Ride-hailing firm Grab has made an apology for using a map that mislabeled multiple Vietnamese islands in the Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelago as China’s.

The violation does not relate to its respect for Vietnam and its people, said Grab.

Many customers last weekend found that Grab’s map showed incorrect information about Vietnam’s sovereign territory.

Among the islands in Vietnam's Truong, only Son Caand Sinh Ton were labeled with their Vietnamese names while others were displayed in English or Chinese names.

In particular, Vanh Khan (Mischief) Reef, which belongs to Vietnam, was not labeled with the Vietnamese name, using English and Chinese names instead.

Chu Thap (Fiery Cross) Reef, which China has illegally occupied, was labeled as 'Nansha District,' the name that China illicitly uses for Vietnam’s Truong Sa.

A Grab Vietnam representative told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the firm is working with the partner which provided the map to fix the erroneous information. 

Grab takes opinions seriously and sincerely apologizes for possible concerns, the representative added.

The firm is committed to a long-term operation in the Vietnamese market and expects to contribute further to Vietnam’s socio-economic development.

Ride hailing service providers in Vietnam are using maps provided by partners.

German automaker Volkswagen earlier displayed a Volkswagen Touareg car with a navigation app containing a map with the illicit ‘nine-dash line’ China resorts to in its claims to nearly all of the East Vietnam Sea.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs later asked customs agencies in cities and provinces to inspect car imports from China.

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