Hi VJs,

What a relief! Whew, I called in yesterday and to my surprise, we got the interview date but have not received pkg 4 yet. Finally, the last step of part 1 in this process. I'm going back to be supportive of my fiancee.

Thank you all for your help and support and goodluck to all those still waiting for their interview.

Menyoo

menyoo,

CONGRATULATIONS. The date is definitely something more concrete in this waiting world!

We returned our packet 3 doc's a few days ahead of you, but we haven't received word yet. Perhaps I'll give them a call tomorrow, as you did, and see what kind of news we get. No packet 4 for us yet!

STL_HCMC

Congrats Menyoo! thats 3 weeks away!! Good luck and we wish you both the best! I was hoping to see you, STL and nhatrang would be getting your interview dates this week, its been a little too quiet lately!

Way to go! Our is next Tuesday. We are both freaking out.

That's great news! Good luck to you.

Congrats Menyoo, that is great news. I wish the best to you and your fiancee.

Best wishes. We are here eagerly waiting for the good news

Actually NhaTrang (Love that city, BTW), has their interview date as of today also. What about it STL_HCMC and gurugreg? Your numbers should be getting called very soon.

Yes. I have not received Packet 4 yet but my fiancee call the HCMC consulate last night and they said our interview is scheduled on July 27.

Best of luck to Matt and everyone!!!

Nhatrang

Howdy VJ Friends,

Just called the US Consualte in HCMC when I got into the office this morning!

JULY 19th is our interview date!

Let's keep the good news rolling...BEST OF LUCK TO EVERYONE!

STL_HCMC



nhatrang,

Congratulations on your date. Looks like there will be a few of us going through in July! Best of luck to you both!

STL_HCMC



Mike,

Hang in there. I couldn't help but think about you as all of this good news was coming out for all of us. Keep your head held high, continue to prepare diligently and remember: EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!

Best of luck to you both through this IMBRA process.

Did I read correctly that Vermont has started issuing RFEs already for the recalled petitions? Have you received one yet?

STL_HCMC

Wow, I am so happy for all of you. I am hoping to see 3 pink slips this month with some great info.

Too bad my fiancee lives in Hanoi, or we could meet up while I am visiting.

Can't remember the last time we had 3 interview dates in one day. It's amazing how close your Pack 3 dates are and how far apart your interview dates are.

We should have one more any minute now

Vietnam,

It is interesting. I was thinking about that same thing last night when I saw menyoo's post about his July 10th interview date.

Nonetheless - we'll take our July 19th date. That is a few more days preparation and I feel for menyoo and his fiancee with only 3 weeks to prepare!

It would be an EXCELLENT feeling to see four straight pink slips on 6/27, 7/10, 7/19 and 7/27!

I spend so much time on the Vietnam side of VisaJourney that I wonder if there are any other regional forums on the board that are as tight a group as us here. Most of us have never met, but I wouldn't doubt that most of us would go the extra mile to help a fellow Vietnam VJ member out - on or off the board. How lucky we all are to have stumbled across this board and how lucky we all are that the information cycle keeps churning and the details trickle down from one interview report to the next! Let's keep that cycle going!

Best of luck to everyone!

STL_HCMC

Wow ... great news indeed! July will be a very busy month for us. Pink is the color of the month. Good luck to all. I have mentioned about a reunion for all of us here before and if all of us can get together, that would be awesome. Let's wait for pink and then, we'll talk about the reunion ...

Wow, Great news for all of us!!!!! Our fiancees will get pkg 4 sometimes early July. The info unit at HCM also told me and assume all of you the same thing, "come to our office and pick up pkg 4 if you don't get it in early July."

I know STL_HCMC is already there in VN, but any of you going back? I just booked my ticket yesterday, cost $1,300, Cathy Pacific Airlines, that's $500 more than what I usually book.


Goodluck to all of you.

Congrats!!!!

i'm flying Cathy Pacific also. it cost me 1380.00 from portland. I booked 2 months ago.

The nice woman on the phone from the Consulate told me that packet 4 was mailed to my office address on June 17th. The last time they mailed packet 3 it took about 5 days, so perhaps I'll receive something today or tommorrow at work. Amazing that it takes 5 days for a piece of mail to travel from Q.1 to Q.Tan Binh!

STL_HCMC

Excellent choice of airline!

I really enjoy the comfort of Cathay Pacific (consistently a top rated airline). It doesn't get much better than Hong Kong International Airport, and the quick 2 hour flight to SGN is nice after the 14+ hour trip from SFO or LAX.

STL_HCMC

To: menyoo and/or nhatrang,

Either of you receive packet 4 yet? We're still waiting here. We were told it was mailed out on June 17th. We aren't too far from Q.1, just a quick ride to Q.Tan Binh!

STL_HCMC

I fly from portland (PDX) to SFO to HK to HCMC Total time including lay overs about 24.5 hours

We got our Pkg 4 yesterday, 6/22/06

HCMC Consulate sent out on 06/17 but we have not received our packet 4 yet. We are in Q.9 (not too far from Q.1)

Nhatrang.

Robert,

I really enjoyed the international terminal at SFO when flying back to Vietnam this past January. I normally fly via Los Angeles (LAX) and for those that have connected there know how terrible that international terminal is.

