Vietnam asks Australian firms to stop using flag of defunct regime

"We are sorry and resolutely oppose the fact that the Royal Australia Mint and the Australia Post have issued products with the images of 'yellow flag,' which is the flag of a regime that no longer exists," deputy spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang said Thursday.

Hang said such an action was completely inappropriate given the positive trend in the Vietnam-Australia strategic partnership. She said she had discussed with the Australian side to request stopping the products' circulation, and that no similar situation would happen again.

Coin manufacturer Royal Australia Mint on April 6 issued the AUD2 coins to commemorate 50 years of the end of Australian troops' involvement in the Vietnam War in 1973. The coins feature a band with the image of the yellow flag, which was used by the South Vietnam regime until reunification in 1975, surrounding a UH-1 helicopter.

The gold coin was minted 80,000 times and retailed for $15, while the silver coin was minted 5,000 times and cost $80.

Vietnam and Australia established diplomatic relations in 1973. The two countries became comprehensive partners in 2009, and strategic partners in 2018. Their bilateral trade turnover in 2022 reached $16.1 billion, a 30.3% increase from 2021. Australia is Vietnam’s seventh biggest trade partner, while Vietnam is Australia’s 10th biggest trade partner.

As of December 2022, Australia had 562 investment projects in Vietnam, with a total capital at $1.97 billion, ranking 20th among 139 countries and territories investing in Vietnam.