AndrewF

I'm not sure if it's the same automated system I called to get a status update on my K1 fiancee visa, but when I called trying to reach a person to get up an update, there was an automated system that hung up on me when I tried to reach a live person. Basically, it means the que is so full that the system can't put you in the holding que. I just called repeatedly (maybe 8 to 10 times) until I got lucky and it put me on hold. After holding for 45 minutes to an hour I was able to talk to someone.

For what process in Vietnam? My son and I got a 5 year Vietnam visa based on my marriage to a Vietnamese citizen last month. We just mailed copies of the US marriage certificate etc. to the Vietnamese Embassy in DC and got the 5 year visa back in a week. So I guess in that sense Vietnam recognized our US marriage for visa purposes at least...

I used an e-visa for 4 different visits to Vietnam prior to COVID and never had an issue. You get a .pdf print out of the VISA itself that you can take with you.

My wife's mother in her 60s got a US tourist VISA approved back in March with little issue. Her wait time to get an interview was nowhere near 305 days. Was about 100 days from the time she submitted the application. Maybe the wait times are longer in Hanoi then Ho Chi Minh. Mother owns a house in Ho Chi Minh worth about $700k with the father, has a lot of family in Vietnam, but no pension or retirement income (sounds pretty similar to your situation actually). Her mother used a company over in Vietnam to help her with the VISA process. I ended up writing a letter to support her visit. On the other hand, my wife's sister who is unmarried and in her 30s, has a job but owns no property, tried to get a VISA 6 months ago to visit my wife and was denied.