jmhull

I-130 petition approvals do not "expire". Commonly, your file will not be available for anybody to "find" for about six months or so after the interview. Eventually, USCIS will contact you and do one of two things.
1. Notify you they disagree with the Consulate and are sending the file back for a second interview. (Possible but unlikely)
2. Send you a Notice of Intent to Revoke (NOIR) the petition approval. This is the most likely action. When they do this they give you at least thirty days to respond with additional evidence you would like them to consider.
If they decide to "reaffirm" your petition approval based on your response, they will then send the case back through NVC and on to Casablanca for a second interview. There is not guarantee the visa will be issued at the second interview.
Now is the time to begin getting your NOIR response ready. The first item on your agenda should be a complete and detailed report of the interview experience including all the questions asked and even more important, the answers given. This is not a synopsis or interpretation, but a literal and close as possible verbatim COMPLETE report. From this report, you can get an idea of the problems to address in your NOIR response.
If all this seems to daunting to you, I suggest you seek professional assistance.

Hi there -
DCF is not available in VN anymore since USCIS Office in HCMC ceased operation last year. Re: following Vietnamese traditions in wedding ceremonies, etc. we were kind of in the same situation with you. Given that we're still waiting for NOA2, i'd better not give any advice yet. However, I think the best policy, as always, is to be honest, and stay true to who you both are. It's always easy when it comes to having to explain why you have done something that you did, things that were true to what you wished to do the most. Honestly, at the moment we decided to get married, we didn't really know what kind of requirements there were with immigration, and so we just did what we wanted to. My husband and I, we both dislike ceremonial activities and formalities, thus try to avoid them as best as we can - there wasn't a specific moment when my husband proposed to me, nor do I have an engagement ring. Our wedding (15-minute ceremony + dinner reception) was super small and simple with about 30 members of both families (no friends). We also didn't have a second "wedding party" for my families and friends in VN when we came back. Rather we only had some small family drinks/dinners (of which we took pictures and documented them into our file).
The bottom line is, I think, it is NOT a huge minus (again, my personal judgement) if you don't do your wedding in the Vietnamese ways (I'm sure people working in the US Consulate in HCMC are aware of the change in lifestyles and choices of young Vietnamese nowadays) just for the sake of evidence for immigration. If your relationship is legit and true, there are tons of other ways for you both to prove it, easily. There are certain small, but could be important, things you might want to consider, though, such as you both spending time with each other's families. You said you haven't met her family at all even when you decided to get married (and you all live in the same city)? I'm not saying that you'll need to see her family before you decide to get married to her, but I think it is a natural desire for parents to want to meet, and get to know, the man/woman that their daughter/son is going to share their whole life with. Well, it again is a matter of personal preference, but I tend to think COs might want to question that, more than the way you organize your wedding ceremony.

Hi there -
DCF is not available in VN anymore since USCIS Office in HCMC ceased operation last year. Re: following Vietnamese traditions in wedding ceremonies, etc. we were kind of in the same situation with you. Given that we're still waiting for NOA2, i'd better not give any advice yet. However, I think the best policy, as always, is to be honest, and stay true to who you both are. It's always easy when it comes to having to explain why you have done something that you did, things that were true to what you wished to do the most. Honestly, at the moment we decided to get married, we didn't really know what kind of requirements there were with immigration, and so we just did what we wanted to. My husband and I, we both dislike ceremonial activities and formalities, thus try to avoid them as best as we can - there wasn't a specific moment when my husband proposed to me, nor do I have an engagement ring. Our wedding (15-minute ceremony + dinner reception) was super small and simple with about 30 members of both families (no friends). We also didn't have a second "wedding party" for my families and friends in VN when we came back. Rather we only had some small family drinks/dinners (of which we took pictures and documented them into our file).
The bottom line is, I think, it is NOT a huge minus (again, my personal judgement) if you don't do your wedding in the Vietnamese ways (I'm sure people working in the US Consulate in HCMC are aware of the change in lifestyles and choices of young Vietnamese nowadays) just for the sake of evidence for immigration. If your relationship is legit and true, there are tons of other ways for you both to prove it, easily. There are certain small, but could be important, things you might want to consider, though, such as you both spending time with each other's families. You said you haven't met her family at all even when you decided to get married (and you all live in the same city)? I'm not saying that you'll need to see her family before you decide to get married to her, but I think it is a natural desire for parents to want to meet, and get to know, the man/woman that their daughter/son is going to share their whole life with. Well, it again is a matter of personal preference, but I tend to think COs might want to question that, more than the way you organize your wedding ceremony.