Moving back to Vietnam

Hello KTLam,

Welcome to Expat.com 

I really hope that the other members from this forum will to help you as soon as possible.

Cheers,

Cheryl
Expat.com team.

KTLam wrote:

Hello all,

I moved to the US when i was 12/13 years old. I never had a Vietnamese passport to begin with. I still have my birth certificate from Vietnam. I am thinking of moving back to Vietnam permanantly but i am not sure how? I heard stories of Viet Kieu moving back there all the time but i am not sure how to do it. I got my US citizenship when I was 18.

Yes it's very possible.

The Consulate General in San Francisco can be of assistance in getting you a Visa Exemption Certificate:

https://vietnamconsulate-sf.org/en/2017 … y-members/

In addition to the information on that web page, there is a phone number to speak with the embassy staff directly.

They have a reputation of being much more helpful than the D.C. embassy or other consulates.

Your timing is very good because the government of Vietnam has just recently decided to begin gradually opening the borders again, so you should be able to return to Vietnam sometime in 2022.

You shouldn't need to hire an agent or a lawyer for this.

Keep in mind that initially, with the VEC, you will be allowed to enter Vietnam for 6 months at a time, but you will need to do a border run and exit the country and re-enter in order to continue staying there for another 6 months, unless you apply at immigration in Vietnam for an extension of your stay without needing to leave the country.

Based on anecdotal reports here in the forum, it's been easier to do that during the pandemic shutdowns.

One thing everyone will tell you in Vietnam, immigration is never predictable, so they might make in-country extensions difficult in the future.

I'm not totally sure about this but I think there are ways for you to qualifying for a temporary resident certificate which, depending upon the local immigration office, could be valid for two or three years at a time without needing to leave the country.

Do you have good family connections in Vietnam?

I am not Vietnamese but I have a very good friend in Vietnam who can get answers for you and I can relay questions.

Feel free to send me a private message.