I originally designed this flag in late 2021, minus the Canadian maple leaf, with feedback from NAVA’s Flag Design Gauntlet (Interest Area Meeting), to represent the Vietnamese diaspora— because the flag of the Republic of Viet Nam (RVN, also known as South Viet Nam) that members of the diaspora have used since 1975 was being regularly co-opted at extremist events, like the January 6 United States Capitol attack. However, I was strongly warned, against the idea as many of the diaspora were still willing to die for that RVN flag that the current Communist government Viet Nam would love never to see again. It was sound advice that I had not expected to be so strong, but I understood well enough to heed.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CxjkOnOslHN/?img_index=1

Instead of archiving my design, though, I made it my personal flag because I am a member of the diaspora, and the design style and process are representative of many of my values and perspectives. I simply added the Canadian maple leaf where the design allowed me to identify my home country and the other half of my identity.

The flag is a night scene on the ocean created from a full moon, black sky, and wavy, stylized RVN flag ocean fading to the horizon, visible from moonlight reflection. The scene pays homage to the Boat People refugees, of whom I am one, who were the initial members of the diaspora. Under one moon phase or another, those refugees all know the scene from the multiple nights they spent at sea during their escape.

Within the design, the RVN flag represents all Vietnamese who believed in the ideals of those in the South who fought for them in the Viet Nam War, but it also pays homage to the many who died fleeing at sea because the red in the RVN flag represents blood—the common blood of those who lived in north, central, and south Viet Nam. The full moon represents the hope that diaspora refugees had for all things, including the metaphorical destinations of their escape, from safe landing to eventual settlement. The latter was why the moon space allowed the option for customization as a circular window through which another symbol could be shown (possibly with white fimbriation for good contrast). The customized version with another symbol showing through would identify the current location of a subgroup of the diaspora, while the original version with the full moon would represent the entire diaspora.

Finally, the moon was placed in the upper hoist quadrant, with its center on the diagonal from upper hoist to lower fly so that, when limp on a pole, it, or the flag in it, would be prominent.

This article appeared in the September 2023 Vexillum journal by the North American Vexillological Association (NAVA).