Flying the ‘symbolic’

THE SOUTH Vietnamese flag is a symbol to Vietnamese Australians in the same way the Aboriginal flag is to indigenous Australians, the head of Victoria’s Vietnamese Community said this week. Community president Phong Nguyen said the Federal Government and Greater Dandenong Council’s lack of support for the former South Vietnamese flag was contradictory to the respect they offered the Aboriginal flag.
“We proudly raise the Aboriginal flag to acknowledge our indigenous Australians,” Mr Nguyen said. “In the same way, we only ask that the government and council recognise the former South Vietnamese flag as our community flag so it can be officially raised at the Tet Festival and those celebrations important to the Vietnamese community.”
The historical flag belonged to South Vietnam before communist North Vietnam abolished it after taking control and unifying the country at the end of the Vietnam War in 1975.