Aussies would love to say hello to everyone!

Hello Nhungmaria,

Welcome on board !

Thank you for taking the time to introduce yourself to members, it is very appreciated and I am sure it will get you some positive responses.

I would suggest that you go though the Living in Vietnam Guide to gather as much information as possible.

You may also open an identical thread on the Thailand forum so that members living there can share their experience with you. That way, you will be able to compare.

All the best

Bhavna

So we are lucky to have the chances to experience many different places in Australia.  But we never going anywhere out of Australia!

We always dream of travel around the world. Two years ago, our boys have finished their university and have the good jobs since then. Plus, we feel that we are working hard and long enough (over 40 years). Now, we feel like we have to make our dreams come true, before it is too late or something might happen, like our parents. When they had just finished their working life, then they had health problems and died soon afterwards. So they didn't have a chance to enjoy their lives or achieve their dreams.

At the moment, my husband more interested in living in Thailand than Vietnam.  I have heard a lot of good things about Thailand. I don't mind to visit there now and then.  But for the advantage of language, I feel more comfortable and confident to live in Vietnam. However, I  am open minded. I just go with the flow.

    -@nhungmaria

Hello Mrs.Nhungmaria

I love your introduction. I feel like I found myself in your words, I'm 35 and single though.

I wish your dreams would come true soon, you and your husband could find out a country, a place where both of you feel happy and peaceful.

Have a nice weekend

Welcome to the Việt Nam forum, Nhung!

At the moment, my husband more interested in living in Thailand than Vietnam.  I have heard a lot of good things about Thailand. I don't mind to visit there now and then.  But for the advantage of language, I feel more comfortable and confident to live in Vietnam. However, I  am open minded. I just go with the flow.  -@nhungmaria

If your Vietnamese citizenship is still officially recognized (with valid passport) you will have a HUGE advantage for both you and your husband in Việt Nam; advantages that Thailand cannot begin to match.

If YOU (Vietnamese citizen) are able to verify a permanent residence here (previously called the "family book" address) then you should be able to obtain the new government ID card (now the required document for all Vietnamese permanent residents) and live here without any visa restrictions whatsoever.

If that is (or becomes) the situation for you, you will qualify to be a sponsor for your husband to have a 3-year Temporary Resident Card that is essentially a 3 year visa exemption (category TT).

IF your passport isn't current, you should still be able to qualify for the 5-year VEC (Visa Exemption Certificate) which will allow you to remain in the country (with the same essential status as a tourist) for 6 months at a time.

As the spouse of a Vietnamese citizen, your husband would also qualify for his own 5-year VEC.

A SERIOUS MESSAGE FOR YOUR HUSBAND:

Your attraction to Thailand is understandable, but you have a MUCH better experience available to you if you choose to live with her in Việt Nam.

If you choose Thailand, you will BOTH be foreigners, and your wife will not be afforded anywhere near the level of respect that she (and through her, you) would receive in Việt Nam.

I'm repeatedly saddened when observing a couple of foreigners attempting to live together in Việt Nam when neither person is Việt Kiều or at least fluent in Tiếng Việt.

My life here in Vietnam is incredibly easy and fulfilling, almost totally because of my marriage to my wonderful and amazing wife.

Because of her, we are treated with more respect than I ever experienced as a single man here.

You probably can't fully imagine all of the ways that your wife will be able to help you with virtually everything, from navigating the local fresh market to online searches in Tiếng Việt and (most importantly) your myriad dealings with government agencies & local party officials.

If you live here using a 5-year Visa Exemption Certificate, you'll find it incredibly easy to travel out of the country and return to your home base in Việt Nam.

If you and I were good buddies, I'd be even more assertive in sharing my opinions with you, because I'd really want to see you make the best decision for an easy life in Southeast Asia.

As a side note, you should both know there are significant communities of Aussies in cities such as Hội An, Vũng Tàu and others.

We no  longer see a lot of participation by Aussie expats in this forum, but that doesn't mean they aren't lurking and checking out relevant threads (Hey Peter!)

I encourage you to create short, focused questions in new threads to ask questions about the Aussie expat experience here.

I truly wish you both a wonderful Southeast Asia expat experience, whatever you choose to do.

Cheers!

O.B.

Đà Nẵng

@Bhavna

Hi Bhavna,  thanks for your welcome message and your idea i very helpful. We will get in to it.

Thanks again.

Cheers

@nhi0768125

Hi Nhi, thank you for your wish. 🙏

We wish you will find what you looking for too.

