Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Vietnam	Americans Living in Vietnam	I stayed in Vietnam for a little over 2 years. Any travel agency can renew your visa for 6 months. (make sure it's a multiple entry visa so you can travel out of VN without having to get another visa). I believe you can go to the So Tu Phap (Service of Justice) and for a certain fee become a Vietnamese citizen. Last time I checked it cost 2 million vietnamese dong. I knew alot of ex-pats that teaches if you have a college degree. There are companies that are always hiring you just need to do a job search. USC can not own any property in VN at the moment but if you have someone you trust you can always put it in their name but make sure you write an affidavit that you have some kind of ownership in the property and get it notarized. I've seen alot of people from the states that gave money to their relatives to buy houses and land and have the people they trusted take everything from them. Just make sure you have everything written, signed, and notarized. Vietnamese people loves drinking coffee, getting drunk and eating (especially western food). That is why fried chicken and pizza are so popular over there (even though it doesn't taste anything like the states). Sometimes I wonder why there isn't a McDonald's. So if you're interested in opening your own business that is the way to go. Another thing, women's underwear and children's toys, cloths, etc etc would also be bestsellers. Wrong Wrong Wrong, A USC CAN own an apartment not a house, it is easier to put the house or apartment into your wifes name, but you can own 1 apartment. They are no longer issuing 6 month multiple entry visas, only 3 month now, but.... if you know someone who owns a business they can get it done sometimes, but with you being marriec to a VIetnamese get the visa exemption, just make sure your passport has at least 5 years left on it actually about 5 1/2 this way you can take full advantage of the visa exemption, with this every 90 days you must either leave the country OR pay $10 fill out a form and have the local police sign off that you have not been in any trouble. With the visa exemption you can come and go as you please for 5 years, just remember to get your passport stamped or leave the country every 90 days. Last I heard it is 9 years and you must speak decent Vietnamese to gain citizenship, but there is a new law that states if the president signs off you can gain it with not speaking Vietnamese, and not even living here very long, simply a few months, there are requirements that must be met before he would sign off on such a thing, such as being married to a Vietnamese person, having a Vietnamese child, during times of war if you pick up a gun and help Vietnam, if you can be a benefit to VIetnam, and I think a few others as well but these are the ones that stick out. Yes it has also been done, the first person was a couple of years ago he was a French man, it is just that it is rare so many people dont realize this law. As far as working in Vietnam, there are business ventures you can go into like running your own business, but you must have a Vietnamese partner (your wife) but the tax would be higher since you are a co-owner, the best job for an expat is clearly teaching for this you will need a college degree if you want to get a work permit, it must be a 4 year degree and then have it authenticated before you come from the states. This authentication is done by having your degree copied and notorized in the state where it was issued, then taking it to the state and having them verify that the notary was/is a notary, then from there it goes to the US Department of State and Hillary will sign it stating that the state seal is also real, then it goes to the Vietnamese embassy in Washington and they authenticate HIllarys signature. Now if you do not have a degree, you can take a CELTA or TESOL and still get a job, just do NOT take the online courses for this certification because they do NOT have a teaching practum which almost all schools want. With just a TESOL or CELTA you can get a job but it pays less, if your 4 year degree is not in teaching dont worry, all they care about is if it is a 4 year degree. Hope this info helps Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-03 19:38:00
Vietnam	wifi on overseas flights	Not on the overseas flights as Nigeria has said it is only on select flights, Delta is the one that always advertised it, eventually they might offer it for overseas, but i think it will be a while since the signals can actually mess with the airplane	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-06 18:36:00
Vietnam	Pink in HCM	congrats!!	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-02-15 05:22:00
