Hai Phong’s city emblem is the circular red-and-blue design known by its competition code, NTM 787. Created by designer Nguyen Van Ngat, it combines a red flamboyant flower, a star, waves and the letters HP. Together, these elements connect the city’s maritime identity with its history and its familiar nickname, the City of Red Flamboyant Flowers.
The original design was selected on May 15, 2024, and publicly unveiled during the New Year celebration on December 31, 2024. Those are separate milestones: the choice of the winning design came before the ceremony introducing it to the public.
How to read the Hai Phong emblem
The image is deliberately compact. Some shapes have more than one meaning, so the lettering, flower and maritime details overlap rather than appearing as separate illustrations.
- The circular outline: a symbol of unity, continuity and lasting development.
- The red flower at the top: a stylized flamboyant blossom. Its shape also suggests a ship’s wheel and the rays of a rising sun.
- The five-pointed star: a reference to the Communist Party’s guiding role, alongside the talent and achievements of Hai Phong’s people.
- The wave forms: a reference to the Bach Dang River victories associated with Ngo Quyen, Le Dai Hanh and Tran Hung Dao.
- The letters HP: the initials of Hai Phong, shaped into port imagery. The H suggests a crane; the P incorporates a ship and an anchor.
The design also evokes waterfront buildings and the Dinh Vu–Cat Hai sea crossing. Seen as a whole, it suggests a ship heading out to sea beneath a rising sun. These details reflect the port and transport connections that have shaped the city’s economy.
Why the red flamboyant flower matters
The flower is more than a decorative choice. In Vietnamese, hoa phuong do means red flamboyant flower, and Thanh pho Hoa Phuong Do is Hai Phong’s flower-based nickname. Thanh pho Cang, another common name for Hai Phong, means Port City. The emblem brings those two identities together.
Flamboyant trees are part of the city’s streets, school grounds and summer memories. Their red flowers commonly begin appearing around May, although the timing and intensity of the bloom depend on the season. For visitors, the connection helps explain why flower imagery recurs in local cultural celebrations, especially the Hoa Phuong Do Festival.
You do not need to attend a festival to understand the symbol. Look first for the flower, then the HP lettering and the waves: the design moves from an everyday feature of the city to its working waterfront and river history.
From competition entry to city symbol
Hai Phong’s search for a city emblem began in 1992 and involved six design competitions. The competition launched in 2022 eventually led to the selection of NTM 787, after judging, exhibitions and public consultation.
Nguyen Van Ngat’s original version was chosen in May 2024. The award presentation and public unveiling followed at the City Theater square during the celebration welcoming 2025. This history explains why accounts of the emblem sometimes emphasize 2024 while others refer to the New Year 2025 event.
The city emblem should also be distinguished from an individual business logo or a design created for a particular festival.