Also it will be nice surprise if we cross paths you and someone in Expat community, somewhere in Vietnam  or Thailand! 🤨😉🤔🙋🏻‍♀️

@OceanBeach92107

Hi Ocean Beach, first of all, thank you for your warm welcome. 🙏

If we come to Vietnam, we would love to catch up , have a cup of coffee with you, your wife and your children, if you wish too?

💁🏻‍♀️

Secondly, Wow, amazing how much you know about Vietnamese visa and other legal residency!

😳😉🤨🤔😁

We have researched a lot about this topic. But what you know is way beyond what we know. And thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. 🙏

About permanent residence (family book), which we did not know existed until now.

I still have my birth certificate with legal translation document. My mum and all my siblings are in Australia and they all have their birth certificate and my father dead certificate too. But I don't know that means I can qualify as permanent residence in Vietnam or not?

Also does permanent residence mean I become Vietnamese citizen again? And also means if I have incomes then I have to pay taxes in both Vietnam and Australia, as dual citizens?

If you know, please share with us, we are very appreciated! 🙏

About 5 years visa, we were very confusing before. We thought the 5 years visa was including me, and we also thought why it called 5 years visa but we all allowed to stay in Vietnam for only 6 months of a year. However, thanks for your explanation, we now understand that if I am qualified for permanent residency,  then I should be able to obtain the new government ID card and I can live in Vietnam without any visa restrictions whatsoever, which is very cool!👍

And leaving Vietnam in six months is a 5 years visa for my husband and  my children, is it right? 🤔

Your “SERIOUS MESSAGE FOR MY HUSBAND”, for him, it's really seriously scary, 😝, but for me it's very funny. Moreover, it is so truly, profoundly, thoughtfully and worthy in your way of explanation.

I  couldn't explain it good as you do.

Thanks for your wish OB.

We wish you all the best too,  and say hello to your lovely and wonderful wife for us please?

We hope to see you two soon!

Cheers

🙋🏻‍♀️👍

Nhung and David

Hi Nhung,

Sometimes husbands need to be seriously frightened a bit in order to convince them to do the right thing for their wives 😉😉

Yes, of course, once you make serious plans to visit Đà Nẵng, my family will be happy to meet you and your husband for coffee (when you have specific dates in mind, let me know).

The bottom line is Yes, in order for YOU to reestablish permanent residency in Việt Nam you must be a citizen with a valid passport.

Since you have your birth certificate, it shouldn't be too difficult to reestablish your citizenship by applying through the embassy or a consulate of Việt Nam in Australia.

Hopefully one of our Aussie members will see this and recommend the best website for you.

Having your passport should allow you to remain in Việt Nam without a visa 

HOWEVER, establishing yourself as a permanent resident may take longer.

Until you have established permanent residency, you won't be able to get the national ID card, and your husband/children will only be able to use 5 Year Visa EXEMPTION Certificates (NOT Visas) and remain in country for 6 months at a time.

Please double check my advice with the embassy or a consulate in Australia to be certain I'm not misleading you.

Also does permanent residence mean I become Vietnamese citizen again?

It's the other way around.

Regaining your citizenship will then allow you to begin the process of establishing permanent residency.

You could live here without permanent residency but you'd only be able to sponsor relatives for a VEC, not a Temporary Resident Card.

And also means if I have incomes then I have to pay taxes in both Vietnam and Australia, as dual citizens?
If you know, please share with us, we are very appreciated! 🙏

I believe that question has been discussed before in this forum.

Hopefully Aidan (Vietnam Expert) will see this and share good links with you.

About 5 years visa, we were very confusing before. We thought the 5 years visa was including me...
And leaving Vietnam in six months is a 5 years visa for my husband and  my children, is it right? 🤔

Until you regain citizenship, ALL of you will have your own individual VEC.

So all of you will be limited to 6 month stays.

The only difference is that you'll be listed as the VEC sponsor.

You can immediately re-enter the country after exiting and SOMETIMES immigration will approve a 3-month extension (paid) to allow you to stay for 9 months.

You have to apply at immigration to get that approved.

It's a lot to consider and I can see how there would be pros and cons for both of you.

Good luck arriving at the best solution for you and your family.

Cheers!

O.B.

@OceanBeach92107

Hi OB

“Sometimes husbands need to be seriously frightened a bit in order to convince them to do the right thing for their wives 😉😉”

That is a gentlemen charming thought.

🙋🏼

I like you before. Now I like you more!

😄

Tell your wife (sorry I didn't catch her name?), that is just an Aussie joke, don't think serious of it please

💁🏻‍♀️

“Yes, of course, once you make serious plans to visit Đà Nẵng, my family will be happy to meet you and your husband for coffee (when you have specific dates in mind, let me know).”

