In the era of explosive media entertainment, there are countless cases where Vietnamese audiences are unwittingly “poisoned” by illegal images.

Global streaming platform Netflix has removed the Chinese film Flight To You from its service in Vietnam as it contains scenes of the nine-dash line that violates Vietnam’s sovereignty, said Director of the Cinema Department Vi Kien Thanh on July 10.

Vietnam’s Cinema Department has requested Netflix Vietnam and FPT Telecom JSC removing the Chinese film Flight To You as it contains scenes of the nine-dash line that violates Vietnam’s sovereignty.

The popularisation and use of publications and products with the "nine-dash line" in Vietnam are a violation of the law and are not accepted in the country, Spokeswoman of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang has affirmed.

Vietnam rejects the so-called “nine-dash line” and maritime claims that run counter to international laws, particularly the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Le Thi Thu Hang reiterated on August 25.

A company in the northern province of Hai Duong has been found hanging a world map that breaches Vietnam’s sea, island sovereignty.

International scholars taking part in a July 9 webinar highlighted the significance of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA)’s ruling in the settlement of the East Sea issue.

The Department of Radio, Television and Electronic Information under the Ministry of Information and Communications said on July 1 that Netflix, Inc., an Internet subscription service for watching television shows and movies, on June 30 had removed Pine Gap, a six-part TV series which have images infringing on Vietnam’s sovereignty over the sea and islands.

The cross-border e-commerce platform Fado.vn, on April 7, officially announced its indefinite halt of trading items from the Swedish fashion retailer H&M, following H&M’s posting of a map containing the so-called nine-dash line on its website.

Foreign experts have condemned China’s recent actions in the East Sea, saying its moves have escalated tensions in the region and infringed upon international law.

Dr. Le Hong Hiep from the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore has said China’s recent acts in the East Sea has made the regional situation more tense and uncertain, thus hindering negotiations on a Code of Conduct in the East Sea (COC).

Indonesia is to send around 120 fishermen from the island of Java to the Natuna islands in the Riau Islands Province, said Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mohammad Mahfud on January 6.

Indonesia has dismissed China’s invitation to sit down for a dialogue to “manage disputes” over Indonesia’s exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the North Natuna Sea, arguing that there are no overlapping claims there.

The Government will strictly handle products with image of China’s nine-dash line in the East Sea and punish those who are responsible for the violation, officials said at a press conference after the Government’s regular October meeting on November 5.

General Director of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (VNAT) Nguyen Van Tuan has stated that Vietnam welcomes visitors across the world to the country, however, they must abide by Vietnamese law.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte affirmed on August 27 that any upcoming bilateral talks with China should be based on the arbitral tribunal's ruling on the East Sea dispute.

Parties involved in territorial disputes in the East Sea should sit together for negotiations after the PCA’s ruling on the Philippines lawsuit against China’s claims in the sea.

Philippine Foreign Minister Perfecto Yasay on August 11 called on China to respect maritime law and security as well as the rule of law to resolve disputes in both the East Sea and the East China Sea.

The ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on July 12 is a proper judgment and in conformity with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, stated former Indian Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha.

The recent ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration on the Philippines’ lawsuit against China’s claims in the East Sea is a binding interpretation of the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.