Vietnam is working with the Organizing Committee of the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand regarding the error in the map of Vietnam used in the opening ceremony.

VHO - Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that Vietnamese authorities have been working with the Organizing Committee of the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand regarding the error in the representation of the map of Vietnam in the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang

On the afternoon of December 11th, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' regular press conference, in response to questions from the press regarding information that at the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games held on the evening of December 9th, the Organizing Committee of host country Thailand used special effects to simulate maps of the region's countries.

However, in the display of the map of Vietnam, the projected image omitted the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos as well as Phu Quoc island. Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Pham Thu Hang said that Vietnamese authorities have been working with the Organizing Committee of the 33rd SEA Games in Thailand regarding the error in the representation of the Vietnamese map at the opening ceremony of the 33rd SEA Games.

Once again, Vietnam affirms its undisputed sovereignty over the Hoang Sa and Truong Sa archipelagos in accordance with international law.

Also at the press conference, in response to a journalist's question about the situation of Vietnamese citizens in the border areas between Thailand and Cambodia, as well as the work of protecting citizens in this area, Spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Pham Thu Hang emphasized that this is also information of interest to the press recently.

Regarding the border situation between Cambodia and Thailand, on December 9, 2025, Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia and Thailand issued a warning to Vietnamese citizens to reconsider traveling to areas with complex security developments and to proactively plan for leaving these areas to ensure the safety of themselves and their property.

At the same time, citizens are urged to strictly comply with the regulations and guidelines of the local authorities and maintain contact with Vietnamese representative agencies in Cambodia and Thailand.

According to the latest information from Vietnamese representative offices in Thailand and Cambodia, most Vietnamese citizens in the area have been evacuated to safe areas, far from the conflict zones, and are following the instructions of the local authorities.

Given the current situation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has worked with relevant agencies to closely assess developments and directed Vietnamese representative agencies abroad to monitor and coordinate closely with local authorities and the Vietnamese community to gather information and prepare contingency plans for citizen protection when necessary.

According to Spokesperson Pham Thu Hang, in case assistance is needed, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has hotlines at Vietnamese representative offices in the host country, as well as a hotline at the Consular Department for citizen protection.

Source: https://baovanhoa.vn/the-thao/viet-nam-dang-lam-viec-voi-ban-to-chuc-sea-games-33-tai-thai-lan-ve-sai-sot-ban-do-viet-nam-trong-le-khai-mac-187536.html