The only weird thing about SFO was their request for me to obtain a boarding pass on Cathay Pacific cardstock before they would let me through security.

My flight from STL to SFO was on American Airlines. When I checked in at STL, obviously all of my onward boarding passes were printed on AA cardstock. However, when trying to pass through security from the domestic terminal in SFO to the international terminal, the security guard requested that I go to the Cathay Pacific ticket counter in the international terminal to obtain a boarding pass on their cardstock. Thankfully I didn't have to wait in the long line of those checking in directly at SFO, and it seemed to be a common request as others behind me in the same separate line were there for the same reason.

I never encountered this boarding pass procedure when connecting in LAX.

Just FYI in case you encounter this!

STL_HCMC



menyoo's fiancee is in Can Tho and received already, but the trip from Q.1 to Q.Tan Binh or Q.9 seems to be a little longer.

Maybe menyoo's P.4 was mailed out before ours nhatrang. Perhaps we'll see something in the mail today (Saturday). If not, I'll give them a call and see about going to the Consulate directly to pick one up.

STL_HCMC

Nhatrang,

Just a quick update. It is 11:57am on Saturday in HCMC and I just received our packet 4 at the office! Perhpas yours will arrive to your fiancee in Q.9 today as well.

The envelope shows that it was stamped into the mail on 6/23 and delivered today, 6/24.

STL_HCMC

STL_HCMC

Thanks for the info on SFO. Last July I went threw LAX I got a little lost there. I found out I needed to take a bus to another part of the airport for international flights. This last Jan I flew EVA out of Seattle It was allot worse than LAX. I had to catch some subway type trains to get to my flight. I think that they need a direct flight out of Portland. It would make me very happy 12-14 hours and no layovers.

Hi Robert&Van,

SFO has the train deal too (i.e. AirTrain). However, I landed (American Airlines) in Terminal 3 and had never been to SFO before. I had a long layover before my Cathay Pacific flight, so I chose to walk and check out the domestic terminal (very empty at this time of the night) instead of taking the train straight to the international terminal (i.e. A gates for Cathay Pacific). The international terminal is very nice and very spacious. The SFO international check-in area was a million times more efficient than the chaos one sees in LAX when first entering the international hall.

Link: SFO Terminal Map
Link: AirTrain

EVA Airways
So what is your opinion of EVA Airways? Service? Food?
Did you fly straight economy or in their Evergreen Deluxe Class?
How was transit in Taipei, Taiwan? Nice airport?

I've heard good things about EVA, but I've always flown Cathay Pacific to/from Vietnam.

Have a safe trip to VN and enjoy everyday with your fiancee!

STL_HCMC

Hey STL-

Couldn't help but butt in here I've flown EVA twice now to Vietnam and had a very pleasurable experience with them. I flew Evergreen deluxe (which I highly recommend for an extra 150 from economy) and they even gave me a free upgrade to first class from HCMC to Taipei because they overbooked! even flying economy is pretty comfortable. Although, you don't get a personal tv... Taipei airport is very easy and quick to go through and the airport lounges and shops are all first rate. I've flown through many, many international airports and Taipei ranks high, IMHO. Hope this helps!

I prefer Cathay Pacific The seats were more comfortable and more leg room. When I flew EVA to Taipei I didn't have time to look at the airport there, I think I only had a 1 hour layover and I just rushed to the next gate. But on the way back - do not buy a diet coke for 3.00 it was not worth it. well it was just Basic economy flight. 45min flight from Portland 7 hour layover in Seattle. sat in a middle seat there and back maybe got 2 hours of sleep the whole trip. my Butt was not happy. What made it worse I had this very bad head cold during my last two days in Vietnam, The flight back was hard on me with that cold. As soon as I got home and slept for 9 hours that cold was gone. Both times That I went too Vietnam I got a head cold. It was due to the AC in the Room blowing on my face at 4:00 in the A.M. It is not good. But my Dearest Van went so much out of her way To make me fell so much better, She got me all sort's of Med's I thought I should open up my own Drug store. But They didn't really help me. Over the counter meds don't help me at all. But Nyquil I like. I sleep like a baby. Cathay Pacific was just so much nicer I felt more relaxed on the flights. I kind of ramble this one along. I'm just so excited that I go back in a week. It will be 5 months since I been with Van.

Robert,

I can say with good luck that I've never been a middle seat passenger. I just don't think I could handle it. Short-haul I like aisle. Long-haul I prefer the window.

Perhaps you shoulud give the Evergreen Deluxe Class a try on EVA like Icarus talked about. That is the only class of service on EVA I would probably try, because I gotta have that personal TV unit!

STL_HCMC



Hi Icarus,

Your not butting in at all. Heck - I'm the one that hijacked menyoo's post here with this airline talk (sorry menyoo).

Thanks for the input regarding EVA Air. I guess one probably just gets spoiled with the comfort of Cathay Pacific and it is difficult to travel outside of that comfort zone and try new things!

However, I did read good things about the Evergreen Deluxe Class, but wanted to get someones real first-hand account of the service. I know in-flight service, food and entertainment offerings can greatly vary from airline to airline.

Good to know!

STL_HCMC