The United States’ live-action feature film ‘Barbie’ is banned from screening in Vietnam for featuring a map depicting the illicit “nine-dash line” that China uses to illegally claim its sovereignty over most of the East Vietnam Sea.

Vi Kien Thanh, head of the Vietnam Cinema Department, confirmed the ban to Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Monday.

The ban was issued by the Central Council of Feature Film Evaluation and Classification, Thanh said.

‘Barbie’ was set to hit theaters in Vietnam on July 21, when the United States will release the firm.

However, the ban has prompted the managers of all cinema chains across Vietnam such as Galaxy and CGV to withdraw the live-action feature movie from their lists of upcoming films.

Vietnam had earlier either blocked many films or removed some ones from cinemas as these movies, mainly produced by China, contain the illegal nine-dash line map.

Barbie is one of the most anticipated movies this year. The film was directed by Greta Gerwig, starring Margot Robbie as Barbie, and Ryan Gosling as her boyfriend Ken.

Last year, Vietnam blocked America’s ‘Uncharted’, which stars Tom Holland, for the illicit nine-dash line.

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