March 17, 2004
BILOXI, Miss. (AP) -- Some Gulf Coast Vietnamese residents are asking the Biloxi City Council to recognize the former South Vietnam flag as the ``Vietnamese Heritage and Freedom flag.''
A resolution was before the council to endorse the flag, which is yellow with three red stripes. When the communist regime took control of Vietnam in 1975, the national flag became a red banner with a gold star.
Gulf Coast Vietnamese say they fly the original flag to celebrate their culture and history.
``If you see Vietnamese have any big party for the community, we still raise that flag and sing our national anthem for that flag,'' said Trong V. Nguyen. ``That flag belongs to the Vietnamese free people.''
If Biloxi endorses the flag, it will be following the example of cities in California and Washington.
The proposed resolution says, ``The Biloxi City Council supports the recognition of the Heritage and Freedom Flag as the official symbol of the Biloxi Vietnamese-American community and acknowledges its strong support of their efforts to promote freedom and democracy in their country of origin.''