Vietnam	Extend visa to stay in Vietnam	Yes, as Anh Map said, the visa is issued by the Vietnamese government. You will need to get your visa extension through the Vietnamese government. When I was in Vietnam a few years ago, I got my visa extension done at their governmental office on Nguyen Du. It is at the corner of Nguyen Du and Cach Mang Thang 8, District 1, HCMC. There is also an office on Nguyen Trai but I don't remember the number/exact location now. I have always done my visa extension at the Nguyen Du address. It costs $10 for an extension and you leave your passport there with them. It took 4-7 days to get it back. You should go in the morning because they are only open certain times, I don't remember what time they open again the afternoon so best to just go in the morning, you will surely catch them then. I am not sure, but I think he does not have visa exemption, and you sound like you are talking about extending a visa for visa exemption, and I am not sure it he is trying to do a tourist visa/business visa/visa exemption. Each of these visa's require different steps and different amounts of cash. The $10 is for visa exemption extension without leaving Vietnam, other visas are different with different fee's, but they all should go through the district 1 place as you mentioned. If you are not familiar with HCMC, then as I said before, go to a travel agent if it is a business or visitor visa, if not go to the immigration office in district 1 and someone there can also do it for you to save you some troubles, but the price will go from $10 to about $30, remember this is only for visa exemption and not leaving the country Jerome Edited by jeromebinh, 16 March 2011 - 09:35 PM.	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-16 21:33:00
Vietnam	Extend visa to stay in Vietnam	The government of Vietnam issues visas for their country. The US Consulate is not part of the Vietnamese government. Mark and Jerome can give you the "how to" renew/extend your visa. I have no real clue, I am well versed in visa exemption extensions, but not typical visa extensions, other than you will first need a sponsor and to go to the Vietnam immigration office and get a form. Other options are to go to a travel agent and have them do it for you, it might be more expensive, but at least it is a one stop shop. Hope this helps Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-16 19:58:00
Vietnam	Options for a Student to Sponser his Fiancee from Viet Nam?	Does anybody know if they're still requiring the mental check to be done in Vietnam? In 2008 I wasted a day and $75.00 getting it done in America just to be told I had to have it done in Vietnam. Last year it was still required to be done in Vietnam. BTW today is our 1 year !	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-18 20:42:00
Vietnam	Options for a Student to Sponser his Fiancee from Viet Nam?	Regarless if you file a K1 or a CR1 visa everyone has overlooked one very big mistake. I know you said you WERE going to go back to see her, here is the biggest issue. You MUST have met and prove you have met at least 1 time in the PREVIOUS 2 YEARS before you file, if the last time you met was 2009 and it is now 2011 this might be too late so you might need to wait until you meet again before you file. It doesnt matter if you have not met recently (2 years or less) they will NOT approve your visa application. As others have said a CR1 will be the best chance for a visa. They have accepted co sponsors but at HCMC it is a bit more unlikely that they will not, but you might get through. As others have said a CR1 is also cheaper and with your current finances, it would probably be better to get married and file for a CR1 instead of a K1 visa, but regardless of what you decide to do it is your choice, and they can and have approved people for a K1 visa with a co sponsor. Good Luck Jerome and Binh	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-08 08:12:00
Vietnam	Nooooooo......!	Great news and Congrats!!!	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-17 08:31:00
Vietnam	connection flights to VN via Japan airlines	Narita is in the south and should not have any issues, accept for all the people comming in and leaving. I feel that their airline is still up and running, this is how they are getting aid and workers to come and help rebuild, but right now would be a very VERY busy airport, and I would avoid it just for that reason.	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-22 19:13:00
Vietnam	for people getting pink slips...	My fiancee is supposed to pick up her visa this Friday, and I just already got her ticket booked! I guess I just have faith like I did during this whole process. I'm coming back to get married to her then she will be coming back to the states with me. If you marry her in Vietnam they will cancel your visa, on a K1 you must remain single until you are in the US. IF you are just doing the ceremony for her family without signing any documents then you are fine. Just make sure you dont sign anything!	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-22 19:18:00
Vietnam	Pink !!	Congrats!!!!! As I said on the phone confidence. Enjoy the rest of your vacation!!!! Then the real fun begins, you need to get home and get your house ready!!	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-21 10:35:00
Vietnam	Education	Hello, Yes I will continue to work at my job. I would like to change jobs but I think it is better to stay with my current job because it is very flexible with my schedule and I could get a bonus very soon...if I do good work I understand your points. I also think it is a good thing. My fiance worries because she thinks it will be another reason the Consulate can use to deny our visa. She thinks why should we give them more reasons to try and deny the visa. Are you 100% sure it will be ok if I do school? Put your foot down and set her straight. If she wants to live a comfortable life then your furthering your education will allow for that. Also the Consulate will not know about you going back to school unless you tell them, and in either case it does not matter if you meet the minimum wage requirements. Tell her to stop listening to other people because each case is different, and stress that she needs to calm down quickly because at the interveiw if she acts like she is now that it will probably lead to at least a blue slip. Confidence is the key, the other keys are knowing one another and having proof that your realationship is real. Going back to school clearly shows your head is on your shoulders, and even if the CO knew he would probably think it was a good thing. Look at the economy, you need every edge you have for the job market. Just put your foot down and tell her like it is. Explain the benefits and that there are NO negatives to this, especially if your current job schedule will work around your schooling meaning you are still working full time and going to school. Tell her how it will actually help and not hurt like she is fearing. Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-24 07:59:00
