Any Updates on the newly passed 12 month tourist visa for US citizens

It was in relation to alternatives to the 1 year visa, maybe you didn't read Thigv's original post.

colinoscapee wrote:

It was in relation to alternatives to the 1 year visa, maybe you didn't read Thigv's original post.

colionscapee, yes I read it that's why I didn't mention his post #76. Look nobody died and put me in charge all I'm trying to do is keep the thread as clean as possible with only information concerning the subject. As I PM a few of you, not to let it turn into a 3 ring circus like what happened back in Dec 2014 and Jan Feb 2015 when the new VN visa laws came into effect. Remember the good old days back then old-timers:

There were at least 8 threads open at the same time with at least 10 to 80 posts on each one all talking about the same thing in various ways. Really, really hard to follow what was the truth and what was BS.     
                                                                                                                                                                                         Just tying to keep from that.

Rick

Well to be honest,does a conversation ever stay on topic? I thought it was relevant comparing the TRC and VEC to the new 1 year visa. We all drift off from the actual main subject at times, but I do feel his post was relevant.

Thorn Tree did the same thing years ago with posts not 100% aligned to the subject, Thorn Tree has now gone from being one of the busiest travel forums,to being a lame duck in its last throws of life. I even cancelled posting on there after 12 years of use.

Anyone know the estimated cost of the new 1 year visa yet?

Hans.b wrote:

Anyone know the estimated cost of the new 1 year visa yet?

I have two quotes of $450 and $460 PLUS the $125 stamping fee.

Unfortunately, visa agents are notorious for promising something and delivering less with no proportional (or any) refund. I don't think they're available, yet, but the promises certainly are.

-JohnD- wrote:

Hans.b wrote:

Anyone know the estimated cost of the new 1 year visa yet?

I have two quotes of $450 and $460 PLUS the $125 stamping fee.

Unfortunately, visa agents are notorious for promising something and delivering less with no proportional (or any) refund. I don't think they're available, yet, but the promises certainly are.

If I was a betting man I'd say the cost will be $150.00 total, and issued from the VN Embassy, Consulates and at the border entry  points to VN. Not through visa sellers at this point.

Rick

Budman1 wrote:

-JohnD- wrote:

Hans.b wrote:

Anyone know the estimated cost of the new 1 year visa yet?

I have two quotes of $450 and $460 PLUS the $125 stamping fee.

Unfortunately, visa agents are notorious for promising something and delivering less with no proportional (or any) refund. I don't think they're available, yet, but the promises certainly are.

If I was a betting man I'd say the cost will be $150.00 total, and issued from the VN Embassy, Consulates and at the border entry  points to VN. Not through visa sellers at this point.

Rick

My visa expires 01 June. Your reply is why I already have plans to go to Phnom Penh on 31 May. :-)

-JohnD- wrote:

Budman1 wrote:

-JohnD- wrote:

I have two quotes of $450 and $460 PLUS the $125 stamping fee.

Unfortunately, visa agents are notorious for promising something and delivering less with no proportional (or any) refund. I don't think they're available, yet, but the promises certainly are.

If I was a betting man I'd say the cost will be $150.00 total, and issued from the VN Embassy, Consulates and at the border entry  points to VN. Not through visa sellers at this point.

Rick

My visa expires 01 June. Your reply is why I already have plans to go to Phnom Penh on 31 May. :-)

A very wise decision JohnD. Ill go a bit farther out on the limb and say there won't be another special category for it and the paperwork required will be the same that you use now for an initial request for a 3 month tourist visa. No VOA crap that the visa sellers will try and make a zillion bucks off of. A year from now when extensions are needed and allowed, (if they are and I don't think so) the sharks might try and get their teeth into it then.

Rick

Budman1 wrote:

A year from now when extensions are needed and allowed, (if they are and I don't think so) the sharks might try and get their teeth into it then.

See my item 3) in post #76.  As in other countries, there is no rationale to extend a one year tourist visa for a true tourist, except perhaps a very short extension to clear up affairs.  As I said, it was conjecture on my part but I don't think there will be full year extensions.  Great minds think alike.   

THIGV wrote:

Budman1 wrote:

A year from now when extensions are needed and allowed, (if they are and I don't think so) the sharks might try and get their teeth into it then.

See my item 3) in post #76.  As in other countries, there is no rationale to extend a one year tourist visa for a true tourist, except perhaps a very short extension to clear up affairs.  As I said, it was conjecture on my part but I don't think there will be full year extensions.  Great minds think alike.   

I agree and I'm also hoping that it turns into a back door residency visa.

