Barbie has always had some degree of notoriety. She is at once a symbol of female empowerment, ridicule and consumerism. People might suspect that the recent ban of the Barbie movie by the Vietnamese government is motivated by these concerns. Instead, international political intrigue provides a better explanation.
Territorial disputes run deep in Southeast Asia, having both real and symbolic value. Claims by both Korea and Japan of the Dokdo (Takeshima) Islands are more than three centuries old, while Japan, Taiwan and China each claim ownership of the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands.
