Vietnam's national flag is a red field with a large golden five-pointed star in the center. This distinctive design is commonly known in Vietnamese as cờ đỏ sao vàng, meaning “red flag with a golden star.”
The flag was designed in 1940 and first used during an uprising against French colonial rule in Cochinchina. It later became the flag of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in 1945. After Vietnam was reunified in 1976, the same basic design became the national flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.
The red field is associated with revolution and sacrifice, while the star is commonly interpreted as representing national unity. Its five points are often explained as symbolizing workers, peasants, soldiers, intellectuals, and businesspeople. The design is sometimes confused with China’s flag, which also uses a red field and yellow stars, but China’s flag has one large star near the hoist and four smaller stars around it. Vietnam has one centered star.