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Vietnam banned the Margot Robbie-led blockbuster Barbie. They accused the film of portraying “offensive political imagery” because of its potential allusions to Hanoi's territorial dispute with China. A scene in the film shows a map with a U-shaped section of the South China Sea, what they call a “nine-dash line.” China claims this is their territory, but Vietnam and most of the world disagrees, per Semafor.
The director of Vietnam's Cinema Department announced the movie's cancellation because it showed an “illegal cow's tongue line,” also commonly known as the “nine-dash line.” Vietnam banned Barbie because the “content that distorts the truth, violates the law in general, and violates Vietnam's territorial sovereignty in particular.” Some Vietnam movie viewers agreed with the decision.
As for China, the nine-dash line is a symbol of patriotism, so they lauded Barbie for the map portrayal. On the Chinese social media site Weibo, some user praised Barbie for the line and “picking the right side on an important matter.” Another said: “I initially had no interest in the film but now I must see it,” Semafor reported.
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In 2019, Hanoi, Vietnam also banned the DreamWorks film Abominable for similar reasons. Viewers saw a map showing the disputed nine-dash line, leading to its cancellation. This was during heightened tensions between China and Vietnam because of Chinese incursions into Vietnamese waters. And last year, Vietnam banned Uncharted, the Tom Holland-led film, which was forecasted to make about $15 million in China.
Barbie tells the story of its titular doll (played by Margot Robbie) as she goes on a journey of self-discovery. Ryan Gosling stars as Ken and the film is filled with A-listers playing various variants of the dolls including Issa Rae, Emma Mackey, Dua Lipa, Simu Liu, Kinglsey Ben-Adir, and John Cena. Helen Mirren, Michael Cera, and Emerald Fennell also have roles in the film.
