Barbie is banned in Vietnam due to the inclusion of a map of the South China Sea.
Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, the upcoming Barbie movie is one of the year’s hottest releases, with Barbie and Ken heading to the real world. However, they won’t be heading to Vietnam.
According to the state-run newspaper Tuoi Tre, the film was banned for its depiction of the nine-dash line, a disputed territorial claim Vietnam officials say violates Vietnamese sovereignty.
Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, confirmed today that the film has been banned in the country.
Although Barbie was reportedly heavily advertised in the region, all traces of the film are now removed from the Cinema Department’s official website. “We do not grant license for the American movie Barbie to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line,” said Tuoi Tre in its report.
Warner Bros. was contacted for comment but has not responded at the time of publication.
The nine-dash line is a disputed territorial marking China uses to lay claim to a portion of the South China Sea. Despite a 2016 United Nations tribunal ruling against the validity of the nine-dash line, there are no clear ways to implement its decision, and China refuses to acknowledge it.
This isn’t the first time the nine-dash line has caused a film to be pulled in the region, with Uncharted and Abominable both banned due to its depiction in the films. Barbie was expected to debut in Vietnam on July 21, 2023.
Meanwhile, Oppenheimer will still be released in the country on August 4 – unfortunately, this means no Barbenheimer double bill if you live in Vietnam.
Want to read more about Barbie? Check out how the Barbie movie caused a shortage of pink paint as well as the gawdy Barbie-themed Xbox Series S you’ll love if you’re a Barbie fan.
Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
source https://www.ign.com/articles/barbie-film-banned-in-vietnam-over-disputed-map-scene