Vietnam	computer jack problem in vietnam	Get a surge protector that has the regular us input. That's what I did and it works fine. I think he is talking about the ethernet, not the power supply. All the lan cables in Vietnam fit somewhat loose. Just make sure that it is held inplace securely, what I do is run the ethernet cord under the laptop to help hold it in place and then I usually do not have any other problems, other things you can do is put a folded piece of paper on the TOP and plug it in, all the connections are on the bottom, but as I said I simply use the laptop to hold it in place. Hope this helps, and if you are in Saigon, give me a shout and we can have drinks on the weekend. Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-25 09:56:00
Vietnam	How long is actually long enough?	One final note.... These cultural norms that they are denying people for are currently being tried in a class action lawsuit. Clearly the lawyer taking the case feels that because there is no law or regulation stating a Dam Hoi must happen when they are denied for it that this is an unjust denial. Facts are facts, and when the CO's simply deny and give reasons, they throw whatever they want to on to the denial slip to make it look worse than it is. I personally know 4 people that were denied, and never confronted the reasons for a first denial, the only difference the second time around was they had more trips and more photos, they were approved the second time out, the Lack of Dam Hoi or other reasons for the first denial were all BS the new CO knew it and they were approved. Hopefully the class action lawsuit will help, but it will take years before we actually see any changes. Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-14 01:53:00
Vietnam	How long is actually long enough?	Dam Hoi the same day you were engaged? It could smell fishy to the CO as there are stages that a normal VN relationship goes through... If you mean the Dam Hoi the same day as the wedding, that does happen... and is said to be village specifc... some villages have no problem with it and other would say no way... the same holds true with the big feast/celebration... Wrong.. wrong and wrong again... Scott, you should be the first one to know that it is all up to the CO, and that many MANY people have gotten very lucky, which means it comes down to the CO, and NOT the HCMC consulate. If it were all about the HCMC consulate then many people would NOT have been given a visa. More often than not you are correct because it seems that there is a clear pattern, but to say it is all standard is a bit off base. They also use the cultural norms issue when the CO chooses to, NOT based on what HCMC says to do. How else could a person know a woman for less than 30 days, only spend 7 days together in a total of 6 months and then get issued a visa with the CO knowing they would have only had 10 days together total? If it was HCMC calling the shots and NOT a CO then they would have been denied. I also agree that people that dont know HCMC should probably not post as much as they do, but clearly this question was simply about a time frame being good enough to file, nothing about cultural norms, and if their relationship is real and they can prove it then they SHOULD be fine. Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-14 01:42:00
Vietnam	How long is actually long enough?	Hi everyone I've heard that in order for your case to be approved, you and your spouse (or fiance) have to have sufficient evidence of your relationship. Besides trips to Vietnam, photos taken together, phone calls, emails & chats, etc., you have to have met her/him for a long enough time in order to be considered. My question is how long is sufficiently long enough? Four months, six months, a year or more? There is no real time limit. It depends on the CO period. Example 1, A person on VJ met his fiancee and within one month asked her to marry him, he went there not knowing this woman for 30 days, he stayed there only 5 days, came home and filed for the visa. 6 months later they had the interview he flew back (only 5 days again) and were approved. Example 2. I met my fiance (now wife) and we chatted for 9 months before I ever went to visit her. I stayed 15 days the first trip, came home waited about 2 months to file for the visa, and made 2 more trips. We were denied. Example 3. A friend met his fiancee chatted for 3 months came to visit, went home and filed for a visa, 6 months later an interview they were denied, he came back (4th time) they got married, and they filed a CR1, this visa was also denied, all this time is now going on over 2 years, they just had their 3rd interview and were finially approved (4 years total) As you can see, it truly depends on the CO, ours lied at the interview because he didnt like something about our case, and I have now been in Vietnam for an entire year and enjoying it. Some people can barely know their loved one and get approved, it all depends on the CO. There is no majic number of months or years, or even trips, the majic is all in the CO Good luck Jerome and Binh	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-14 01:29:00
