Process for Vietnamese to obtain passport

Its not difficult at all. My Vietnamese wife simply went to her Provincial Immigration Department. with her ID card, I think 4 or 6 passport photos and it cost around 60 USD took about 2 weeks...

Thanks.
I will be in HCMC next week, so it's nice to know the tange of expectations.

Getting a passport isn't difficult. I know someone who got one in about 7 days. However, getting even a tourist visa for certain countries...US, EU, UK and AUS can be very difficult for Vietnamese citizens.

Yes,  I've heard that.
Do you have any idea about visas for Mexico and Central America ?

Thanks

My wife didn't have any problems at all getting her visa to travel to Australia for a holiday.
She put in a couple of references showing that she owns her own business in Sai Gon, also in partnership with one of her sisters in her sisters family owned supermarket, part owner of her families plantation.
We are in the process of buying our own home in Sai Gon.
ALL her family live in Viet Nam, and we've traveled to nearby Asia countries many times over the past seven years.

Flip465 wrote:

My wife didn't have any problems at all getting her visa to travel to Australia for a holiday.
She put in a couple of references showing that she owns her own business in Sai Gon, also in partnership with one of her sisters in her sisters family owned supermarket, part owner of her families plantation.
We are in the process of buying our own home in Sai Gon.
ALL her family live in Viet Nam, and we've traveled to nearby Asia countries many times over the past seven years.

Owning all that makes a big difference. Getting a visa without any of that is much harder. My VN friend who has travelled to numerous Asian countries couldn't get into Korea, all this would have something to do with some Vietnamese running away upon reaching Korea.

colinoscapee wrote:

Flip465 wrote:

My wife didn't have any problems at all getting her visa to travel to Australia for a holiday.
She put in a couple of references showing that she owns her own business in Sai Gon, also in partnership with one of her sisters in her sisters family owned supermarket, part owner of her families plantation.
We are in the process of buying our own home in Sai Gon.
ALL her family live in Viet Nam, and we've traveled to nearby Asia countries many times over the past seven years.

Owning all that makes a big difference. Getting a visa without any of that is much harder. My VN friend who has travelled to numerous Asian countries couldn't get into Korea, all this would have something to do with some Vietnamese running away upon reaching Korea.

Proving they or a native sponsor has the funds is a requirement. Alas, if you don't have a job...the UK border agency will reject your application on bullshit grounds "on the balance of probability" you have no intention of leaving the country.

From my experience, they will basically reject you if you don't have a job to go back to even because of legitimate reasons...like say your a full time student. I find this absolutely silly and arbitrary.

A millionaire (in USD not VND  ), can afford not to have a job and may still want to travel. They'd be rejected based on my experience of how getting a UK visa works.

It comes down to what nationality you are, Vietnamese are not getting a very good reputation overseas, hence why governments scrutinize them. At the end of the day, it's a country's right to refuse whoever they deem to be a problem. Vietnam does the same thing with certain nationalities.

I'm an idealist and borders to me are just imaginary lines on maps. Alas, it's just not practical to live in a borderless world yet.

When an upstanding citizen of a country invites, financially sponsors someone's trip and proves they have the finances and assets to support them, then it should not be the authorities business to determine whether they are potential illegal migrants. if that person flees then they know where to look first, who to point the finger at... can retrieve any funds payable and also stop that citizen from sponsoring any other people into the country in future.

It's a double standard since many developed countries get visa free access into Vietnam and if anything, it's Vietnamese citizens that need to be able to travel more freely and see more of the world.

Your thoughts are interesting, I doubt many governments would agree with you. You do realise that Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand offer way more free visas than Vietnam. This would have something to do with their strong tourism industries.

I counted 12 developed countries who get a 15 day visa, not many at all.

colinoscapee wrote:

I counted 12 developed countries who get a 15 day visa, not many at all.

Getting a tourist visa as a Vietnamese citizen into these countries is incredibly difficult. Even if you satisfy all the stated requirements... It's down to the discretion of the person reviewing your case.

I've helped 4 people get visas, 3 had jobs to go back too. One was a student who satisfied all the criteria but was still rejected, she was guilty of being a potential illegal immigrant until she could prove otherwise...which is basically impossible unless she had a employer and a job/career back in Vietnam. These are standard tourist visas, not student ones. None of my guest have ever outstayed their welcome or visas and the UKBA should have my details on record. There is no appeal...or justice. Even if you met all the stated rules and submitted all the required supporting documents, it's down to a "balance of a probability".

You're talking about 15 day visa free... It was easy enough to get a visa just turn at a Vietnamese airport.
much much harder the other way around.

You have to think why do governments do this, it usually relates to previous problems. Governments dont just decide to pick out a country and make it difficult for their citizens to get entry.

phikachu wrote:

I'm an idealist and borders to me are just imaginary lines on maps. Alas, it's just not practical to live in a borderless world yet.

When an upstanding citizen of a country invites, financially sponsors someone's trip and proves they have the finances and assets to support them, then it should not be the authorities business to determine whether they are potential illegal migrants. if that person flees then they know where to look first, who to point the finger at... can retrieve any funds payable and also stop that citizen from sponsoring any other people into the country in future.

It's a double standard since many developed countries get visa free access into Vietnam and if anything, it's Vietnamese citizens that need to be able to travel more freely and see more of the world.

It is indeed very interesting thoughts! And thanks for supporting Vietnam.

For a British citizen, borders are only imaginary lines on maps. Try to give up your British citizenship and be a Vietnamese citizen and you will see the difference.

As a Vietnamese, I don't think it's double standard at all. It's actually government's responsibility to stop "potential threats", so to speak, from the nation and its people. What would you say if the sponsored person fled away harm other upstanding citizens? No matter what you do, the damage's already done. Better safe than sorry. If I knock on your door and ask to come inside your home and you refuse, do I have the rights to demand your explanation? Or call you double standard?

It is known that there were many Vnmese people came to developed countries and done wrong things which jeopardized the reputation of Vietnam. Everything has its roots. Prejudice is human's nature, more or less. Why also being Asians but Singaporean, Japanese, Malaysian can travel freely and Vietnamese cannot is the question we need to think about. What can be done later on for our future generations of Vietnam is to behave well abroad, work and work to improve Vietnam's economy as well as general image. I don't see why developed countries are at fault for being strict when letting Vietnamese people in while the fault actually lies within us Vietnamese.

I myself always behave when in another country. I respect the country I visit and I get respected in return. Never been denied visa for any country I want to visit and I have been to more countries in the world than my age. What goes around, comes around.

I know that many young Vietnamese people are traveling and also behave well and I believe it's getting easier and easier now for Vietnamese to travel abroad to developed countries. Reputation damaged must be restored.

Just my 2 cents from another perspective!

Cheers,
Ngan