Vietnamese sports communities have expressed deep disappointment with fitness-tracking app Strava for omitting the Hoang Sa (Spratly) and Truong Sa (Paracel) archipelagos from its map of Vietnam.

The maps section of the application depicts a Vietnam map that excludes the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos, a clear violation of Vietnamese laws and the country’s sovereignty over its seas and islands.

In recent days, Vietnamese sports enthusiasts on various forums dedicated to sports such as jogging, swimming, cycling, and several other activities have vehemently expressed their dissatisfaction with the app due to the exclusion. 

Many of these sports enthusiasts are now advocating for a boycott of Strava for its disregard for Vietnam’s sovereignty and territory.

“While Strava is an effective fitness-tracking application, the Vietnamese running community is currently urging a boycott of Strava due to the fact that its map of Vietnam excludes Vietnam’s Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos,” Le Van Tien, a member of the Gia Lai Marathon group on Facebook, wrote in a post.

“The absence of these islands from Strava’s map is seen as a lack of respect for Vietnam’s sovereignty, and this action warrants a condemnation and boycott.”

“In my three years of running, the first year was spent without knowledge about Strava, the second year was all about continuous Strava use, and in the third year, I rarely used Strava,” a user named Viet Nha shared on Facebook.

“But now, it’s time to completely delete [Strava].”

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