ttp

Next time, write down "diphenhydramine" on a slip of paper and send someone to get it. You might get overcharged, but hopefully you'll get what you need. I sent my wife to get some cipro, and she came back with some Indian-made, weird brand name stuff, by the generic name was correct. Once my wife got some antibiotic. I knew it was legitimate because it smelled awful, just like penicillins do.

Colds are caused by viruses, which antibiotics CANNOT touch. Any bug that is not killed by antibiotics is only made stronger. It happens everywhere, the US isn't much better about its prescribing practices. All these new "superbugs" are the direct result of inappropriate usage. Most third-world countries have super-resistant bugs that well-made Western drugs can barely treat.

It's best to pray you don't catch anything too tough...

Though they're made in India or China, they should be fairly decent. I wouldn't trust the China-made ones, but I believe India makes some decent drugs. However, drugs should be stored at a steady temperature and protected from humidity. So basically the ones sitting on a shelf in an un-air-conditioned storefront would hardly hold their potency for long.

But overall they do work. I think you got a bad pharmacist. Whenever my wife needs car-sickness medicine, they give her some sort of antihistamine and it puts her to sleep.

Your best bet next time is to ask for a drug by name. Some popular ones they'll know by the brand name. For others, give them the generic and don't take no for an answer. Most places I've been had good selections.

Immodium and Tylenol. Get some over the counter meclizine for anybody you know over there that gets carsick.

You can get nearly any antibiotics you want over there without a prescription. Of course, Asia is notorious for many drug-resistant diseases due to improper antibiotic use. Whenever my wife gets a SLIGHT cold, she'll go to the pharmacist and they'll give her a grab bag of a couple of antibiotics, some steroids and some antihistamines. I've harped about it enough with her that now she'll just tough it out, since it's only a cold. It's truly irresponsible to be handing out antibiotics like they were candy.

Sorry about the rant.

I think you can get the single status affidavit at the American Consulate - I'm not too sure though. However, the affidavit shouldn't take too long - I went downtown to the Clerk of Court and they gave it to me within the hour.

I don't think you can file a I-130 without a legal marriage in VN, since one of the items it requests is the Marriage Certificate. Also, both parties must be there to register the marriage.

I agree with Anh Map. The DS-230 only asks for school name, city, and dates attended.

No. They will weigh your carry on and will either make you pay extra money or stuff the excess weight into your check in. I've had this happen, and I witnessed a bunch of people around me go through this also. The people you see are probably flying other airlines. When I took United the whole way, I carried at least 40 lbs in my backpack alone, not to mention my carry on. NEver once weighed or checked.

back on topic....

If flying from VN and you start with ANA, I believe they allow 2 carry-ons, but the TOTAL weight must be 20 lbs or less. However, the weight limit for your check-in is higher. Last time I left VN travelling on ANA, they made me basically stuff everything into my check-in, because I put the heaviest stuff into my carry-ons.

Thanks guys. The ticket's already bought and she comes over mid-September. My open enrollment is in November, so that's not too big a deal.

So it's better to apply for the SSN in person than to wait for it in the mail? What do you need to apply? I'll probably look into that.

So are they just going to send her Social Security Card and Green Card in the mail? How long does it usually take? I'm mostly worried about taking care of this health insurance thing, and for that she must have a SSN.

Thanks.

Can someone point me in the right direction? I've filed a CR1 visa, and my wife arrives in a few weeks. My question is what should I do now as far as paperwork? Do I just wait for a SSN and Green Card, or do I have more papers to do? I can't make her my beneficiary for life/health insurance because she doesn't have a SSN yet.

Sorry, but I've been busy with my new job and don't have the time I used to have to research things like this.

I believe the NVC specifically states original documents (all except passport). I'll have to ask my wife if she got the originals back after the interview, or if they are in that sealed envelope they give you afterwards.

We have 2 original marriage certificates, so we sent one and kept the other. The birth certificate does not have to be the original, but an "official" second copy (ban sao).

Also, the I-864 does not require the marriage and birth certificates, the DS-230 does.

Haven't read all the posts, and I don't have time for a proper reply right now. But my family has been growing different Vietnamese vegetables and fruits for over 20 years. We've got stuff that's hard to buy even in Vietnamese stores. We've got about 8 4'x8' plots, not including pots and fruit trees. It's A LOT of work, but worth it if you enjoy gardening.

Location is a big factor. If you're in Cali, you can probably grow anything. Same with Florida. Texas, I'm not so sure.

A lot of the OP's list can be planted in medium-sized pots, and in my experience yields better than the ground.

I'd just explain it clearly in your timeline. If the story isn't suspicious, there should be know problems. Being introduced by family is normal and customary. But it all depends on your particular situation. I'm sure other members with more experience will chime in, but I wouldn't worry about it, as long as your story is not suspicious.

