The Vietnamese government has banned the commercial release of “Barbie,” the upcoming film starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling, due to a scene that depicts China’s nine-dash line, a map that represents China’s territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Vi Kien Thanh, director general of the Vietnam Cinema Department, said the ban was decided by the National Film Evaluation Council. He said the film was banned because it contains “the offending image of the nine-dash line.”

The nine-dash line is a controversial map that has been rejected by the international community. In 2016, a United Nations tribunal ruled that the map has no legal basis. However, China has refused to recognize the ruling.

This is not the first time that a film has been banned in Vietnam for depicting the nine-dash line. In 2019, the animated film “Abominable” was banned for the same reason. In 2021, the Netflix series “Pine Gap” was also banned from the Vietnamese market for depicting the map.

It is unclear if Warner Bros. will appeal the ban on “Barbie.” The company has not yet responded to a request for comment.

The ban on “Barbie” is a reminder of the ongoing tensions between Vietnam and China over the South China Sea. Vietnam has overlapping claims to the sea with China, and the two countries have been involved in a number of disputes over the territory.

The ban on “Barbie” is also a sign of Vietnam’s commitment to upholding its sovereignty in the South China Sea. The government has been clear that it will not tolerate any depictions of the nine-dash line, which it sees as a violation of its territorial claims.

The ban on “Barbie” is likely to be met with disappointment by fans of the film, who have been eagerly awaiting its release. However, it is important to remember that the film is not the first to be banned in Vietnam for political reasons. The government has a history of censoring films that it sees as a threat to national security or that could damage its relations with other countries.