The national banner of the former Republic of Vietnam is still a symbol of Vietnamese nationalism outside and inside Vietnam. The three red stripes on the yellow flag stand for the three parts of the country. A popular term "Red blood and yellow skin," connoting the Vietnamese people, is symbolized by the flag colors.

 Looking back at the time under French colonialism, there was no official national colors for the whole Vietnam. In Central and North Vietnam, the King's flag was one lengthwise red stripe in the middle of the yellow background, mostly hoisted at school flag poles.

After the first Independence Declaration by Emperor Bao Dai following March 9, 1945 when Japanese forces overthrew the French colonialist regime, the first national government was established under Premier Tran Trong Kim, a respectable scholar. Unfair agreements with France signed by the late emperors were revoked and the first national colors and anthem were introduced.

The national flag was yellow background with three red stripes lengthwise of 1/3 its length in the middle. The patriotic marching song "Tieng Goi Thanh Nien" or Appeal to the Youth by a college student, Luu Huu Phuoc, was selected national anthem. Luu Huu Phuoc later became a Viet Minh activist, then a Communist Party fervent member, who were composing a lot of other patriotic works as well as propaganda songs eulogizing Communism.

In August 19, 1945, the Communists under Ho Chi Minh seized power and declared the Yellow Star on Red the national banner. The nationalist deputies in the first coalition parliament elected in January 1946 moved to replace the Viet Minh flag, the flag of a party, with one to be selected by parliament after an artists' competition. The plan failed when the War of Resistance against the French broke out on December 19, 1946 and all of the opposition in parliament were assassinated or jailed.

In 1946-48, the Workers' Party (Communist Party) began conducting a bloody campaign getting rid of thousands of key political and religious nationalists. A considerate number of them fled Viet Minh control areas to avoid Communist oppression. Their leaders paid much effort to find a solution for the armed conflict between France and Vietnam.

The solution that most nationalist leaders in the French control areas agreed upon was a nationalist government headed by the former Emperor Bao Dai. Once again, the patriotic song Appeal to the Youth was selected as national anthem and the new flag of three red stripes in full length on yellow became national banner. The date was June 2, 1948.

In 1955, the first Congress of the newly established Republic of Vietnam under President Ngo Dinh Diem received proposals to replace the flag with another. The proposals were turned down as the legislators argued that so many nationalist soldiers had fallen under the colors.

Meanwhile, there were many people asked Congress to replace the national anthem. They said the RVN should not have as national anthem a song written by one who was serving the Communist regime. The accepted opinion stands that when Luu Huu Phuoc composed the tune, he was a non-Communist patriot and his song had become a national asset.

Most Vietnamese living abroad still recognize the flag as their true national colors and the song their national anthem. Though the RVN collapsed on April 30, 1975, its spirit is still bright and sweet and its place in history is undeniable.