I'd keep as much valuable things on my person as possible. The more electronics, jewelry, etc they see in the bag scan the more likely they'll hassle you, especially if you are Vietnamese.

I dunno about fitting 8 phones in my pockets though

In my 4 trips, they forgot to stamp a single entry stamp. Also be sure that the stamp is dark and legible in a photocopy. One of mine was too light and it barely showed.

I think it just depends on the officer. The Vietnamese I've known all got stamps.

Just remember that most of the stuff over here, they have over in Vietnam. The quality and authenticity, however, is questionable.

I brought stuff like M&Ms, chewing gum, clothing, soaps, shampoos, toothpastes, little toys for the kids, multivitamins. The majority was clothes and candy.

2008 I had my mental exam in the US and was never asked to take another in VN.

Well, that's the first time I've heard it. Of course, this just means that the US part of the mental exam CANNOT and SHOULD NOT be skipped. Hopefully the OP reads this.

Also, the notarized photocopy of your passport is just that. I had a lawyer notarize it while I was downtown at the Clerk of Court getting the Certificate of No Marriage.

The lawyer told me it was kind of unusual, but he wrote a little note saying I appeared before him, yada yada yada, on the photocopy and then notarized it.

He didn't even charge me after I told him about all the hassle I was going through for just the marriage paperwork.

I recently did the whole I-130 thing by myself, again with A LOT of research, reading this forum and reading the FAQs. The lawyer who does it around here would have charged me ~$2000, that's IF there were no complications. It's cheaper to do it yourself, as long as you are informed, well prepared and careful. I warn you though, doing it myself caused me a lot of stress, but not along the lines of $2000 worth.

I dunno if you can "omit" the mental exam over here, since it seems to be included in the necessary documents for marrying a Vietnamese. I can assure you, however, that they will not accept it and you WILL have to have another one done in VN.

You could try giving the Embassy a call and ask them, though I doubt if you'll talk to somebody who knows what they're talking about. I called twice to confirm the fees, and got two different answers.

When do you plan on traveling? Try cheapair, orbitz, priceline, all those and more. Change the dates by a day or two and the rates change drastically. I highly doubt you'll find a relatively cheap non-stop flight.

FYI, we got tickets (2 weeks ago) for this September for around $1200. If we'd bought 2-3 weeks earlier, it would have been about $1000.

Also, check towards the last days of each month...for some reason the prices are hundreds of dollars lower on the 30th/31st than on the 1st of the following month.

Congratulations!!!!

I went downtown to the Clerk of Court, or something along those lines. They will run a check and print out all records of your marriages within the last 10 or so years. That is the Certificate of No-marriage. Make sure you have all your divorce paperwork as well, to prove you're no longer married. All that paperwork you download from the consulate website must be done in the US. I personally did all this last May, and I can probably hunt down the information if you need help.

Also, "further certification" means that you first need to get the papers notarized, then you need to bring them to your Secretary of State, who will certify that each notary is legitimate. Apparently the VN consulate can only certify people of the rank of Secretary of State.

Again, the power of attorney means nothing. The mental status exam they make you do in the US means nothing - it will not be accepted and they will require that you get examined at a hospital of their choosing.

Out of curiosity, where was your first wife from? It seems like this is your first time dealing with Vietnam, so I'm just curious to know how much easier it was for another country.

Regarding the power of attorney - I too gave my then-fiancee power of attorney. The So Thu Phap would not accept it - I HAD to be there. I understand that she should be able to do the paperwork without you, but things have a habit of not working out like they should in VN. I was hoping my marriage paperwork would be all completed before our marriage ceremony at her house, but alas it was not. I nearly had to extend my 6-week trip because the So Thu Phap finished everything 3 days before my departure date.

I apologize for the "getting mad" comments; I understand and agree with some of your points, but that's just how I read it initially. The whole "Doom and Gloom" thing is an unfortunate reality. Ideally, just marrying an American citizen should be enough, but there have been decades of marriage and immigration fraud from HCMC. It's not going to be a cakewalk, and unfortunately everything may hang in the balance, and approval/denial may be up to one single individual (the interview officer). It's not as bleak as it may sound, but it's better to understand the difficulties than to be blindsided by them later on.

You have to realize that things are different in Vietnam. Even the Consulate, which should follow American rules and regulations, works at its own pace and answers to nobody. My wife's visa was printed on 7/7/10, but she didn't receive it until 7/20. She was already accepted, but just pushed back for two weeks for no reason other than that the Consulate didn't have time to rummage through their files to fish it out and hand it to her.

Try going over interview questions with her. Go over the same ones over and over again. The key is to get comfortable answering questions. Hopefully with enough practice she'll be confident and the stress will go away.