Many "mistakes" in the opening ceremony of SEA Games 33: Vietnam's territory lacks 3 special economic zones

The opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand has become the focus of criticism from the public in Southeast Asia when a series of errors related to the territorial map, national flag and national identity were discovered.

The most serious incident occurred during the art performance at the opening ceremony on the evening of December 9. The 33rd SEA Games Organizing Committee used visual effects to simulate maps of countries in the region, to honor the spirit of solidarity in Southeast Asia.

However, when it came to displaying the map of Vietnam, the projected image only included the mainland, completely missing the two special zones Hoang Sa and Truong Sa – which are Vietnam’s sovereign territories under international law – along with the Phu Quoc special zone. This error was quickly discovered by Vietnamese viewers watching the livestream and spread widely on social networks, causing great outrage among the Vietnamese community and neighboring countries.

Not stopping there, the introduction of the history of previous SEA Games also had errors. When mentioning the 1997 SEA Games held in Indonesia, the organizers mistakenly displayed the Singapore flag instead of the Indonesian flag.

Before the opening ceremony, the Organizing Committee was also criticized for confusing the national flags of Vietnam and Laos in the women's futsal competition schedule. Although the error was discovered early, the Organizing Committee has not issued any official apology, causing further disappointment to the public.

Just a few hours after the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games, social networks were "stirred up" with a series of reactions from users in the Southeast Asian region. Errors related to the map of Vietnam's Hoang Sa, Truong Sa and Phu Quoc special zones, along with errors in the national flags of other countries, have caused the Thai organizing committee to be criticized for its lack of professionalism and respect for sovereignty.

From posts on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook to other forums, public opinion expressed disappointment, even accusing this action of being irresponsible. The strongest reaction came from the Vietnamese community and neighboring countries, where many users said that the map error was not only a technical mistake but also touched on sensitive territorial issues.

A post from user @CRASHBlack7 pointed out the mistake of the Indonesian flag being mistaken for Singapore's during the SEA Games history introduction, calling it "unprofessional!". Similarly, user @BongSeiha from Cambodia posted about a technical error that caused the Cambodian representative block to not light up during the performance, asking: "Technical error? The Cambodian block did not light up in the display of 11 Southeast Asian countries? We are one star?".

These shares quickly received hundreds of interactions, reflecting the general dissatisfaction with the organizers' lax preparation. Meanwhile, the Thai community also had voices defending or criticizing internally, analyzing and explaining that this incident was entirely the fault of the technicians, but those who played the role of rehearsing the program could not detect it.

Overall, the wave of criticism on social media has turned the 33rd SEA Games into a hot topic, with hashtags like #SEAGames33Error and #ThailandMistake going viral. Many experts say that in the context of the games aimed at promoting regional unity, these mistakes could cause lasting damage to Thailand’s image.

To date, the Organizing Committee has yet to make an official response, leaving the public waiting for an apology and a remedy. The 33rd SEA Games is still underway with over 40 events, but the after-effects of the opening ceremony will likely linger.

This is not the first time the SEA Games 33 Organizing Committee has been involved in similar controversies. Before the official opening of the congress, on the event's official fanpage, the women's futsal competition schedule was posted with an error in flag identification: the Vietnamese flag was mistaken for the Thai flag, while the Lao flag was replaced with the Indonesian flag.

After being pointed out by the online community, the organizers quietly deleted the post without any explanation or apology. This action is considered irresponsible, especially when elements such as maps, national flags and national symbols require absolute accuracy to avoid misunderstandings.

The 33rd SEA Games, taking place from December 9 to 21 in Thailand, will bring together more than 10,000 athletes from 11 Southeast Asian countries competing in 40 sports . Hopefully, the Organizing Committee will quickly overcome the problems so that the congress can run smoothly, avoiding repeating unnecessary mistakes.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/nhieu-san-trong-le-khai-mac-sea-games-33-lanh-tho-viet-nam-thieu-3-dac-khu-196251209220407241.htm