The Ministry of Information and Communications (MIC) said it would shut down websites that use 'China Beach' name to refer to My Khe beach in Danang.
China Beach on local tourism website
The name 'China beach' first grew in popular consciousness after an American TV drama series adopted the nickname for Danang’s My Khe beach that had been used by serving US and Australian soldiers during the American War.
The series was broadcasted on ABC from 1988 to 1991 and featured the stories of people working in an emergency evacuation hospital during the American War.
Since the popularity of the TV series Danang’s beach has been referred and branded internationally as China Beach.
The beach had also been advertised on many domestic tourism websites including vietnamanztravel.com, vietcharmtour.vn, vietnamleadertravel.com.vn with title 'Danang - China Beach', with the name having almost entirely replaced the domestic My Khe in popular tourist advertising usage.
However the Ministry of Information and Communications has announced it will close Vietnam based websites that use the China Beach name, obviously not affecting any of the international companies that continue to use the name.
"Introducing it as China Beach is unacceptable, and would cause serious confusion to international travellers about one of the most beautiful beaches in Vietnam,” head of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, Nguyen Van Tuan, said.
Many Vietnamese tourism websites have removed and changed the term while foreign websites such as Asiarooms.com still keeps the commonly used name.
On May 13, Deputy Director of the Danang Department of Culture, Sport and Tourism Nguyen Phuc Linh said that they have ordered local tourism agencies to remove the term from their brochures and other printed documents.
Foreign website still keeps the name China Beach
