When it comes to protecting sovereignty then, Vietnam is a great example. They never tolerate anything and everything that poses the slightest threat or ambiguity to their territory. Even if it is cartoonish….
Yes, Barbie is banned in Vietnam because it shows a crayon map in which certain islands are part of the Chinese government.
Netflix Inc. has decided to withdraw the Chinese romantic TV drama “Flight to You” from their platforms in Vietnam. This action comes after the Vietnamese government criticized the show for violating sovereignty laws by featuring a disputed map that portrayed islands in the South China Sea as Chinese territory.
According to the cinema department of Vietnam’s culture ministry, even after Netflix blurred the map in question, the drama still contained inappropriate content that contravened the country’s sovereignty laws. The department conducted a review and found that the controversial “nine-dash line” map, which asserts China’s territorial claims over a large portion of the disputed South China Sea, appeared in various scenes across nine episodes. The department instructed the companies to remove the show from platforms serving Vietnam within 24 hours, starting from Monday.
This marks the second instance within a week in which Hanoi has taken steps to restrict foreign entertainment. Previously, Vietnam banned the movie “Barbie” due to a similar dispute over a map depicting the South China Sea. “Uncharted” faced a ban last year for the same reason.
It looks like Netflix and all entertainment companies should be careful with Vietnam.