Two weeks and just before the release of Barbie, the iconic doll is at the center of a diplomatic storm, with the Vietnamese government reportedly announcing its intention to boycott the film overseas on Monday.
If you were wondering what Barbie did to add the title of "banned provocateur" to her resume, the reason was the use of an image deemed "offensive" in one of the scenes in the film.
In the scene in question, a map of the South China Sea appears, which is a bone of contention and a focal point of constant tension between China and five countries that share the maritime territory neighboring with it - Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, the Principality of Brunei and Taiwan.
"Banned provocateur". Barbie stirs up a storm, photo: from the movie
The reason for the map's appearance in the film despite the sensitivity surrounding the issue is unclear, and Vietnam claims that the map harms it and ignores the 2016 ruling of the International Court of Justice in The Hague that ordered the cancellation of the territory definitions established in the area by China.
This is not the first time the government has boycotted films in the country for the same political reasons. In 2019, Vietnam boycotted the film "Magic of a Monster" and last year the film Uncharted was also banned. Netflix's Australian drama Pine Gap was also banned for the same reason in 2021.
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