The recent decision of the Vietnamese authorities to ban “Barbie” has generated much reaction from the Vietnamese public and international watchers. The decision was made by the National Evaluation Film Council as it cited the movie’s alleged showing of China’s nine-dash line.

This is not the first time the Vietnamese authorities have decided to ban movies over the appearance of the nine-dash line. However, the decision to ban “Barbie” has been criticized more than previous bans, as the map the authorities are referring to is unclear. For example, many news outlets and netizens have questioned whether the child-like fictional map in “Barbie” actually shows the nine-dash line.