Verifying Identity in Vietnam for Banks, Government Portals?

How are we supposed to do to verify our identity with these US and government portals we need to use as expats? - @mtgmike

I've been here 8 years. Here's how I've done it:

1. Maintained a domicile address in the USA by paying a small "rental" fee to a needy friend in California. I've also maintained a PO BOX there which my friend checks regularly.

2. Maintained a T-Mobile phone number in the US.

3. Brought all of my important papers & identification cards (including Social Security card) with me in sealed ziplock bags AFTER scanning everything and saving the copies to a thumb drive AND Google Drive.

4. Maintained voter registration with my US address and phone number.

Although my driver's license expired, my passport and passport ID card fulfill the need for identification.

Just the way I've been doing it.

Thanks Ocean Beach.  Does your US T-Mobile work here in Vietnam?  They send codes direct to the phone for a lot of stuff now.  Today when I did my-ID to get into the IRS it wanted me to send photos of my documents and take a selfie direct from a smartphone, with only options for US based phones, not upload via my PC.

I've heard people mention something called Tello.  I figured the US carriers don't function here.  Google Voice denies me as being based in Vietnam.

@mtgmike

Hello Mike. Yup I’ve been here 10 years and never had a problem. Now all the sudden I haven’t been able to get into mysocialsecurity for the last two months. I can’t even manage to confirm who I am with idme. If you figure it out please let me know and I’ll do the same. Good luck!

Thanks Ocean Beach. Does your US T-Mobile work here in Vietnam? They send codes direct to the phone for a lot of stuff now. Today when I did my-ID to get into the IRS it wanted me to send photos of my documents and take a selfie direct from a smartphone, with only options for US based phones, not upload via my PC.I've heard people mention something called Tello. I figured the US carriers don't function here. Google Voice denies me as being based in Vietnam. - @mtgmike

Short answer: Yes my T-Mobile phone works here, with free texting and free limited data. Normal phone calls cost .20¢ a minute. However if I am using a VPN on my phone (I use NordVPN) redirecting my data through a USA ISP, I'm able to use the free Wi-Fi calling feature on my account.

Fortunately I opened my Google Voice account when I was in the United States. It's true that if I want to use it here I need to be doing it with a VPN service masking my location.

Anybody who's reading this and considering coming here to Vietnam should Do this if you want to be able to use Google voice:

Make sure that your USA phone number has been accepted by everyone, including banks and Social Security and the veterans administration, etc. That means having successfully set the number up that's on your smartphone as your alert phone and made sure that you could successfully get all of your alerts at that phone number.

Once you get your mobile phone set up that way on all of your accounts, then you can port the number over to Google voice while you are still in the United States, and that number will work for all of your accounts. In order to use it from Vietnam you'll just have to make sure that you are hooked up to a VPN ISP in the United States. Otherwise it will receive all of your alert codes, etc.

Unfortunately a lot of people attempt to make the change before their number has been established with all of those entities, So that when they port their number to Google voice and attempt to register the number with banks etc it will be rejected as being a VOIP (voice over internet protocol) number.

@mtgmike

Sorry to hear

Have you try the magicjack.com phone . It works on your phone by downloading the app from their website or Apple all store. You can make and receive call to /from the states. Subscribe and cost, i think around $49 yearly. Good luck

@mtgmike

I'm for Aus and I pay for a virtual Aus phone number.... the caller makes a call to my "AUS" number, and the call gets redirected, through the internet, to an app on my phone..... the caller has no idea that I answer the call in VN.... the Virtual phone numbers are avail for each country.... hope this helps

@PeterJJ

I am a  Aussie, I tried to get a virtual phone number but the companies I contacted required a registered business.

Who are you using?

@mtgmike

Apply for VNeID

go in person to Immigration Passport and Visa office in D1 take your passport and you can get application forms

@mtgmike
Apply for VNeID
go in person to Immigration Passport and Visa office in D1 take your passport and you can get application forms - @Phap tri

Respectfully intended, this is perhaps the most useless and clueless response you have provided to any subject in this forum.

My VNeID has been absolutely worthless since first being issued to me about 2 years ago.

I mean absolutely worthless.

My bank doesn't want to see it, The phone company doesn't want to see it, nobody at the local police station wants to see it.

I've only used it one time, together with my passport, when boarding a flight from Hanoi to Danang A couple of months ago, and that was only because I was having trouble pulling out my wallet that contained my TRC.

That's what they really wanted to see.

Until they fix the system or they start mandating the use of the VNeID, It's perhaps the most useless thing that the government has ever asked foreigners to apply for.

On top of that, Are you not aware that this thread is about accessing bank codes in the United States?

What in the world made you think that your suggestion would be helpful with that?