Greta Gerwig’s Barbie is about to hit the theaters on 21 July, and the promotion of the movie is going internationally. There are some allegations that the movie has a scene that depicts Asian political conflict which could be the reason for its ban in Vietnam.
Yes, Margot Robbie will not be seen as Barbie in Vietnam. It is the first county that banned the movie due to controversial scenes about Asian political conflicts.
What is the actual political conflict Vietnam authorities are talking about?
The ban of the movie took place after the controversy over the scene in a movie that shows the map featuring the ‘nine-dash line’ which signifies a set line segment asserting China’s territorial claim in the South China Sea. This becomes a huge problem for Chinese neighboring countries such as Vietnam.
These countries dispute China’s claims and do not consider the nine-dash line, and the inclusion of this in the movie is considered a violation. The Vietnamese authorities decided that they will ban the movie Barbie as it hurts their political views and as well as its a matter of the pride of their country. According to the report of Tuoi Tre, a state-run newspaper in Vietnam, the authorities concluded by saying “We do not grant a license for the American movie ‘Barbie‘ to release in Vietnam because it contains the offending image of the nine-dash line.”
Philippines also join the list of countries where Barbie is banned
After the decision made by Vietnamese authorities, Philippines also showed their concern about the nine-dash line and made the same decision. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) of Philippine will be banning the movie in their country.