Ride-hailing platform Grab has been fined VND60 million ($2,600) for using a map that shows incorrect information about Vietnam's island sovereignty.
Ho Chi Minh City's Department of Information and Communications said Friday that they had a working session with Grab on the incident. The map appearing on Grab apps displayed Vietnam’s islands within the Truong Sa (Spratlys) and Hoang Sa (Paracels) archipelagoes having Chinese and English names, with some parts of the archipelagoes even listed as belonging to Chinese administrative units.
Grab admitted to the mistake, saying it was working with the third party that provides the map service. By April 14, the islands were correctly named on the Grab apps.
The authorities also asked Grab to commit to deploying necessary measures to prevent similar incidents in the future and comply with Vietnamese laws in doing business.
HCMC's department of information and communications has fined Grab VND60 million ($2,600) for “providing information and images that violate national sovereignty”.