Beware of 'cultural traps' with 'cow tongue line'

Baby Three doll toy products are suspected of having illegal "cow tongue line" printed on them.

Many Vietnamese audiences have discovered the "cow tongue line" appearing in famous animated films, international video games, advertising publications, and travel guides. Products that were originally intended to serve entertainment and educational purposes have become a means of incorporating elements that violate Vietnam's sovereignty over its seas and islands.

Recently, the Chagee milk tea brand, which was preparing to open in Vietnam, faced a wave of boycott when it was discovered to be using the illegal "cow tongue line" image on its application. As soon as Vietnamese consumers discovered that the "cow tongue line" appeared on Chagee's application and map, the brand immediately faced a strong wave of anger.

Currently, the Chagee application has been removed from the Google Play Store and App Store in the Vietnamese market. However, on Chagee's global website, the "cow tongue line" image still appears on the store search map.

On the official fanpage of Chagee Vietnam, thousands of comments and shares expressed outrage, demanding the brand remove the illegal image, publicly apologize to consumers and call for a boycott. As of March 16, Chagee Vietnam's information channels remained completely silent in the face of the wave of reactions.

Recently, the online community was also stirred up by the news that the Baby Three toy product, which has been "causing a fever" for the past year, was suspected of having an illegal "cow tongue line" printed on the face of the doll version "Town Rabbit Version 2".

Many importers and distributors in Vietnam have stopped selling this product. On social media platforms, consumers are calling for a boycott and destruction of the product, after discovering suspicious images printed on the doll’s face and eye shadow.

In this situation, the Department of Domestic Market Management and Development issued Official Letter No. 44/TTTN-NV dated March 12, 2025, requesting local market management departments to strengthen inspection of children's toys related to Vietnam's territorial sovereignty. The Department also requested close coordination with e-commerce platforms such as Shopee, TikTok Shop, and Facebook to promptly detect and strictly handle violations.

In fact, Vietnamese audiences have been outraged many times when they discovered images of the illegal “cow tongue line” map in international films that were popular in Vietnam. Recently, the film “Huong Gio Ma Di” (39 episodes) was denied a license by the Cinema Department because it inserted images that violated Vietnam’s sovereignty in many scenes.

Previously, the movie “Barbie” (USA) was also not licensed because it repeated the image of the “cow tongue line”. In 2020 and 2021, Netflix provided movies that violated Vietnam’s sovereignty three times, including: “Spy” (Pine Gap) - a co-production between the US and Australia; “To Warm Youth” (China) and “The Secretary of State” (USA). These movies were later removed from the platform in Vietnam by Netflix…

These “cultural traps” have also crept into many familiar products such as globes, imported textbooks, tourist maps and even product packaging. If not identified and handled promptly, these small details will gradually distort the perception of consumers, especially young people, a group that is easily influenced when accessing international products.

Experts say that the insertion of the "cow tongue line" image is not just an "accident" but part of a cognitive strategy to "eat strawberries". When this illegal image is repeated on many platforms, it gradually becomes "normalized" in the minds of consumers, causing a part of the public to misunderstand the legality of the "cow tongue line" claim.

In fact, it is necessary to tighten the control of imported content, raise public awareness and strengthen the role of authorities in handling violations. In addition, building a “cognitive barrier” for young people through education on history, geography and sovereignty of islands also plays a key role. When consumers are alert and knowledgeable enough, the tricks of insertion will be easily detected and eliminated.

In Thai Nguyen province, in early 2022, the Internal Political Security Department (Provincial Police) coordinated with Market Management Team No. 1 to inspect and discover that the store "Chibi Decor - Decorations" was selling 11 high-end globes printed with the "cow tongue line" image, seriously violating regulations on expressing national sovereignty and borders. The owner of the establishment admitted to ordering from Hanoi via Facebook to sell for profit, and was fully aware of the violation.

Over the years, the authorities have also closely coordinated with other agencies and e-commerce platforms to control, prevent and handle many cases related to products that violate copyright. However, the efforts of the authorities will not be enough without the alertness and timely response from the consumer community.

The Department of Internal Political Security (Provincial Police) also recommends that people should be vigilant against propaganda tricks that violate Vietnam's territorial sovereignty and sea and islands; at the same time, proactively speak out and refute false arguments in cultural publications.

The cultural trap of the "cow tongue line" is not only a story of the commercial or entertainment industry, but a direct threat to cultural security and national sovereignty. Early detection and prevention is not only the responsibility of the authorities but also the duty of citizens, in order to protect the sacred integrity of the Fatherland in the era of deep integration.

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202503/canh-giac-voi-bay-van-hoacai-cam-duong-luoi-bo-9c123dd/