‘Barbie’ movie banned in Vietnam – due to disputed border on a map

The globally anticipated ‘Barbie’ movie will not be released in Vietnam. The reason is political: the comic shows the so-called nine-dash line, which China has used on maps for decades to claim large parts of the South China Sea.

However, other countries also claim territories there – such as Vietnam, the Philippines or Malaysia. The ban has been determined by the National Film Rating Council, the newspaper “VNExpress” reported Monday. Actually, “Barbie” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling should hit cinemas in the Southeast Asian country on July 21.

“Barbie” tells the story of Barbie and Ken dolls, who are happy in the colorful and seemingly perfect world of Barbieland. But then they are transported to the real world – which has many turbulent consequences. It is the first film adaptation with real actors. “Barbie” can be seen in German-speaking Swiss cinemas from July 20.

Vietnam has banned films several times in the past because they contain the “nine-dash line”: last year the adventure-action film “Uncharted” starring Tom Holland was removed from the program. In 2021, eight episodes of the Netflix series ‘Pine Gap’ were banned from the screens. (sda/dpa)