Barbie faces a ban in Vietnam. The highly-awaited 2023 movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, which is set to hit the theatres on July 21, 2023, globally is being banned in Vietnam. What is the controversy all about?
Why Was Barbie Banned in Vietnam?
Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling starrer, Barbie is the talk of the town and the cast is currently on a promotional tour of the movie. Amid all the press and attention that the movie and its cast are receiving, there’s a controversial aspect which many of you might not be aware of. While the movie has fans excited all over the world, Vietnam is looking to ban the film’s screening in the country.
A controversial scene in the movie showcasing a map of the South China Sea has led to the movie getting banned in Vietnam. The map in question shows China’s nine-dash line in South China which depicts its territorial claim. The Director-General of the Vietnam Cinema Department, Vi Kien Thanh said that the map shows the Chinese nine-dash line which is encroaching into the water areas claimed by Vietnam and other countries.
According to local news outlet Toui Tre, the ban on the movie was issued by the Central Council of Feature Film Evaluation and Classification. Although, Barbie isn’t the first movie to face a ban in Vietnam due to the nine-dash line controversy. In 2019, Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg’s Uncharted also faced a ban in the country for similar reasons. And an Australian spy drama on Netflix, Pine Gap faced a ban in 2021.
What is the nine-dash line controversy?
The controversial nine-dash line which has led to the ban of the Barbie movie in Vietnam is an ongoing legal battle. The U-shaped nine-dash line depicts Chinese water territory which claims vast areas of the South China Sea. These areas also fall under the area that Vietnam and several countries including the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei, among others. In 2016, an international arbitration court in The Hague rejected China’s claim to these territories.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson issued the following statement.
“China’s position on the South China Sea issue is clear and consistent.”
