 Viet Quoc Party Flag
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The Viet Quoc Flag 1927-1975
Viet Quoc is the shortened form of VietNam Quoc Dan Dang (Vietnamese National Party) which was first formed in 1927. Its primary objective was an armed uprising aimed at toppling the French rule of Vietnam, which was part of French Indochina. In 1930, the Viet Quoc were involved in a unsuccessful uprising in Hanoi. The leaders were sentenced to death by the French government.
In 1941, the communists, led by Ho Chi Minh, took control of the government of North Vietnam, expelling non-communist parties and executing members of the political opposition. The Viet Quoc took refuge in South Vietnam, and joined the armed forces of South Vietnam from 1954-1975. The party is presently in exile.
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 Dien Bien Phu Flag
 North Vietnam Flag 1945-1955
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The Viet Minh/North Vietnam Flag 1941-1955
The Viet Minh were communist freedom fighters seeking the liberation of Vietnam from the French who ruled all of Indochina. The movement started in 1941, first to fight the French, and later to opposed the Japanese occupation.
The Viet Minh leader was Ho Chí Minh who successful defeated the French Foreign Legion at Dien Bien Phu. The first Viet Minh flag shown to the left is the flag that flew in triumph over Dien Bien Phu when the French garrison capitulated in May of 1954. The text on the flag translates as "Determined to Fight, Determined to Win." This flag, minus the written text, was the first national flag of North Vietnam.
French public opinion turned against a continuation of the fighting in Indochina after Dien Bien Phu and the French decided to withdraw their troops. They turned the problem over to the United Nations. As a result of peace accords worked out at the Geneva Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Vietnam was divided into North Vietnam and South Vietnam at the 17th Parallel as a temporary measure until unifying elections would take place in 1956.
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 Laos
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The Lao People's Democratic Republic Flag 1950-present
In 1950 Laos was granted semi-autonomy as an "associated state" within the French Union. However, the French remained in de facto control until 1954, when Laos gained full independence as a constitutional monarchy. A long Laotian Civil War between the Royal Laotian government and the communist Pathet Lao ended officially when the communists won in 1975, removing the king from power (he died in captivity), and forming a strict socialist regime closely aligned to Vietnam. A gradual return to private enterprise and the liberalization of foreign investment laws has taken place in recent years. |
 Cambodia
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The Kingdom of Cambodia Flag 1954-present
Cambodia gained independence from France in 1954, when the United Nations divided up French IndoChina. It became a constitutional monarchy under King Norodom Sihanouk. In 1975, the Communist Khmer Rouge rebels took power and approximately one to three million people were killed by them. Violence and warfare continued throughout the 1980s. United Nations Peace efforts began in 1989, culminating two years later in 1991 in a comprehensive peace settlement. The United Nations was given a mandate to enforce a cease fire, and deal with refugees and disarmament. The stability thus established has mostly remained in place. Money raised in schools and community groups in more developed nations like Japan, France, West-Germany, Canada, Australia and the United States, has gone toward the rebuilding of infrastructure and housing. |
 North Vietnam Flag 1955
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The Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRVN) Flag 1955-1975 The Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) 1975-present
Following the partition of Vietnam in 1954, Communists led by Ho Chí Minh gained control of North Vietnam, and thousands of Vietnamese began migrating either north or south. Those moving north aligned with Ho Chí Minh in Hanoi (Hŕ Noi), while those moving south joined the Saigon government of the Catholic leader Ngo Dinh Diem. Warfare broke out between the two new countries, and the United States soon became involved. With the fall of Saigon in 1975, South Vietnam merged with North Vietnam to form a single nation officially called the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, or more commonly simply called Vietnam.
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 Viet Cong Flag (Type #1)
 Viet Cong Flag (Type #2)
 Viet Cong Flag (Type #3)
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The National Liberation Front Flag 1955-1976
The Viet Cong, or National Liberation Front, was an army based in South Vietnam that fought the United States and South Vietnamese governments during the Vietnam War (1959-75). There were both guerrilla and regular army units, as well as a network of cadres who organized peasants in the territory it controlled.
