The organizer of the upcoming ‘Gemini Fourth Run the World Concert’ in Vietnam has issued a second apology after meeting with a strong backlash from Vietnamese netizens for posting ticket information which showed a map of Vietnam missing the country’s Truong Sa (Spratly) and Hoang Sa (Paracel) archipelagos.

The concert, organized by Njoin, is scheduled for October 19 at Hoa Binh Theater in Ho Chi Minh City and marks the first stop for Thailand’s Gemini Fourth on their Asian concert tour. 

Gemini Fourth is made up of Norawit Titicharoenrak and Nattawat Jirochtikul – a Thai 'established couple' known for starring in the Thai TV series 'My School President.'

In Thailand, an 'established couple' is a duo that often appears together as love interests on TV and performs concerts and other promotion events together.

Criticism against the ‘Gemini Fourth Run the World Concert’ began on Tuesday after Njoin posted ticket information for the Ho Chi Minh City stop, along with a map of Vietnam, to its Facebook page.

The map failed to include Vietnam’s Truong Sa and Hoang Sa in the East Vietnam Sea.

Within an hour, Njoin deleted the original post and published a note apologizing to its Vietnamese fans for the omission. 

Vietnamese netizens, however, were unsatisfied with the apology, with dozens commenting that the letter came off as insincere and perfunctory. Notably, it failed to directly mention the missing archipelagos.

Several upset commenters demanded that the concert be canceled, claiming that Njoin’s omission of Truong Sa and Hoang Sa demonstrated an egregious lack of respect for Vietnamese sovereignty.

In its attempt to quell the backlash, Njoin posted a second apology letter to both its fans and the Vietnamese people in general, this time admitting its failure to convey a full and sincere apology the first time and putting the blame on inexperienced staff.

The letter called the omission of Truong Sa and Hoang Sa an unacceptable mistake and reiterated the importance of protecting Vietnam’s sovereignty over its maritime areas.

In addition to its apology, Njoin thanked fans for pointing out the mistake so that it could promptly correct it.

It said the experience was a valuable lesson on the importance of reviewing its content before publication.

Though the letter seemed to calm a portion of the online community, many commented that they refused to accept Njoin’s apology.

Many of those who rejected the apology suggested that Njoin issue an apology in English and attach a full Vietnamese map which includes its maritime areas.

The coming arrival in Vietnam of Gemini Fourth will mark their second visit to the Southeast Asian country.

Their first was a fan meeting last June. Tickets for the upcoming concert sold out in less than a day.

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