Vietnam	Pink Too	congrats Great info fro the interview as well, enjoy your life together!!	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-21 19:45:00
Vietnam	fiance does not have VN passport in time for April's interview	Hello Everyone! My fiance does not have his Vietnam passport yet, and his interview is on April 20th. He told me that it takes 30 days for the Vietnamese government to issue a passport. My question to you is this, should he just leave the portion that ssks about his passport information blank on the DS 156 form? Or will HCMC create problems for us? In the Appointment packet, it says it requires an original and copy of the applicant's passport along with the other required items listed. Will HCMC allow him to go to the interview without his passport or can we ask them to postpone our interview because he does not have his passport yet? Thanks for all your input! Not trying to sound rude, but ####### are you thinking even filing before he has a passport? Before he gets a visa he needs a passport, before he leaves vietnam he needs a passport. You need to get a passport, they might not even let him into the consulate without it. Many times they check the passport to make sure the person getting into the embassy is the person that is supposed to be going in. They need the information on the passport for the forms as you have already found out. Nothing we can do to help, this is your rush job that has caused you problems, you need to hurry him up and try to get it done ASAP Good luck Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-28 05:03:00
Vietnam	Visa Fee	Hi, she paid $350 for herself and she got the visa. She paid $350 for her son (total of $700) who did not have the interview and they did not take his paperwork. Then if they denied your stepson then you will have to pay again, you do not need to pay again unless they deny it. But the real question is why did he not go to the interview? If they do not issue another interview there is a very good chance that he will be denied since he has not answered ANY questions. I think the reason it states for you to pay $350 is that they did not take the information, I could be wrong, so if he goes back I would make sure your fiancee has another $350 for another visa just to be safe, but more than likely they will not require you to pay again. Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-30 07:54:00
Vietnam	Visa Fee	Let me clarify the question of the hoster (vtn): Son did not come to interview and when the CO at the scanning gate knew that: he returned all documents of son back to mother (included all 3 sheets of son's visa fee receipt 350$, while he took the mothers' receipt (sheet pink and blue). It means the receipt is still valid for another time. Because in the pink paper checkist, there is an item about MRV. As long as CO have pink and blue sheets of receipt attached, the item can be checked. The interview CO can not know son pay or not paying MRV when she gave blue paper, because she did not have any documents of son in hand, so she may assume that mother did not bring son to interview and also did not prepare anything for son. Therefore, she may give the statement about visa fee based on her assumption. The reasons in the blue paper is about application is expried (actually the real reason is absence in the interview), so there is a case that it is a standard form for expried cases not for this case. We paid the fee for review paperworks when opnening and now 350$ is the fee for isse visa. Thus, there are many cases got AP and dont need to pay for the 2nd, 3rd..interviews. It is also not consistent in the Vietnamese verion in the blue paper that: "Quý v? C?N ho?c KHÔNG C?N ph?i tr? phí th? th?c m?i". You can use google translate and see its meaning in EN is that: You NEED or DO NOT NEED to pay new visa fee. To me, 90% sure that this case dont need to pay visa fee again. 10% will check with CO. Regards If you only paid $350 you must still pay another $350 because EACH visa fee is $350 this does not mean $350 for two visa, it means $350 for EACH visa so you should have paid $700 for your fiancee AND her son if you only paid $350 then you still must pay another $350. If you are denied and you have to file a new petition you must pay again as well. If you have paid and you have been issued a blue for AP or additional evidence you will not have to pay another $350 as long as you did pay $350 for each visa you are applying for. Everywhere you say you paid the $350 visa fee, but you are not clear did you pay $700 total or only $350 If you only paid $350 then your visa reciept is for the visa that was/will be issued to your Fiancee, and NOT her son thus you will need to pay another $350	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-30 01:37:00
