Chinese-invested Vietnam Yadea Electric Motorcycle Co. Ltd. (Yadea Vietnam) has extended its apologies for using a store location map that included only Chinese names for Vietnam’s Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos, explaining it as a regretful negligence.

Talking with Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Sunday evening, a representative of Yadea Vietnam said the firm had been careless in working with its website creation service provider and its map supplier, leading to the appearance of a Vietnamese map on which the Chinese language was used to name Vietnam’s Truong Sa and Hoang Sa in the East Vietnam Sea.

“We affirm that this incident happened unexpectedly and sincerely apologize for this unfortunate negligence,” stated the representative.

As soon as they received feedback about the incident, the firm checked and removed inappropriate images from the map on the firm’s website yadea.com.vn to comply with the laws of Vietnam, the representative added.

Many Vietnamese netizens had earlier searched for Yadea Vietnam’s stores on its website and were upset to find a store map system in which Vietnam’s Truong Sa and Hoang Sa were referred to only in Chinese.

Meanwhile, for other locations in Vietnam as well as in other countries, both the Chinese names and the names in the languages of the home countries are used. 

For example, Hanoi is referred to as ‘Hà Nội,’ which is put underneath its name in Chinese.  

As recorded by Tuoi Tre, the store search service on Yadea Vietnam's website was blocked from access at 6:00 pm on Sunday.

The e-bike firm is working with relevant partners to revise its map system and will use it again only when it meets requirements of the laws of Vietnam, a source of Tuoi Tre said. 

“With a long-term commitment to the Vietnamese market and contributing more to the country’s economic and social development, we seriously listen to all feedback and will take strict controls to ensure similar incidents will not happen in the future,” according to the firm.

As a 20-year electric bicycle and motorbike brand headquartered in China’s Shanghai, Yadea began its presence in Vietnam in 2019 and Yadea Vietnam, located in northern Bac Giang Province, has gradually become a popular e-bike maker there thanks to its affordable prices and diverse products.

Vietnam’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has repeatedly affirmed that the country has full legal basis and historical evidence to prove its sovereignty over Truong Sa and Hoang Sa in accordance with international law.    

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