With the capitulation of Saigon on April 30, 1975, the Republic of Vietnam came to an end and the flag ceased to exist as a state symbol. Afterwards, it has been adopted by many in the Vietnamese diaspora to symbolically distance themselves from the Communist government and continues to be used either as an alternative symbol for ethnic unity or as a protest tool against the current government. In Vietnam, the flag is mockingly called as Three Sticks flag (cờ ba que) and banned within the Socialist Republic of Vietnam except for use in producing Vietnam War propaganda films.