Vietnam	Visa Fee	we submitted p3 and p4 with both fiance' and son. on the interview day we had all of his paperwork (passport, medical exam, passport, visa fee, etc.). however, the consulate took NONE of that because he was not present. that's my question: why would we need to pay another $350 visa fee? YES, in the Blue Sheet it says we need to pay the fee, but I think that is a standard sentence on the blue form. unless the visa fee has some sort of expiration date, i don't know why we would need to pay that fee. after all, he was NEVER interviewed and NONE of his documents were submitted. It might not seem right, but it is correct. You have to pay the fee again. he missed his interview, not the consulate postponed it. If he was supposed to be there and was not there then you have to pay again regardless if the interview was there or not. Look at it like this, those that get denied dont get their fee back, because it is more than simply the fee for the VISA it is also the fees for a CO to look over a case and make a determination. Unless the Consulate refused him entry into the interview room then you will have to pay the fee again, even though it might not seem right on your end, look at it like this. If you spent time looking over paperwork and getting ready for an interview then dont have the person show up, so now you have to print out a blue form requesting this and that then shouldnt you be paid for your time? The only question is did you pay $700 total when your fiancee went in for the interview or just $350? If you only paid $350 total then you will need to pay again. $350 does not cover your fiancee AND her son, only one or the other. If you were bringing a family of 10 to the US you would need to pay $3500 in Visa fees, even if there was only one interview with all 10 people infront of the window. Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-29 23:31:00
Vietnam	have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien	jeromebinh Have you tried contacting the ACLU? They might know how to proceed in this case. Our lawyer did everything he could think of, the way the system works they are not allowed to approve a visa stateside, it MUST be approved overseas, so even though there was clear eveidence that the CO lied it would still have to go through HCMC, and since my petition was "Expired" by the time everything happened there was nothing that they could do, I was free to refile, and i am able to sue the CO, but with him being in Vietnam, it would be hard and all but impossible. Then he never said that it was a sham, only that it "Appeared" even though it was clear for his reasons on the denial he made false statements. False statements not under oath are not illegal. With the class action lawsuit that Brent is doing I actually have a better chance at having something done with that, and only IF it goes through, then I can try to sue the goverment but as we all know that usually never works. Basically everyone said I was Sh@t out of luck. BTW the ACLU will not touch the case because it is closer to a civil case since one SINGLE person had the dire affect on the case, and not actually the government.	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-29 08:21:00
Vietnam	have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien	The way you 'see' it. Now, if you were in the CO's shoes, could you prove that this is fraud or just say, 'hey, this is how I see it' to her? Would this be a solid ground in court? Dont pay DanQ no mind, but he is 100% correct, he just has a bad attitude at times, but at times it is needed to keep people grounded and aware of what can and does happen. Here is the funny, in my petition we were denied, and there is no court case, the CO lied and it was proven, I hired a lawyer and he got all the CO's notes that he had written, and it clearly showed that the CO lied on our reasons for denial, guess what the US government said and did. NOTHING, accept that they told us it would not be wise to file again because the same CO is still in HCMC and if we did refile again the same CO might get our case again, and with us filing a complaint there would be nothing to stop him from denying ti right out of the box. The sad fact I learned is that there is NO checks and balances, the CO's can and do run rampant in HCMC. The only thing that did come from my inquiry is that the CO was repremanded and for 6 months he was not allowed to do any interviews, but he is now doing interviews again. After what i did will he try it again? Who knows, do I have any court case? Maybe if I really pushed it I might be able to do a civil suit with the CO, but how do you go about having a civil suit filed for a person in a foreign country at an embassy? Do you think the government would allow such a suit since they would have to be short handed while he was in the US defending himself? What I did was spend $2500 on a lawyer that put HCMC on notice and it reaffirmed to all the CO's that there is nothing we can really do, but that if they do step too far out of line that they might get repremanded, but even with blaintant proof of his misconduct they did not even fire him. We did come away feeling better because we proved to the US and ourselves that he was a liar, but NOTHING else came from it	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-27 02:52:00
Vietnam	have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien	Place = where the first visa was filed (Vietnam conslate HCMC) Date = how long ago the petition was filed Result = did the visa get approved	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-14 22:20:00