Thanks for your offer. If I can persuade my husband to live in Vietnam, particularly in Da Nang, where my dream place to live, we will definitely catch up with you guys.

👍

Vice versa,  when we stay somewhere long for a few months,  say Thailand,  Malaysia, or other cities in Vietnam, or if you and your wife back to Australia while we are still around Australia,  then we can catch up too? 💁🏻‍♀️

“Also does permanent residence mean I become Vietnamese citizen again?

It's the other way around.”

Thank you for correct my mistake though.

Point taken! 👍

We also will check out the regain citizenship and permanent residency later.

For now, we might just stay for a short time here and there and everywhere around the world.

Thank you for your wishes and we wish you and your family have a wonderful life too!

🙏❤️🙋🏻‍♀️🙋🏼

Cheers

David and Nhung

    @OceanBeach92107... amazing how much you know about Vietnamese visa and other legal residency! 😳😉🤨🤔😁We have researched a lot about this topic. But what you know is way beyond what we know. And thank you for sharing your knowledge and experience with us. 🙏

Member OceanBeach92107 has shed light on this subject for a great many people. Always accurate info.

About permanent residence (family book), which we did not know existed until now.I still have my birth certificate with legal translation document. My mum and all my siblings are in Australia and they all have their birth certificate and my father dead certificate too. But I don't know that means I can qualify as permanent residence in Vietnam or not?

Yes, it does mean that you qualify for permanent residency upon successful application for the new digital identification card. That new i.d. card would contain your permanent VN residence address, and would enable you, should you wish, to apply for a VN passport.

Also does permanent residence mean I become Vietnamese citizen again?

In the eyes of the VN gov't, you are still a VN citizen. Renunciation of VN citizenship requires an application to, and approval from, VN gov't ministries (immigration, MOFA, etc).

And also means if I have incomes then I have to pay taxes in both Vietnam and Australia...

This is a question to which I cannot give you a definitive answer. As you are (as seen by the VN gov't) a citizen of VN you may be liable for, upon becoming a permanent resident, a 10% (I do believe) flat tax on revenue earned abroad. I urge you to seek the opinion of a tax consultant for further guidance on this.

With regard to your husband, the consensus is that as a foreigner he will not be subject to any VN tax on income earned abroad.

... as dual citizens?

VN does not recognize dual citizenship. Your husband acquiring VN citizenship would require him to renounce his Australian citizenship. Definitely not recommended.

With regard to yourself, you already hold dual-citizenship in the eyes of the Australian gov't and many (all?) of the Western nations. Your dual-citizenship was possible due to Australia not insisting on your renouncing your already pre-existing VN citizenship.

This is complex issue that you must carefully consider. My recommendation is that you avail yourself of the generous allowances made to people of VN lineage/ancestry and seek the 5 year VEC. You can read a post made to another long-time member of expat.com, here. I'm unsure as to how this (i.e. not seeking permanent residency) would affect the possible residency status of your husband. With regard to your children, by virtue of their being your children they would also qualify for the 5 year VEC, being as they are descendants of VN.

Nhung and David        -@nhungmaria

I want to stress, Nhung, that the information I provide here is based solely on what I have learned through feedback from fellow expat.com members, and through hours of research (research conducted solely out of a sense of curiosity), and not through personal experience in/with these matters.

If I have made errors in my post, I would be very happy to be corrected.

Hi Nhung,

Regarding Aussie communities, OceanBeach92107 already pointed out that Hoi An and Vung Tau have quite significant numbers of Aussies.

To that I'd like to add a few things regarding Vung Tau and Saigon, as I'm more familiar with these places.

Both VT & SGN have a lot of permanent or semi permanent retirees. Some hold TRC's but many spend most of the time in VN, doing the visa run thing. In VT the majority of Aussies, I'd say, fall into that category. Then there's also quite a few who simply spend several month (during winter period) every year here and somehow belong to the communities or have their network of friends and places to hang out.

In Vung Tau, one of the rather popular Aussie venues is Belly's watering hole, then there's Matildas, or Bayview, to name a few. You'll find it easy to get a foothold and start networking from places like that

In Saigon, while there's a lot of retirees here too, there are lot's of Aussie expat long timers who work and reside here. Quite a few are business owners but most work in all kinds of sectors.

Lot's of Aussies, as well as countless (thousands) other Westerners, are living in what is called Thao Dien, (District 2 or newly called Thu Duc city, which is part of HCMC), a predominantly expat community but with a decent mix of Vietnamese as well as other Asians. In Thao Dien, you'll find Aussie international school, restaurants, bars, one after another.

