Vietnam has instructed Netflix to remove the Chinese TV series Shine On Me from its platform in the country due to scenes showing a map used by Beijing to assert disputed claims in the South China Sea.

“The inspection found scenes showing the ‘nine-dash line’ map, which misrepresents and violates Vietnam’s national sovereignty,” the Department of Cinema under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism said in a statement on Sunday.

In a statement, Netflix said, “Following a written government demand, we have removed Shine On Me from Netflix in Vietnam.”

Vietnam’s action reflects its sensitivity to China’s maritime claims, which have previously led to clashes, even though the map appears only briefly in a college lecture scene in the series.

In 2023, Netflix removed the Chinese romantic drama Flight To You, despite a similar map being blurred for viewers in Vietnam.

The Southeast Asian nation has also banned the film Barbie over a scene showing the map and investigated Chinese brands, including milk tea chain Chagee and a children’s toy line, for using images of it.

According to the department, the images appear in episode 25 of the series, and Netflix was given 24 hours to remove the show from its platform.

Vietnamese authorities reclassified the 27-episode series as category C, banning its distribution for violating the country’s cinema law. By 11 a.m. local time on January 5, it was no longer available for online viewing.

China claims over 80 per cent of the South China Sea, citing a 1947 map that features the so-called nine-dash line, which stretches roughly 1,770 km south of Hainan Island.