Vietnam	have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien	Hi, all VJers, This question "have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien" came from my brother. 6 years ago, he sponsored his ex-wife through K1 and marriage lasted for 3 years. Now he plans sponsoring his new spouse through CR1 process and stuck with this question "have you ever before filed a petition for this or any other alien". How should he answer this: YES or No. " If YES, give name, place and date of filing, and result">>>>>>>beside the name of his ex-spouse, what to write about "place" "date" and "result"? All input are appreciated. Hieumin You have to answer YES, no way around it, and fill in the form, was this woman also from Vietnam? If so then he will more than likely have to explain what happened, or at least his new wife will have to explain for him since he will not be at the interview. He will need to prove that it was not immigration fraud, and if it was within 2 years he will have to file a waiver of the IMBRA filing act, if it was past 2 years no waiver is needed, just strong proof that the first and the current one is not fraudulent. The biggest hurddle is if they were both from Vietnam, and if the old marriage just ended, it might look like he is doing this for money. Just make sure his case is strong, and make sure he is prepared for the worst and long delays. Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-14 22:16:00
Vietnam	Marc Ellis needs help?	...... hey jeromebinh , he may send hit man to get ya. after all you live in saigon and i think he live in saigon too I am shaking in my boots!!!! Oh NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You tell a persons fiancee that her loved one is too big for her, and then you look at him and his now wife???? #######???? He is lucky I wasnt there when he said it or he wouldnt have needed viagra because he would still be on Life support! But seriously, he treated us very unprofessionally and I would never help him out point blank	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-30 08:00:00
Vietnam	Marc Ellis needs help?	100% scam, and even if it wasnt, do you think he would send us any money to help us out? I am sorry, but I would not help him out even if it was real, he was not professional to me or my wife when we sought his services so as far as I am concerned he can deal with his own problems.	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-29 23:35:00
Vietnam	Why does HCMC not accept timelines at time of interview?	AGREED.. It does not have to be word for word, but others have provided contradictory info in a timeline and had issues as a result... example.. timeline said met on june 3 2007... interview question resulted in june 5 ... anything that can be done to avoid confusion or miscommunication is a plus... Your SO must know and understand everything provided and be able to discuss it at the interview. IMO item 18 is the best place to frontload relationship data... and address any potential red flags.... It does need to match word for word for the most part. If it was submitted then something else is submitted later throws a huge red flag. Lets say if you put on the first submission Feb 14 2010: We went to the HCMC zoo and the war museum then we went and ate at the golden dragon. Then you wrote Feb 14 2010: Went to the HCMC zoo, war museum and ate at the golden dragon. This would be acceptable for the most part, but the following way might lead to further investigation Feb 14 2010: Went to HCMC zoo then we ate at the golden dragon. This could confuse or cause further questions, possibly make them think your first or second or even both were fabricated to show a sham relationship, also if your fiancee/wife cannot remember the dates or gets them mixed up it can also cause problems. Regardless though of what you submit it is truly up to the CO and how your fiancee/wife acts during the interview, if she is confident and the CO wants, then you can get a pink or a blue, it just depends on the moment, and most cases, but not all are decided prior to the interview and as long as the interview goes smoothly (saying you were preapproved) you will still get the pink Good luck Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-02 21:41:00
Vietnam	so this government shutdown thing...	Yes, this means the consulate will shut down until there is a budget. So any interviews will be pushed back, they will reschedule those that fall on the days they were supposed to happen, those that have interview dates after they budget is signed will NOT be bumped back, but those that were unlucky and had the dates while the government is shut down will be pushed back up to a month or even longer. Not good news, but it is what it is, all because they are getting ready for an election and no one wants to budge. Good luck to al those that are forced to wait. Jerome and Binh	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-07 08:43:00
Vietnam	Driver's License	Unless she has the car indorsement on her Vietnamese DL it is useless. Some states will use foreign or other state's DL's but they always have to do a vision test at least. Most Vietnamese DL are only for motorbike under 175cc, which translates to a US motorcycle equivelent as most states require a DL for anything over 50cc. I would have the DL translated and make sure it is a certified translation, then go to your local DMV and ask them what else is needed, but if you are wanting her to drive a car, expect her to have to take a test since more than likely her DL is for a motorcycle only Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-12 01:05:00
