Patriotic arm-twisting? Vietnam's flag-bearing duties

PIC: A street vendor walking past rows of Vietnamese national flags hung in front of homes for Vietnam's National Day on September 2 in downtown Hanoi. (AFP)

The lunar new year sees red and gold cascade across Vietnam as the unmistakable communist flag gets a proud airing -- an act of patriotism promoted each year by officials via loudspeakers or doorstep visits.

While it's not compulsory, those who refuse to hang gold-starred banners from their windows court trouble from authorities and social opprobrium from the communist faithful.

So, many comply -- though resentment sometimes follows the patriotic arm-twisting.

"I don't like being forced to hang flags. But the authorities will tell us to again and again over the loudspeakers," Hanoi resident Minh told AFP.

"I don't want to get into trouble, so I just do as I'm told," he added, refusing to provide his full name out of fear of retribution.

The Tet lunar new year, which starts on Saturday and runs for five days, is one of several dates in the calendar when flag-flying abounds.

"Most houses obey the encouragement because they don't want any trouble," Quan, a local official in Hanoi told AFP, also refusing to provide his full name.

The tradition of hanging flags in northern Vietnam dates back to 1954, when the French were thrown out of the country following a fiercely fought campaign led by independence hero Ho Chi Minh.

In those years, the banners were happily hung by patriotic northerners celebrating independence.

After the end of the Vietnam War and unification in 1975, the yellow-starred banner became the national flag, replacing in the south the flag used by US-backed forces -- a red and blue rectangle with a yellow star.

Since then, communist authorities in the tightly controlled country have leaned heavily on shows of pomp and nationalism.

And although enthusiasm is flagging, not everyone is bitter about the banners.

Flag-makers like Nguyen Van Phuc do swift business in the weeks leading up to Tet, churning out hundreds of the handmade banners every day.

He is careful to comply with strict state rules about the flag's design: rectangular and red, with a five-point golden star angled the right way up.

"Whether (the flag) is big or as small as a finger, it must comply with state regulation. Only then does it become sacred," Phuc said.