Long Tinh Flag (, Chinese characters: é¾ÂæÂÂæÂÂ), also known as the Long Bá»Âi Tinh Flag, was a flag with a yellow field and a vertical red stripe at the center, designed based on the ribbon of the ÃÂại Nam Long tinh. The flag was originally used as a ceremonial flag to welcome the emperor, and was later adopted as the national flag of ÃÂại Nam in the early 1940s.
From the reign of Emperor Khải ÃÂá»Ânh, during his northern inspection tour to Bắc Kỳ in 1918, records mention an âÂÂAnnamese flagâ being flown together with the French tricolour and those of âÂÂallied nationsâ for the people to welcome the emperor on his visit to his native land of Thanh Hóa, and later to HàNá»Âi and Hải Phòng. However, it remains unclear whether this flag was the Long tinh Flag.
The design of the Long tinh Flag was created by Emperor Khải ÃÂá»Ânh, based on the ribbon of the Long Bá»Âi Tinh, featuring a vertical red stripe on a yellow field. In 1922, the flag accompanied Emperor Khải ÃÂá»Ânh during his visit to France. Visual records show the Long tinh Flag appearing during the Huế court ceremony of âÂÂTứ tuần khánh thá»ÂâÂÂ, celebrating the emperor's 40th birthday in 1924. It was regarded as a flag of the imperial court of ÃÂại Nam and was used when the emperor was in attendance.
During World War II, Emperor Bảo ÃÂại formally designated the Long tinh Flag as the first national flag. According to a speech delivered at a school in Hải Phòng, the red colour of the flag represented the happiness of the people, while the surrounding yellow symbolized the dignity of the Emperor. The book Hymnes et pavillons d'Indochine, published in 1941 by the Imprimerie d'Extrême-Orient in Hanoi, noted this flag as the national flag (drapeau national). The Huế court designated the Long tinh Flag as the national flag to be used by the public on festive and celebratory occasions; meanwhile, a yellow flag bearing the French tricolour in the canton (the protectorate flag) was flown by government offices.
The Long tinh Flag remained in use until mid-1945, when the Trần Trá»Âng Kim government officially adopted the Ly trigram flag (Vietnamese: Cá» Quẻ Ly) as the national flag of the Empire of Vietnam.