Vietnam	K-1, K-3, or IR1/CR1	Hello everyone, I just got engaged to my fiance in Vietnam, and we have known each other for about 10 years since high school. She went to the US for a bachelor degree, but went back to VN after her student visa ended. So now she is in VN, and I am in the US. Before proceed with our weddings, we are wondering what are the advantages and disadvantages of each of the visa types. We are considering either K-1, K-3 or IR1/CR1 Visa, but we are not sure of the success rate and the comparative risk of all procedures. My time window is also very small, I can only go back to VN for visit 2 months at a time at most (twice a year max). Right now, we want to get married, then apply for IR1/CR1, but I heard that it can be faster to obtain K1, or K3. I also heard that K1 and K3 get denied very easily these days. We want to see each other as soon as possible, but also want to make sure that everything goes smoothly. Can anyone tell us the general success rate of each procedures? Thank you very much!! The fiancee visa is supposed to be faster but through HCMC everything slows down and takes about as long. The K1 visa is much more expensive and has requirements that must be met once she enters into the United States, the IR1/CR1 is cheaper with less headache once she arrives in the US and going through HCMC it will take as long as the K1. If you can come back for 2 months at a time then I would do this and get married on your next trip, then file for the CR1 this is simply my opinion as with any visa there are issues, you could file for the K1 right now if you have seen her within the last two years and can prove it, so it really depends on how you want to proceed, obvisouly if you file tomorrow it would be with the K1 and if you wanted to do a CR1 then it would take time as you would need to go back to Vietnam before you could ever start the process. Good luck on your decision and upcoming petition. Jerome and Binh	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-12 01:13:00
Vietnam	Money	Still able to a teacher just did it this afternoon because she needed to send money back to the philippines. The government has been trying to stop the black market for years, it wants to control everything and get their take. The black market will usually give more for dollars than banks will, however when going from VND to USD it is slightly lower than the banks, but you dont have to explain why you need it exchanged like you do at the banks	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-13 10:36:00
Vietnam	Money	as many have said use the gold stores, they offer the best exchange rates around ,and they are everywhere in HCMC	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-13 03:24:00
Vietnam	March 15 interview result	Hi friends A little background about me and my fiancee. I have been divorced twice ( one of my ex wives were sponsored by k-1 vietnam ) I had big engagement party with current fiancee 7 months before my divorce finalized My sister in the US attended the engagement party with me I filed the i-129 within a week of getting the divorce finalized I have 2 children from the prior marriages. I have the same last name as my fiancee. My fiancee have never been married I made 2 trips to VN before filing the petition and 1 more trip before her interview but i went home right before her interview. My fiancee and me are close in age My fiancee was interviewed for 15 minutes...she was asked about 20 questions. She can't remember all the questions. She remembers being ask what I do for a living. She stumbled on 2 questions. She didn't know my kids' names and that one of my exs live in the same state as me. The co didn't ask why my fiancee had engagement party before divorce finalized. The co took all the photos she brought with her. Anyway, she was given a blue requesting relationship timeline, my and her 10 yr residency, my exs address & phone # and how they came to the US and evidence of their addresses, my parents' birth cert and my fiance's parents' birth cert. She said out of the about 12 interviewees only 2 got the pink. I can't say i didn't expect this since my fiancee didn't want to know too much about my exs and she really didn't want me to talk about it. She had very nice caucasian co in her 30s. We are to turn this all in by April 7. I am not trying to worry you but the red is a very serious mistake on her part. Any fiancee needs to know the names of her step children, and if you have made two trips this means you have been in a relationship for at LEAST 1 year. The green is also a serious problem, but not nearly as serious as the red. Get all the information they need, and hope for the best, it is in the hands of the CO, but do not be suprised if her not knowing your childs name comes up later on. We are crossing our fingers for you and wishing you the best of luck Jerome and binh	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-03-26 10:00:00
Vietnam	Help I've fallen & i can't get up	Nothing you can do accept wait and see if you can do a rebuttal, if not then you are free to file again. The problem with filing again is you will have to either confront the previous reasons for denial or just totally prove that your relationship is real. Ralph and Hanh were denied a K1 visa, he moved here lived here for about a year then filed a CR1, others have came back and got married then did the CR1 without ever living here, many were approved, but some were still denied. Preparation is the key to anything you decide to do. Get ready to do a rebuttal, if you are given the chance you need to take it or as Scott said you might get a P6 marker suggesting you are a fraud which would eliminate your options to every file for a visa for your fiancée. Most denials are allowed to expire, and some have refilled and been approved doing a K1 again, but the second time around the fiancée was far better prepared, so if this is what you do then make sure she remembers the information this time. Good luck on whatever you decide to do Jerome and Binh	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-17 01:01:00
