Vietnam has banned the release of Warner Bros' film "Barbie" within the country due to a scene featuring a map that shows China's disputed territory in the South China Sea. The map includes the controversial "nine-dash line," which China uses to assert its claims over vast areas of the South China Sea, including parts that Vietnam considers its own. This is not the first time Vietnam has banned a movie for depicting the nine-dash line, as DreamWorks' "Abominable" and Sony's "Unchartered" were also banned for the same reason in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Additionally, Netflix removed the Australian spy drama "Pine Gap" in 2021.
"Barbie," starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, was originally scheduled to open in Vietnam on the same date as in the United States, July 21. However, the Vietnamese government's Department of Cinema, responsible for licensing and censoring foreign films, denied the movie a release license due to the inclusion of the nine-dash line.
Vietnam and China have longstanding territorial disputes in the South China Sea, an area believed to be rich in energy resources. Vietnam has accused Chinese vessels of violating its sovereignty in the past. In 2016, an international arbitration ruling by a court in The Hague rejected China's claims based on the nine-dash line, but China has refused to recognize the ruling.
Warner Bros has not yet responded to requests for comment on Vietnam's ban of "Barbie." The ban reflects Vietnam's objection to any depiction of the nine-dash line, which it believes infringes on its sovereignty in the South China Sea.