svu

I agree with comments that Vietnamese who work for a govt. office (either for "nha nuoc," or US Consulate) are often very rude and act as if they are gods. They know that the person on the other side of the table is at their mercy since they, the govt. worker, could make the paperwork process very difficult. My wife and I experienced that at multiple points (So Tu Phap, her local quan & ward offices).

Dealing with them is a necessary evil.

But to keep it in perspective, it's all relative. I've heard of anecdotal cases where other countries are worse when it comes to lack of transparency, customer service, corruption and so on.

In our case, we skipped the dam hoi and proceeded to just having a wedding ceremony and reception. When my wife had her interview, the CO never brought up that issue. However, our relationship prior to getting married was pretty solid.

If you can have a dam hoi, the better. Otherwise, better make sure you have strong evidence of a genuine relationship.

Like everyone else said, just follow the steps on VJ and make sure you create and keep ALL documentations (photos, receipts, emails, etc).

I been to Mui Ne once back in 2009 and loved it. Phan Thiet is close by and has upscale resorts if you're interested in that. I mainly saw Westerners in Phan Thiet though.

Well, enjoy your upcoming getaway! Makes me long to go back to VN.

Hey you guys…something I’ve been curious about…Have many of you guys hired a Dich Vu for your wife or fiancé and is it worth it?? And when hiring a Dich Vu, would you hire one in the city you wife or fiancé lives in or in Ho Chi Minh City?? Thanks, Long.

Plus 1 for not hiring dich vu. You have to pull, sort and collect all the documents (proof of your relationship), photos, and complete the necessary USCIS/NVC forms whether you do it yourself or hire dich vu. All the dich vu does is bundle it up and mail it for you. You really want to pay $300 or so for that expensive postage stamp?

It's not that hard nor time consuming. I did the CR-1 for my wife and glad I saved that money for other purposes, like paying towards the USCIS/NVC fees.

Alright guys I want to review some stuff that is needed to be done before I go back to Vietnam for my wedding in 4-5 months.

1. First get a Medical/Mental Test from a hospital.

2. Called my stated Vital Record Department for the Affidavit of Single Status Certificate

3. Get the Affidavit of Single Status notarized by the Secretary of State

That is pretty much about it right? Because I'm not planning to file for the K-1 or CR-1 paper just yet. I'm planning to do after the wedding, even though if I apply for the K-1 paper it would be more faster so I heard, but I'm not going to. Therefor to review some stuff that I need to do before heading back for my wedding than those 3 above are the thing that is a must do am I right. Thank for the help you guys rock

Here's my experience getting married in Vietnam:

My understanding is that getting your mental exam done in US won't matter with So Tu Phap. They will require you to get it (re)done at the HCM mental health hospital (located right off the East West Highway). I also forgo getting my certificate/affidavit of single status in the US and instead got the affidavit directly from US Consulate. Paid $50. Simple and quick. With those two docs in hand, we followed the instructions on the marriage paperwork and submitted it to So Tu Phap. From start to finish, it was about 5 weeks. Thus, if you're going to get married in VN, give yourself 4-6 weeks to complete your marriage certificate.

Hope this helps.

I think Jerome already stated that you not only can get the mental test in Vietnam, but that you must get the mental test in Vietnam.

Jerome, maybe you can post a link to the thread where you described the process. That might help the OP.

Jim is right. You HAVE to get the mental check-up in Vietnam. I got mine done at the HCM mental health hospital (not sure of its exact name, but located on the East-West highway). You'll need some li xi/coffee money to expedite your file.

Also, originally I was under the impression that you have to get Affidavit of Single Status from your county/state office of records. However, you can go to US Consulate in HCM and pay $50 to get it done there. Much quicker, took us maybe total of 1 hour to do so.

I'm curious as well as i'm doing a cr-1 as well, and the e-mail i got did say p4 on it. I'm confused, is what we have the appointment letter referred to here?

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/hochiminh/174995/iv-forms/IV-Appointment-122010.pdf

http://hochiminh.usconsulate.gov/iv/forms/package.html

Count me in as being confused too.

My wife tried to submit the DS 2001 and DS 230 today at the HCMC Consulate and the front desk person said (I'll withhold detailing her rudeness, typical of Vietnamese employees) to submit on the day of interview. Huh?

So is the email notice from NVC with appointment date THE appointment letter? It had a "P4" to the right of the barcode as well.