I'm regret to inform you that our government still hasn't made this visa policy available for tourist. The period is still only 3 months. I will make sure to update with you if this policy is passed

janenguyen1988 wrote:

I'm regret to inform you that our government still hasn't made this visa policy available for tourist. The period is still only 3 months. I will make sure to update with you if this policy is passed

Oh please do. With your obvious  extensive research on the subject and the apparent vast knowledge you have  I'm sure you well be a extremely valuable asset to this thread.

Rick

I surely will. Contact me if you have any legal question or simply need a personal assistant or interpreter. I am happy to help. ***

Chris:

I am also interested in this as I intend to marry and live in Vietnam the rest of my life. So this Visa will allow me more time to be a Father , and husband w/o stressing about applying every 3 months. If you marry a Vietnamese Citizen you can get another type of Visa too. As a Spouse there is a more permanent visa offered. I believe it is 5 years. Not certain.

Cheers: Chris .

Budman1 wrote:

janenguyen1988 wrote:

I'm regret to inform you that our government still hasn't made this visa policy available for tourist. The period is still only 3 months. I will make sure to update with you if this policy is passed

Oh please do. With your obvious  extensive research on the subject and the apparent vast knowledge you have  I'm sure you well be a extremely valuable asset to this thread.

Rick

No need to be so damn patronizing to her like that.

Budman1 wrote:

janenguyen1988 wrote:

I'm regret to inform you that our government still hasn't made this visa policy available for tourist. The period is still only 3 months. I will make sure to update with you if this policy is passed

Oh please do. With your obvious  extensive research on the subject and the apparent vast knowledge you have  I'm sure you well be a extremely valuable asset to this thread.

Rick

While I am usually in agreement with you, I agree with JenneSaiQuoi that you were a little harsh.  I agree that her recent post was not particularly helpful, but  janenguyen1988 has the kind of profile that indicates that she could be a really good contributor, particularly if she moves back to VN.

If we are going to be harsh with anyone it should be Half Centurian for not reading the other threads on VEC and TRC without work permit (assuming that he is serious about getting married as he states.)

Maybe I was a bit hard but her sole purpose of that posting was to lead up to a posting for a job, which she did twice yesterday on two different threads. A check of her IP will indicate she's back in VN also.

Rick

What's happening here is similar a situation where I'm sitting at an outside food stall and constantly being hassled to buy lottery tickets, a pack of gum, or whatever from little kids or old ladies. This forum is inundated by local Vietnamese agents trying to drum up their business. Anyways, I think there are too many threads about visa renewal. Is there a way to consolidate or close unnecessary threads like this one?

Budman1 wrote:

Maybe I was a bit hard but her sole purpose of that posting was to lead up to a posting for a job, which she did twice yesterday on two different threads. A check of her IP will indicate she's back in VN also.

Rick

Agree with Rick, the sole purpose was to advertise herself slyly. Her quote that the visa hasn't been passed was a joke, if that was posted by an expat people would be all over it like a cheap soup.

Would like to kick-start this thread again because my visa's up 01 June. Does anyone have any new information (since the last posts) on the one-year visa for US citizens?

Not speculation, but verified info...

Thanks,

John

I just did a visa run to Phnom Penh and the embassy there said it will be "a couple more months" before the one year tourist visa is available for US citizens.

My three month multiple-entry visa cost only $75 and for an extra $10, I got it in one hour instead of 1-2 days.

There are visa agents in VN who are saying they can get you the one year tourist visa now. They are lying. After you pay them US$400+ and wait a few days, they'll give you a three month visa and tell you there are no refunds. Don't fall for it.

janenguyen1988 wrote:

I'm regret to inform you that our government still hasn't made this visa policy available for tourist. The period is still only 3 months. I will make sure to update with you if this policy is passed

Budman1 wrote:

Oh please do. With your obvious  extensive research on the subject and the apparent vast knowledge you have  I'm sure you well be a extremely valuable asset to this thread.    Rick

JenneSaisQuoi wrote:

No need to be so damn patronizing to her like that.

THIGV wrote:

While I am usually in agreement with you, I agree with JenneSaiQuoi that you were a little harsh.  I agree that her recent post was not particularly helpful, but  janenguyen1988 has the kind of profile that indicates that she could be a really good contributor, particularly if she moves back to VN.

Budman1 wrote:

Maybe I was a bit hard but her sole purpose of that posting was to lead up to a posting for a job, which she did twice yesterday on two different threads. A check of her IP will indicate she's back in VN also.  Rick

colinoscapee wrote:

Agree with Rick, the sole purpose was to advertise herself slyly. Her quote that the visa hasn't been passed was a joke, if that was posted by an expat people would be all over it like a cheap soup.

