Need help - Making a decision to live in Vietnam

Since you were born here do you have a copy of your Vietnamese birth certificate? That would definitely make things easier.  If you are close to retirement age I don't know how common birth certificates were back then.  It would make getting a national ID card, passport and citizenship much easier if you have it.

At the minimum you should get your VN passport which will allow you to stay for as long as you like without having to do border runs.  You can consult your local VN consulate office for the requirements needed.   And the process is usually 1.5 - 2 years from start to finish.

Apply for dual citizenship?

Hello Svho. Welcome to expat.com.

There was a recent discussion regarding "dual citizenship", here.

From that thread, we get this from the gov't of Canada's website;

"Dual citizenship

Dual citizenship is not legally recognized in Vietnam.

If local authorities (even?) consider you a citizen of Vietnam, they may refuse to grant you access to Canadian consular services. This will prevent us from providing you with those services."

source: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/vietnam (official gov't of Canada site)

But then, there's this.

I'm assuming you're Viet Kieu, so good info here if so.

i don't have any relatives living there and don't plan to work there. More of a retired lifestyle.
-@Svho

Vietnam does not have, nor has it ever had, a "retirement visa", so unless you qualify for an alternative to the tourist eVisa, you will be limited to 30 day stays necessitating a border run/reentry with a new 30 day eVisa.

A full list of VN visas can be found here.

When you have time please let us know how things worked out. We would certainly appreciate it, and your feedback/tips/observations will help others.

Good luck in your endeavour.

Thanks guys for your response.   Finding the birth certificate is impossible. 

SteinNebraska , are you in Vietnam now?  How long did you live in Vietnam?

Let me check the other posts to find more about the 6 months Visa.  I am in the U.S.  now.

svhno

Let me check the other posts to find more about the 6 months Visa. I am in the U.S. now. -@Svho

If you are planning to either apply for the 5-year Visa Exemption Certificate (VEC) allowing entry for 6 month periods at a time OR to get a Vietnamese passport, you are going to have to do that through the embassy or a consulate in America.

Feedback from many people suggests that the San Francisco consulate is the best place to contact for good customer service:

vietnamconsulate-sf.org/en/home/

Finding the birth certificate is impossible.
-@Svho

Svho, you mentioned you were born in VN. Are you Viet Kieu?

From the link I sent you, see...

"If having none of the above papers(in your case, a birth certificate), the applicant may submit one of the following which needs not to be certified or authenticated:

    A paper of guarantee issued by an overseas Vietnamese association based in the country where he/she resides;

    A written affirmation by a Vietnamese citizen."

Thanks guys for your response.  Finding the birth certificate is impossible.
SteinNebraska , are you in Vietnam now? How long did you live in Vietnam?
Let me check the other posts to find more about the 6 months Visa. I am in the U.S. now.

svhno
-@Svho

I'm back in the states. I was there for three years, got married and later returned to the US with my wife March 2021. I did just get back from a trip there last night. I still go every three months for busines.

There was a thread here in the last year or so about another Vietnamese that was born in Vietnam many years ago that also couldn't find a birth certificate.  The thread went through their process of tracking down proof of birth in their parents' family book to gain citizenship or at least nationalism.  There is a difference, although I don't know the technicalities.

Here is one thread.  https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=918873

If Ciambella said something was accurate you could take it to the bank.  She used to be an active poster here.

Here is another with even more linked threads inside.

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=927447

Basically you need to go to the actual place of your birth and dig there but you can get a birth certificate re-created.  Then you can get citizenship, buy land or a house and live visa free in Vietnam.

If your wife is Vietnamese you have the option of obtaining a permanent resident card. It takes a few years (5 I think) and it's not really permanent but it is good for 10 years (I think) and is much better than the two year temp. card.

Finding the birth certificate is impossible. -@SvhoSvho, you mentioned you were born in VN. Are you Viet Kieu?From the link I sent you, see..."If having none of the above papers(in your case, a birth certificate), the applicant may submit one of the following which needs not to be certified or authenticated:  A paper of guarantee issued by an overseas Vietnamese association based in the country where he/she resides;  A written affirmation by a Vietnamese citizen." -@Aidan in HCMCYes Viet Kieu.  Lived in Califorinia since 1980 (7 years old when first came to the US, born in Danang).svho

Finding the birth certificate is impossible.
-@Svho

Svho, you mentioned you were born in VN. Are you Viet Kieu?

[link under review], see...

"If having none of the above papers(in your case, a birth certificate), the applicant may submit one of the following which needs not to be certified or authenticated:
A paper of guarantee issued by an overseas Vietnamese association based in the country where he/she resides;
A written affirmation by a Vietnamese citizen."
-@Aidan in HCMC

Yes Viet Kieu. Lived in Califorinia since 1980 (7 years old when first came to the US, born in Danang).

svho
-@Svho

I think the more important question is, have you been naturalized as a US citizen or do you still have green card status?

And during your most recent visit to Vietnam, were you here on a tourist visa or did you somehow have a Visa exemption certificate (5 year VEC)?

I am a US citizen now. I recently visited Vietnam late December 2022 - January 2023. I was on a tourist visa.

I was in Danang where I went to a cemetery to visit my dad & brothers sites. The guy who manages that cemetery probably is a good candidate for such affirmation that I was born there. Maybe a long distance friend of my mom, if I can still locate her (Probably in her 70s).

Btw, I also visited in Hoi An too (didn't list on the original post). Beautiful place!  Basically I am reading the other posts regarding a US Passport has the country I was born in....

I finally looked at my passport/visa.  I have a VEC for 5 years with multiple entries. Each entry is good for 180 days.

I am good.  Thanks you guys. 

I finally looked at my passport/visa. I have a VEC for 5 years with multiple entries. Each entry is good for 180 days.
I am good. Thanks you guys.
-@Svho

It's possible that you could apply for and get a Temporary Resident Card (TRC), now that you have a VEC.

You must have previously communicated with the embassy or a consulate in the United States in order to get that...?

For whatever reason (probably your naturalization papers) the government of Vietnam is recognizing that you were born here, even though you can't produce a birth certificate.

Still, in your situation, I'm pretty sure a TRC would still require someone to be a family sponsor.

Our expert emeritus and Việt Kiều Ciambella was once offered the choice between a VEC or a TRC for herself and her Canadian born US citizen husband, but that was only possible because her nephew was acting as her sponsor here.

Without a family sponsor of some sort a TRC might not be possible, but if it is, it would allow you to live for two or three years without needing to leave the country, depending upon the province where you got it.

None of that would require you to apply for Vietnamese citizenship or Vietnam passport (your initial question).

???????????? how do you not know what type of visa you have as both E-Visa and a VEC need totally different applications to get and different paperwork and time to receive.

???????????? how do you not know what type of visa you have as both E-Visa and a VEC need totally different applications to get and different paperwork and time to receive.
-@cougarcar20

To be fair, he never said "eVisa"; he said "tourist visa".

If he's not all that familiar with the visa system here, it's understandable that he might call it by the wrong name.

@OceanBeach92107

yes, I understand what you mean but if he had all the paperwork to get a VEC he has all the documents needed to get a TRC or a VN passport. I just find it a little strange. plus, when he said he got the visa, E-Visa was all that was available.