One thing that makes Aussie venues in Vietnam special, is the time difference between Aus and VN, resulting in most of those places on weekends, into high "Aussie" traffic locations from 9.00am to 7.00pm.

The reason is simply because most Aussie venues are live streaming all AFL, NRL and Union games on multiple screens. Therefore, during the seasons, it's literally one game after another, with AFL starting on Thursday, Friday and then all day long on Sat & Sun. The same is the case on other days like Australia Day or when state of origin is on. There's even a Saigon or Vietnam AFL team "the Swans".

If you enjoy any of that, you'll have it easy and a great time.

In Saigon center, District 1, Phatty's Sports Bar & Grill is clearly the number 1 destination for those types of events.

In Thao Dien, another 2 Aussie sports bar are called DTWO and High Tide.   

Besides, all those venues also have darts, pool and other teams which play weekly tournaments. So there;s lot's of option how to establish a foothold and find a way to integrate with the existing communities, if that's what you're looking for.

***

'Link under review..' just pick any city and put 4k after it for all city walks/drives

    Welcome to the Việt Nam forum, Nhung!
At the moment, my husband more interested in living in Thailand than Vietnam.  I have heard a lot of good things about Thailand. I don't mind to visit there now and then.  But for the advantage of language, I feel more comfortable and confident to live in Vietnam. However, I  am open minded. I just go with the flow.  -@nhungmaria

If your Vietnamese citizenship is still officially recognized (with valid passport) you will have a HUGE advantage for both you and your husband in Việt Nam; advantages that Thailand cannot begin to match.

If YOU (Vietnamese citizen) are able to verify a permanent residence here (previously called the "family book" address) then you should be able to obtain the new government ID card (now the required document for all Vietnamese permanent residents) and live here without any visa restrictions whatsoever.

If that is (or becomes) the situation for you, you will qualify to be a sponsor for your husband to have a 3-year Temporary Resident Card that is essentially a 3 year visa exemption (category TT).

IF your passport isn't current, you should still be able to qualify for the 5-year VEC (Visa Exemption Certificate) which will allow you to remain in the country (with the same essential status as a tourist) for 6 months at a time.

As the spouse of a Vietnamese citizen, your husband would also qualify for his own 5-year VEC.

A SERIOUS MESSAGE FOR YOUR HUSBAND:

Your attraction to Thailand is understandable, but you have a MUCH better experience available to you if you choose to live with her in Việt Nam.

If you choose Thailand, you will BOTH be foreigners, and your wife will not be afforded anywhere near the level of respect that she (and through her, you) would receive in Việt Nam.

I'm repeatedly saddened when observing a couple of foreigners attempting to live together in Việt Nam when neither person is Việt Kiều or at least fluent in Tiếng Việt.

My life here in Vietnam is incredibly easy and fulfilling, almost totally because of my marriage to my wonderful and amazing wife.

Because of her, we are treated with more respect than I ever experienced as a single man here.

You probably can't fully imagine all of the ways that your wife will be able to help you with virtually everything, from navigating the local fresh market to online searches in Tiếng Việt and (most importantly) your myriad dealings with government agencies & local party officials.

If you live here using a 5-year Visa Exemption Certificate, you'll find it incredibly easy to travel out of the country and return to your home base in Việt Nam.

If you and I were good buddies, I'd be even more assertive in sharing my opinions with you, because I'd really want to see you make the best decision for an easy life in Southeast Asia.

As a side note, you should both know there are significant communities of Aussies in cities such as Hội An, Vũng Tàu and others.

We no  longer see a lot of participation by Aussie expats in this forum, but that doesn't mean they aren't lurking and checking out relevant threads (Hey Peter!)

I encourage you to create short, focused questions in new threads to ask questions about the Aussie expat experience here.

I truly wish you both a wonderful Southeast Asia expat experience, whatever you choose to do.

Cheers!

O.B.
Đà Nẵng
   

    -@OceanBeach92107

I'm one of the ones still ”lurking “ . will be back in October.

We no  longer see a lot of participation by Aussie expats in this forum, but that doesn't mean they aren't lurking and checking out relevant threads @OceanBeach92107

I'm one of the ones still ”lurking “ . will be back in October -@Wadey

Hey GW! Hope all is well with you and PW 🙏

Note for the OP: I know this Aussie husband & wife personally, having connected with them in Vũng Tàu before COVID.

Neither one of them is Việt Kiều, but they are still great contacts to have when looking for advice from Australian citizens.

@OceanBeach92107

All good here. will be back in October as Pam is having dental work done in HCMC and after that we will be head to Hoi An.

Wadey