The Viet Cong were closely allied with the government of North Vietnam. The group was formed in the 1950s by former members of the Viet Minh acting on orders from Hanoi. They proved highly effective against both ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) and later better equipped American troops.
There were at least three types of flags seen being carried by the Viet Cong, Type #1 had a small yellow star centered over a red and blue striped background, Type #2 had a larger white star centered on the red and blue striped background, and Type #3 had a large yellow star centered on a red and white striped background.
The Viet Cong's best-known action was the Tet Offensive, a massive assault on more than 100 South Vietnamese urban centers in 1968. The offensive riveted the attention of the world's media for weeks, but also overextended the Viet Cong who won a propaganda victory while suffering a military defeat against the forces of the United States. The Viet Cong never recovered and later communist offensives were conducted primarily by the North Vietnamese army. The Viet Cong was dissolved in 1976 when North and South Vietnam were officially unified.
An interesting story about the Type #3 Viet Cong Flag shown here was that it probably is the only flag ever captured by a hovering helicopter in a combat zone. In 1969, the flag was snatched by a helicopter crew about 100 yards from Firebase Barbara by the door gunner as the helicopter hovered above the flag left on a pole by Vietcong soldiers. Fearing the flag to be booby traped, the helicopter crew first exploded a hand grenade near the flag before swooping down to grab it. The pilot was Warrant Officer Harry Oberg of the First Brigade, First Air Calvery, stationed near Tay Ninh, Vietnam. Some people will do anything to get a flag.
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 South Vietnam
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The Republic of Vietnam Flag 1955–1975
Until 1975, South Vietnam was the part of Vietnam south of the 17th parallel. The Republic of Vietnam, at first led by Catholic leader Ngô Đěnh Diem, was soon under attack from the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong from within. American support began in 1954 that escalated into the Vietnam War in 1958. After Diem was deposed in a military coup in 1963, there was a series of short-lived military governments, ending with General Nguyen Van Thieu leading the country from 1967 until 1975.
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 United States of America
 Republic of Korea
 Australia
 Khmer Republic |
Allies of South Vietnam
The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia from 1959 to 1975. The war was fought between the communist North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of South Vietnam, supported by the United States and others.
U.S. and South Vietnamese forces relied on air superiority and overwhelming firepower to conduct search-and-destroy operations, involving ground forces, artillery and air strikes.
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Republic of the Philippines |
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Kingdom of Laos |
The Vietnam War, America's longest modern war, ended in 1973 with the United States withdrawing their troops and abandening their allies to the northern forces. Fighting continued until 1975 when North Vietnamese forces overran Saigon and gained control of all of Vietnam. Before long, all of Indochina was under Communist rule.
It should be noted that without the backing of the Soviet Union, and especially the Red Chinese, the logistical superiority of the United States would probably have led to a South Vietnamese victory in this struggle. But the Communist north had a consistent resupply of much needed men and supplies, and in the end, the inability of the South Vietnamese and their allies to cut off that supply determined the war's outcome.
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 Red China
 USSR
 North Korea
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Allies of North Vietnam
The Viet Cong, the lightly armed South Vietnamese communist insurgency, largely fought a guerrilla war against anti-communist forces in the region. The North Vietnamese Army engaged in a more conventional war, at times committing large-sized units into battle. Usually, conventional tactics led to American and South Vietnamese victories.
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Lao People's Democratic Republic Pathet Lao |
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People's Republic of Kampuchea Khmer Rouge |
This struggle proved once again that determination to persevere no matter how long it takes or costs, will always prevail over government policy without popular public support. The British learn this in the American Revolution, the Spanish learned it in the Netherlands, the French learned it in Spain, the USSR learned it in Afghanistan, and the Americans learned it in Vietnam. In the end, the dissatisfaction of the American people with their governments policies and leaders led to the American withdrawal and North Vietnam's victory. It is unfortunate that the results for the Vietnamese people would be so costly.
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