Flag of Vietnam control of Vietnam in the late 19th century, flew the national flag of France. As the colony of Cochinchina (1864–1945), the South was under exclusive French authority. In contrast, North and Central Vietnam were protectorates with parallel systems of Vietnamese and French administration. Several flags were flown in these regions: the French flag, the Vietnamese imperial flag, and a "protectorate flag." From 1920 to 1945, the Vietnamese imperial flag had a yellow background with a single, broad red stripe. Japan occupied Vietnam in 1941-1945. In March 1945, the Japanese deposed the French colonial authorities and proclaimed an Empire of Vietnam
Flag of Sutherland competition. The Sutherland Flag Committee announced in October 2018 that a public vote would be held to choose a flag. The shortlist of designs chosen by the judging panel will include the originally announced design. The original design announced by the Lord Lieutenancy in January 2018 features a swooping eagle, seen face on, against a vertical bicoloured red and yellow background, with the eagle counterchanged yellow and red. The bicolour of red and yellow represents the Atlantic Ocean and North Sea, which border the county on its west and east coasts respectively. At the hoist are three stars or mullets.