The first recorded Vietnamese flag was of the Tay Song Dynasty in 1778 which had a red flag with a yellow border and disc at the center. Today the flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, or cờ đỏ sao vàng (which means red flag with a gold star), was designed in 1940 . The red background symbolizes bloodshed, revolution and struggle. The yellow star symbolises the five dominant classes in society: workers, peasants, soldiers, intellectuals and businessmen.