese historỵ

In the Gia Long dynasty (1802-1820), the Yellow Flag was also used as the symbol of the Vietnamese Nation. In the Khải Ðịnh dynasty (1916-1925), the two red bands were ađed to the Yellow Flag to form the Long Tinh flag (Dragon Flag).

In 1945, when Trần Trọng Kim's government came into power, the miđle broken red band was ađed 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 timẹ Quẻ Ly is a divination sign of fabulous unicorn, sixth of the Baùt Quaùi (the Eight Trigrams): Caụn, Khaủm, Caán, Chaán, Toán, Ly, Khoân, Ủoaụị This divination sign of fabulous unicorn represents the sun, fire, beam of light, and civilization.

In 1948, when the former Emperor Baủo Ủaĩi became the Chief of State of Vietnam, he ordered to change the broken red band into a continuous red band to form the Yellow Flag with three yellow red bands. Then, on June 2nd, 1948, the Chief of the Temporary Nantional Government of Vietnam, Brigadier General Nguyeãn Vaên Xuaân, signed the Ordinance to specify the characteristics of the Free Vietnam 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 miđle 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 Caụn, the first of the Eight Trigrams mentioned abovẹ Quẻ Caụn represents heaven. Based on the world view of Vietnamese people, Quẻ Caụn indicates the South Sky, the Vietnamese Nation, Vietnamese people, and the peoplés power.

IIỊ The Sacred Symbol and Special Meaning of Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag

Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag has been formed from the sacred energy of sky and earth of Vietnam together with indomitable spirit of Vietnamese people during almost two thousand years of history since this flag was officially adopted by an Ordinancẹ It represents the peaceful apportunity, the everlasting success, and the imposing victory of Vietnamese peoplẹ

Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag has been ups and downs with the Vietnamese peoplés imposing historỵ It represents democracy, freedom, human rights, brave will, peace and prosperity, and unity during the course of building and protecting the country of Vietnamesés ancestors.

Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag is not solely the property of any regime or any government. It is the state property of free Vietnamese peoplẹ Should a regime be rotten or a government be a lackey to foreign powers, the Free Vietnam National Flag does not risk a bad reputation. The Vietnamese people have to eliminate that regime or that government to protect their ancestors' flag colours. We cannot rely on the argument that the previous regimes or governments were no longer existed in order to be indifferent to this flag.

Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag is the nation's soul. The righteous cause, the fighting morale, and the unanimous unity depend on the presence of this flag. The Free Vietnam National Flag is a denotation to identify those who are Vietnamese fredom-loving people and those who are Vietnamese Communists and their servants. Where there is a National Flag of Free Vietnamese, there are love, democracy, freedom, and human rights.

At the present timẹ there are absolutely no freedom and no democracy of any kinds in Vietnam. Human rights are seriously abused by the Vietnamese communist regimẹ

During the course of fighting for freedom, democracy, and human rights of the people in Vietnam, we must have our whole-hearted support to maintain and wave high this National Flag of Free Vietnam until the freedom, democracy, and human rights are finally realized in Vietnam. That is why, each time seeing the Free Vietnam National Flag, the majority of freedom-democracy-loving Vietnamese, in Vietnam as well as around the world, feel as if they saw the nation's savior.

The great majority of the anti-communist Vietnamese organizations recognize Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag and consider this flag to be the soul of the unity and the struggle for just causẹ

Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag continues to be the official emblem of Free Vietnam for the freedom-loving Vietnamese people in Vietnam and abroad.

We - freedom-democracy-human rights-loving Vietnamese - should always preserve Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag and together unite under this flag to fight for freedom, democracy, human rithts, well-fed and well-clothed condition, happiness, peace, and prosperity of Vietnamese people in Vietnam.

The year of 1998 was also the year that the people around the world celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights. This is one of the most important documents of this centurỵ The Declaration contains 30 articles which set out fundamental rights that all humanity should be entitled tọ Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag and The UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights were officially adopted in the same year, 1948. This is the significant coincidence of destiny, the perfect harmony for Vietnamese peoplẹ This is why Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag also means human rights for Vietnamese people toọ

With the glorious history of almost 2 thousand years of Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag, we hope, in the near future, Vietnamese American Heritage & Freedom Flag - yellow background with three red bands - will be fluttering so numerous as to cover the whole Vietnamese skỵ

-- Viet_Tien (Viet_Tien@williamson.org), August 20, 2004