English name for my Son with vietnamese mother

I went through the same song and dance. I do not live in HCM, and here they said the new law ( and could not provide the new law) would not allow a calling name other than Vietnamese. I was able to use my surname. Yet I contacted a lawyer in HCM that said they could get it done, with me using a Western name as the first name and a VNese name as the middle and my surname. But my wife would not allow it.
So I got rid of the wife, problem solved.

My friend has a son born in Saigon and he has a Western name as his first and last names.

Colin,
You have only ONE friend. My sympathy, dear sir.

One of my many Australian friends has son whose Vietnamese mother was not able to give him a Western name, due to not having a marriage certificate. However, the village clerk did say he would be able to change the name to a Western one on production of a marriage certificate. But that isn't going to happen.   Refer reply #2 last line.

My friend is not married and they still got it.As usual no consistency in the system here.

I am not married and my son was  born in HCMC. He rcvd an English and 2 VN first names together with my German family name without any problems  in Ben Tre  where my girl friend was registered.

I suspect if you offered the authorities a couple of Ben Franklin, they will approve a couple of English names pretty quickly ... Example, Ben Franklin Nguyen.

If anyone asks the child (later an adult) how he got the English names with a Vietnamese family name, it would serve as a great conversation starter and a reminder of bygone days ...