-JohnD- wrote:

I just did a visa run to Phnom Penh and the embassy there said it will be "a couple more months" before the one year tourist visa is available for US citizens.

My three month multiple-entry visa cost only $75 and for an extra $10, I got it in one hour instead of 1-2 days.

There are visa agents in VN who are saying they can get you the one year tourist visa now. They are lying. After you pay them US$400+ and wait a few days, they'll give you a three month visa and tell you there are no refunds. Don't fall for it.

Whether she was fishing for work or not, based on JohnD-'s post it appears that Janenguyen1988 was correct and others were wrong.  If you read what she said carefully, she said it was not yet available.  She did not say that it was not yet passed.  It seems time has proven her right.  I doubt if she still reads this forum but feel free to apologize.

I might add that there are precious few Vietnamese citizens who post here without some kind of ulterior motive, whether it be free English lessons,  real estate commissions, visa business, or since we seem to have lost the related sticky thread, even dating.  Only a few have no discernible motive.  However, it is obvious that some are more informative than others.  I won't name them for fear of leaving one out, but I'm sure that everyone can think of a few that are very helpful.  In fact if I recall correctly, Janenguyen1988 was a US citizen.  Her bio is no longer available so I fear we have chased away a potentially positive contributor.

Well to be honest, it does get a bit tiresome when it happens over and over again. If your happy to say sorry that's  up to you, having dealt with Vietnamese far longer than you have I know when it's a case of subtle advertising. Facebook is exactly the same, people trying to flog their services or products.

colinoscapee wrote:

If your happy to say sorry that's  up to you, ...

I don't think I would be the one to apologize.  You were the one who called her out as factually incorrect even though it turns out that she was not wrong.

For an ex-teacher you don't read to well, I said" you can if you want", I didn't say you had to. Go read her post again, she said " it wasn't approved" that was what I was answering to. Tell me how long have you actually spent here in VN, as you seem to know very little about life here only quoting from news articles and websites.

colinoscapee wrote:

For an ex-teacher you don't read to well, I said" you can if you want", I didn't say you had to. Go read her post again, she said " it wasn't approved" that was what I was answering to. Tell me how long have you actually spent here in VN, as you seem to know very little about life here only quoting from news articles and websites.

You seem to have a strange way of altering words, even your own, and then putting them in quotation marks.  What she said is clearly printed above.  At no point in her post did she say "it wasn't approved"  She clearly said "our government still hasn't made this visa policy available for tourist."  [italics mine]  If you do not understand the difference between approved and available it is difficult to discuss this matter with you.  You are free to have your own opinion of Ms Janet but you certainly are not free to misquote her.

It is irrelevant to this discussion but I lived and taught in HCMC for three full years.  As you joined this forum in 2013, may I assume your time in Vietnam is similar.  I also believe that I fully acknowledged  in my prior post, the misuse of this forum for advertising that has you so upset.

THIVG he isn't misquoting her. Her original post said "approved" she still had a 60 min window open to edit it and changed it to "available" as soon as she read my post. It all happened in a matter of a few minutes. colinoscapee saw it as I did before it got changed. If it would have said "available" I wouldn't have posted what I did, that's not my style. However with that statement from her plus the other four posts on other threads trying to set the stage for something I posted it as I saw it. Agree she had a good profile if it all was true but I'd bet  a bunch of dong that if admin would check her IP it would be here in Vietnam, not the States. There is no need for any apologies.
Rick

Budman1 wrote:

THIVG he isn't misquoting her. Her original post said "approved" she still had a 60 min window open to edit it and changed it to "available" as soon as she read my post. It all happened in a matter of a few minutes. colinoscapee saw it as I did before it got changed. If it would have said "available" I wouldn't have posted what I did, that's not my style.

On my page her original post #91is time stamped 23 April 2016 08:31:11.  Your reply #92 to her is time stamped 22 April 2016 16:43:51.   The times you see may differ if the site adjusts for location but they will still be 8 hours apart.  She may have had second thoughts and edited her choice of words for the better, but it could not have been in response to your post.  Also take note of the fact that where you quoted her she used the word "available."  She did say "passed" at the end of her last sentence which I will acknowledge as a misstatement, but she was pretty clearly said "available" and not "approved" well before your post.

It still remains that the visa under discussion is not "available " at this time, unless you want to challenge -JohnD- and the Vietnamese Embassy in Phnom Penh on the facts.

