Vietnam Bans Highly Anticipated Movie “Barbie” Due to Controversial Nine-Dash Line Scene

Vietnam has banned the highly anticipated movie “Barbie” from domestic distribution, according to state media reports on Monday. The movie, starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was originally slated to open in Vietnam on July 21, the same date as in the United States.

The ban was due to a scene featuring a map that shows China’s unilaterally claimed territory in the South China Sea. Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Cinema, a government body in charge of licensing and censoring foreign films, stated that “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.”

The nine-dash line is a U-shaped line used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast areas of the South China Sea, including swathes of what Vietnam considers its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions. The line was repudiated in an international arbitration ruling by a court in The Hague in 2016.

“Barbie” is the latest movie to be banned in Vietnam for depicting China’s controversial nine-dash line. Other films that have been banned in the past include “The Great Wall” and “Kung Fu Panda 3.”

The ban on “Barbie” is a reminder of the ongoing tensions between Vietnam and China over the South China Sea. While the two countries have a long history of cooperation, the dispute over the nine-dash line remains unresolved.