Contrary to popular belief, there is no evidence that Mega Man 5 was banned or failed to release in Vietnam specifically because of Napalm Man's design, the similarities that his stage's design bears to areas within the country (including the Viet Cong's tunnel system used during the Vietnam War), or one of its enemies resembling a tiger species endemic to Vietnam among other similarities. The history of the Vietnamese video game market itself is poorly documented. It is currently believed that all video game imports were virtually banned by the Vietnamese government as a result of Cold War tensions until the implementation of the Đổi Mới reforms started in 1986, which allowed for some second-hand game console imports and rental arcades to pop up. They are thought to have become a more widely available commodity in the country in 1994, two years after Mega Man 5's release, when the United States lifted its 30-year-long trade embargo on Vietnam. It is unknown if there even was a Vietnamese reaction to Napalm Man at the time.