Many Vietnamese viewers were outraged upon witnessing a clip featuring the illicit ‘nine-dash line,’ also known as the ‘cow tongue-shaped line,’ during the contest’s final round on Sunday.
China employs this demarcation as a blatant assertion of sovereignty over roughly 80% of the East Vietnam Sea, encompassing parts of Vietnam’s territorial waters, as well as those of several other nations.
A multitude of Vietnamese spectators viewing the pageant on YouTube voiced their dissent in the comment section, with statements such as ‘Hoang Sa [Paracel] and Truong Sa [Spratly] belong to Vietnam.’
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| An apology from the Miss Global 2025 organizers was posted on the pageant’s Facebook page following the incident. The letter expressed regret for displaying China’s illegal ‘nine-dash line’ in a map video clip during the final night held in Thailand on March 9, 2025. Photo: Miss Global |
These archipelagoes, rightfully under Vietnam’s sovereignty and situated in the East Vietnam Sea, are unlawfully encompassed by China’s so-called ‘nine-dash line.’
Faced with intense backlash, including calls for contestant Nguyen Dinh Nhu Van to withdraw and a boycott of the pageant, the Miss Global 2025 organizers promptly issued an apology on their official Facebook page.
“We offer our sincere apologies for any offense caused by the recently shared graphic material. Misrepresenting or disregarding Vietnam’s sovereignty and the sensitivities surrounding territorial matters was never our intention,” the statement read.
The organizers also conveyed their profound respect for Vietnam and its citizens, recognizing the necessity for heightened caution when selecting visual materials, particularly on subjects of historical and national importance.
They assured that stricter measures would be implemented to ensure thorough content review, thereby preventing misunderstandings or the conveyance of unintended messages.
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| Nguyen Dinh Nhu Van, a 34-year-old Vietnamese contestant, was crowned Miss Global 2025 in Thailand on March 9, 2025. Photo |
Concluding the apology, the organizers expressed gratitude for the constructive feedback from Vietnamese audiences and pledged to learn from this experience to improve in the future.
Despite the controversy and subsequent apology, the pageant’s final night went ahead as planned, culminating in Van’s triumph as Miss Global 2025.
Hailing from Lam Dong Province in Vietnam’s Central Highlands region, the 34-year-old Van represented her country with grace and poise.
The first, second, third, and fourth runners-up were contestants from Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the United States, and the Philippines, respectively.
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