A children's bestseller in Vietnam has experienced falling sales after being placed under scrutiny and labelled unpatriotic for having a design that is said to mimic China's disputed "nine-dash line", The Guardian reported.
The Baby Three doll, which is made in China and previously jumped in popularity among Vietnamese youths and Gen Z this year, raked in an estimated $1.6 million worth of sales during the period September to December 2024. But it created controversy when internet users complained that a heart-shaped mark on one version of the doll had a resemblance to the "nine-dash line," which is a Chinese territorial claim over much of the South China Sea and has been declared invalid by an international court in The Hague. The argument continues to be contested by numerous nations, including Vietnam, while China keeps on denying the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.
Government action and consumer response
Following public outcry, Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade instructed toys purportedly bearing the controversial claim to be inspected, threatening the depictions to be "impacting national security and territorial sovereignty." Retailers moved swiftly to slow or end sales of Baby Three doll.
The average price of the doll on Shopee and TikTok Shop declined by 50% during the first 10 weeks of 2025, based on figures from e-commerce analytics tool YouNet ECI. Sellers suffered huge losses from boycotts.
"Almost all kids began boycotting [the dolls] because they viewed it as a patriotic matter, believing that purchasing Baby Three was unpatriotic," said a seller to AFP.
Ho Chi Minh City-based retailer Ngoc Hang reported her revenues dropped by half following the government's announcement of investigations and possible fines.
"Consumers have demanded boycotts, and I had to reduce prices by 30-50% to sell my inventories," she said in an interview with VN Express.
Companies severed ties with Baby Three
The row has prompted companies to distance themselves from Baby Three. In early March, Vietnamese eyewear company Anna Eyewear said it was ending a branding partnership with the doll because of "controversial character drawings." The company said that being a Vietnamese brand, it sought to offer customers "quality products but also good cultural and humanitarian values."
In the same vein, popular e-commerce streamer Đặng Tiến Hoàng announced he would halt the sale of the dolls for national interests, above profit.
"Even if the income is good for us, the land and country must come first," he said, prompting a hot debate among his audience.
Vietnam's strong position on the nine-dash line
Vietnamese authorities have been firm in rejecting any form of China's nine-dash line in goods and media. In 2023, the Barbie movie was banned from Vietnamese cinemas following a scene in which a toy map seemed to show the disputed line. The same year, Netflix was compelled to take down a Chinese series that continuously displayed the map. In 2022, the Hollywood movie Uncharted, featuring Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg, was banned for containing a representation of the line.
The controversy is also a reminder of the delicacy of territorial conflict in Vietnam and the powerful effect of nationalist attitudes on consumer purchases.
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