Warner Bros.’ highly-anticipated “Barbie” movie has been banned in Vietnam.
The film, directed by Greta Gerwig, was set to hit theaters within the country on July 21, aligning with the cinematic release in most countries all over the world.
Nonetheless, state media announced the movie won’t be released because of a scene that features a map using the “nine-dash line” — a set of line segments that represent China’s territorial claims within the South China Sea — which Vietnam claims violates its sovereignty.
“We don’t grant license for the American movie ‘Barbie’ to release in Vietnam since it accommodates the offending image of the nine-dash line,” state-run Tuoi Tre newspaper said, citing Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Department of Cinema (via Reuters).
Vi Kien Thanh said the choice was decided by the National Film Evaluation Council.
The U-shaped line, which was first seen on maps in 1947, includes parts that Vietnam sees as its continental shelf, where it has awarded oil concessions.
The road is extremely controversial as lots of China’s neighbors — including Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam — have competing and overlapping territorial claims, and the Chinese territory is contested.
“Barbie” isn’t the primary release to cause problems in Vietnam over the “nine-dash line” dispute.
In 2019, DreamWorks’ “Abominable” was banned for a similar reason, while Sony’s “Unchartered” was blocked last yr. TV series “Put Your Head On My Shoulder” and “Madam Secretary” were told to delete certain scenes containing the map in 2020, and Netflix needed to remove the Australian spy drama “Pine Gap” in Vietnam in 2021.
“Barbie,” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, will probably be released in theaters on July 21.