Vietnam	Bringing laptops to Vietnam	I'd like to bring a laptop to Vietnam as a gift. The one she has is really old and I'd like to give her a better model. However the problem is I need to take a laptop with me for remotely connecting to work. Which means I would be bringing in two laptops. I know Vietnamese customs will let one in, but as a tourist I'm wondering if they would flag me with two laptops and make me pay a duty on the second laptop. I brought 2 laptops two seperate times and had them both in the same laptop bag that was carry on with NO problems. Dont sweat it, you will be fine. Jerome	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-07 08:45:00
Vietnam	Will I pay taxes on my personal items if I move to Vietnam?	At this point breaking it down is what I am leaning towards. The only issue is that with an RAID array, I have six drives, plus the two in my server that is coming with me. Customs might not like that I have so many drives and wonder what i am doing (selling). My wife's cousin works at the airport and may be able to help me. I have not even been blinked at by customs my first two trips to Saigon. Maybe my third will be the same. But I can't take a risk. I have to really plan this out. Then pay the tax if there is any, I suggest bringing $100 in $10 bills and maybe another $100 in 5's, if you show big money from the start they want big money, only show the smaller bills if you have to pay tax and hand them one at a time, have them divided up in different places so that it looks like you dont have much and you are scrounging for what you show. if you want to pack it, put it in a bigger box and pack clothes around it, it might help from bumps and dings, nothing you can really do as far as insurance that I am aware of. Good luck on what you decide to do, but dont sweat the tax that much, the main thing is if they look used they will probably overlook them, if not, as I said start counting off bills, I paid $100 when i came but that was my fault, i only had like $23 bucks the rest were hundreds, so naturally they took one of the big ones, but if I had had 10's or 20's i bet i could have paid $50 to %75 instead	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-25 05:52:00
Vietnam	Will I pay taxes on my personal items if I move to Vietnam?	desktop computer are made up of parts, what you can do is disassemble your computer into parts, like motherboard , ram sticks , graphic card and hard drives,power supply, throw the case away since it a very heavy peace of equipment, then when you get to vietnam just have your wife bring it to a computer repair shop and buy a new case . last time that i went home to see my wife i actually bring along some computer parts and them "b....tards" at the airport did not give me much trowble at all,if anyones say anything about your bunch of computer part tell em that it 4 personal use, which is not again the law; just dont bring any cd in or out of the country at all , they will look at cd and try to stop people from bring bootleg movies and software programs in or out of vietnam , unless you can somehow show them that your cd & dvds are original stuff. burn bootleg dvd and other illigal stuff like porn into iso images on your hard drive , or store it online. personally spearking i will bring high end tools like "snap on" and dewalt drills , instead of worry much about electronics, you just can not buy hi-end hand tools in vietnam. and bring along some heavyduty leather jacket for riding motorcycle, you will need that if you gona live in vietnam. Not true, I brought over 300 copied DVD's and they never once said a word, or even looked at them for that matter, I also brought two laptops the thing that caught me when I moved here was my dang Iphones, i had 4 of them, and i had to pay $100 but I had tons of things, even some food items like cheese cakes, drink mixes. As others have said, take your computer apart if it is that important to you, and buy a new case, they have very nice cases here, and as for the DVD player, you can buy multi region here that will play both their DVD'S and yours you bring with you for about $50, the key is to make sure none of your bags are over 50 pounds unless the limit has changed, and for dang sure make sure none are over 70 pounds, you are also allowed only 2 carry on bags and 2 checked bags per person, so shipping an entire computer would about fill one of them up. Just check with your airline, because extra bag fees are around $100 per bag, $70 per bag over 50 pounds and then $150 per bag over 70 pounds, at least that is delta rates, and from what I hear they are much cheaper than others. Good luck Jerome and Binh	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-19 08:13:00
Vietnam	Approved	Well, its about damned time! Congrats!!!! To bad it took so long, but your relationship is stronger for the wait, enjoy your life together!!	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-27 08:41:00
Vietnam	Stunned...	Congrats!! Just now wait for the test and you are home free!!	jeromebinh	Male	Vietnam	2011-04-28 09:18:00