Name/Title
Lapel Pins — Flag of the National Liberation Front of South Vietnam (Viet Cong)Entry/Object ID
2025.2.28Description
Two small enamel-on-gilt-metal pins cut in the shape of a flag waving from a staff. The staff runs up the left side; the flag flies to the right. The field is horizontally divided: red above, light blue below, with a five-pointed yellow star centered over the division. Gilt cloisonné-style walls outline the staff, the field divisions, and the star. A small gilt loop projects at the lower right.Use
Obtained in Cuba by Anna Veltfort and brought to New York City with her when she moved back to the US.Context
The NLF — the "Viet Cong," the southern communist-led united front and its People's Liberation Armed Forces — fought the United States and the Saigon government through the Vietnam War. Its red-over-blue, gold-star flag (the red the revolution, the blue the not-yet-liberated South) became one of the era's most reproduced solidarity emblems. Cuba was among the Vietnamese cause's most ardent backers, through OSPAAAL/Tricontinental "Por Vietnam" campaigns and the Comité Cubano de Solidaridad con Vietnam del Sur.Collection
Anna Veltfort collectionAcquisition
Accession
2025.2Source or Donor
Anna VeltfortAcquisition Method
GiftMade/Created
Notes
Maker/Attribution: Unmarked on the visible face; maker and country of manufacture unidentified (such solidarity pins were produced in Vietnam, the socialist bloc, and by Western solidarity movements alike).
Date: circa 1960s–1970s (the NLF/PRG flag era, 1960–1976)Parts
Single flag-shaped enamel badge with integral staff.Materials
Material
MetalMaterial Notes
Gilt metal (brass) with red, light-blue, and yellow vitreous enamel (cloisonné/champlevé) (technique tentative pending inspection).Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
Anna VeltfortNotes
ownerPerson or Organization
National Liberation Front of South VietnamRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
acquisitionPlace
City
New York CityState/Province
New YorkCountry
U.S.A.Continent
North AmericaNotes
preservationResearch Notes
Notes
Open questions: whether tied to a specific Cuban solidarity campaign/event.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
March 31, 2022Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 18, 2026