Hope someone can help clarify this for us.

Hey all,

Just want to share that our case was completed at NVC on July 29 and the operator said to check back in mid-August for an interview date. However, got an email this morning notifying that my wife has an interview date on September 15!

Any others who have a September interview date?

Also, can someone please clarify if Packet 3 is the email docs that NVC just sent to us (stating interview date and checklist of docs for interview)? Or will it be emailed (or hand delivered) directly from HCMC Consulate?

Any other advice on next steps will be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Any interest in a VJ Vietnam group on Facebook? Or is this more than enough?

Just a thought. A way to network outside of VJ.

Hey Anh map and others,

Are you on OneVietnam Network? I think that has a built out community. I occasionally log into the site. It shows promise.

Thanks everyone!

I'm pretty happy with the price and date we got for our plane ticket, though I do wish it could be a little sooner. My Vietnam Visa expires on the 18th

Congrats!!!

Too late now, but did you bother to try Vietnam Airlines? I've used them twice (they fly to Taiwan and then share flight code with China Airlines using CA planes). The service is decent but the prices tend to be really good. Cheaper than EVA, I think. Plus, they don't charge fees if you need to change your flight date.

twice each week is a decent rate...

Yeah, twice a week (which is pretty much every other day) sounds good.

As mentioned earlier, the NVC operator told me they schedule interviews the second week of each month. If this is true, particularly for the HCMC Consulate, than a good time would be to check back at the end of that second week. The operator told me to check back on August 16 or 17 to see if a September interview date has been secured.

Got the same rfe, sent ds230 a little after i864, as well. Btw, how long from when you mailed ds230 till when it was approved by nvc?

The DS-230 was sent on July 14th and delivered on July 18th via USPS Priority Mail. The case was completed on July 29th. Thus, 11 days.

Yep yep, case completed means waiting for interview date to be scheduled.

I just called NVC today and our case has been completed.

Wondering if you were told the same thing, that all dates in August are booked and to check back in mid-August (16th or 17th) to see if an appointment in September is available.

BTW, as for the false RFE, I got that too. Probably because our I-864 was sent and delivered a few days before the DS-230 was sent and delivered. Thus, once the system posted the I-864, it automatically generated the RFE for the DS-230 because it didn't see it in the system.

Hi Visa journey, my wife is currently waiting for an interview date. I used an agency to help me file the CR-1 petition process. I have notice that HCMC consulate nowadays request a 10 year residency from the petitioner and list of relatives currently residing in the US. I ask my agent about the 10 residency and list of relatives and she said that "do not provide anything unless they ask for it". I am going back to VN to go with my wife for the interview and I just want to prepare all or most of what is needed by the consulate. So is my agent right or should I prepare the 10 year residency & list of relatives and have it notarized before I go to VN and bring it to the interview??? Thanks everyone for your help, god bless.

My understanding is that both of you are right. There is a discussion thread in Vietnam VJ about front-loading these docs as to reduce the likelihood of getting a blue slip. But from what posters are reporting, COs won't accept it. Thus, you may have to wait until the timeline and 10 yr residency are requested by the CO.

Getting it notarized is recommended if you can't physically make it to the interview. But I don't think it is necessary since you will be physically present for the interview and can substantiate that the docs are true and accurate.

Veterans, please correct me if I'm wrong.

And good luck!

I don't know about other countries, but this is not the case at the consulate in HCMC.

The DS-2001 is a simple form which the applicant sends to the consulate to notify them that they are ready to be scheduled for a visa interview. It's included in packet 3.

Jim,

So if I understand you correctly, my wife will submit the DS-2001 to HCMC consulate along with her medical/health exam and other docs that are part of the Packet 3? Thus, we're okay for now?

Thanks in advance!

Hello all,

Last week I submitted the I-864 and DS-230 for my wife following the shortcuts/guides posted on VJ. However, I just found out about the DS-2001. Do I need to submit this too? If so, how should I send this now knowing that I've already sent the DS-230 packet.

Or does my wife to submit this wife to the HCM Consulate as part of her submissions (i.e. medical exam) to the consulate?

Please advise. Thanks!

Hey folks,

Called this morning and the operator said they received our case in their office (NOA2 came on June 9th). Called this evening and the operator was able to give me our NVC case number. I'm hoping everyone on this thread will get theirs as well.