What if we focused on the topic, "Any Updates on the newly passed 12 month tourist visa for US citizens"???

There is a LOT of opinion and commentary here, none of which is on-point and none of which adds anything positive to the conversation. In theory, we're all adults here and capable of deciding for ourselves what/who is a credible source of information. How 'bout if you let us do that?

No matter what anyone else says or claims, the embassy in Phnom Penh knows better than any of us. They say it will be a while yet before the one year tourist visa is available to US passport holders. End of discussion... for now.

As I posted on FB this morning, my three month multiple-entry visa cost only $75 and for an extra $10, I got it in one hour instead of 1-2 days.

There are visa agents in VN who are saying they can get you the one-year tourist visa now.

THEY ARE LYING! After you pay them US$400+ and wait a few days or a week, they'll give you a three month visa and tell you there are no refunds. Don't fall for it!

I have a multiple entry with 3 month stay; but when I returned from vacation to the USA last month, they stamped me with a six month stay. You may recall this was the new law which was passed but took time to implement before the one year stay. Hopefully in a few more months the new 12 month law will start to be implemented. I wonder why the police are still using paper and pen to keep track of registration in our area. That seems to me to be a clue as to the speed of implementing the laws. I hope our patience is rewarded with 12 months in the not to long future.

saigonbuddy wrote:

I have a multiple entry with 3 month stay; but when I returned from vacation to the USA last month, they stamped me with a six month stay...

You have a three-month visa and your stamp is for six months? I didn't know that was possible. I suggest checking with the local immigration office to be sure you don't end up with a big fine for overstaying your visa.

Yesterday I received an email alerting me to the June issue of the publication put out by the US Embassy in Hanoi.

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochi … e-2016.pdf

On page 3, it explains about the one-year tourist visa (no link to the TPP) and, in the last paragraph, strongly suggests that the visa should be available on 01 June 2016. Since that was the day I went to the Vietnamese embassy in Phnom Penh, I've written to tell them of my experience as noted in #101 above.

Will keep followers of this thread updated if/when I hear back from them.

Good point. When I went to the police station to register, they did not say anything. I will drop by Immigration this week and see what they say. Stay tuned for hopefully no drama or a lot of drama!

Following up on post #112, I just received a reply from the US Embassy in Hanoi,

"Thank you for your email.  Though we cannot intervene in the visa issue because it is not our jurisdiction,  we appreciate the information you provided.  We will raise this concern to Vietnamese Government."

I did not ask them to intervene because I know they cannot. I only provided the information that they requested in the hope that they can kick things free.

Now we know that the embassy is aware that the visas are NOT being issued as promised. Will continue to keep followers of this thread informed if/when I receive any further information.

Saigonbuddy, is your visa a VEC, visa exemption.

On behalf of Jane Nguyen I accept everyone's appologies. BTW, I received a newsletter from the American consulate saying that the 12 month tourist and business visa are in effect and it was Obama that pushed for the visa change when he came last month. As far as the local government goes that's another matter of its own. They often seem to be clueless and ignorant of their own laws most of the time.

Hypothalamus wrote:

On behalf of Jane Nguyen I accept everyone's appologies. BTW, I received a newsletter from the American consulate saying that the 12 month tourist and business visa are in effect and it was Obama that pushed for the visa change when he came last month. As far as the local government goes that's another matter of its own. They often seem to be clueless and ignorant of their own laws most of the time.

Don't hold your breath waiting for apologies from those whom you may think owe them.

Now go back and read the recent posts... specifically #112 and #114.

Your information is wrong. Obama did NOT push for the visa change during his visit, it was decided and signed much earlier.

Re the newsletter, it implied that the visas would be available 01 June; it did NOT say it outright.

As of 01 June, the one-year tourist visa for Americans was unobtainable.

Hypothalamus wrote:

On behalf of Jane Nguyen I accept everyone's appologies. BTW, I received a newsletter from the American consulate saying that the 12 month tourist and business visa are in effect and it was Obama that pushed for the visa change when he came last month. As far as the local government goes that's another matter of its own. They often seem to be clueless and ignorant of their own laws most of the time.

d

Whatever makes the most money for officials is usually the way the laws will be implemented.

The letter states 'the reciprocity came into force on May 29th' this is after Obama visit. One can assume that the discussion between Obama and vietnam's head honcho must have taken place when he was here. Any ways whether it was signed or ratified long ago doesn't really matter to me. I just hope that we all can get it soon. Mine is due for a renewal soon.