AlanYen

Best to check with your local county clerk office... Or City that you live in... Very easy and good luck my brother....

Anh John and Jerome... Hey I like it when we all get great news... PINK is moving along again.... Yeah...

PINK babe about time...

Wow how did you get your congressman or senator to get involve???

I there a special number to HCMC to get a whole of a CO or one of those number you have to wait for ever to get through???

As long as you have the case number it is worth a try. Make sure that you keep a copy in case it doesn't make it to the file.

Also, give enough time for review. I would not assume that your document would be instantly added to the file and reviewed. If possible a week or two before would be wiser.

Thats the worry that I had, handing it in and them not getting it to the file... as soon as they get PKT 3 they should have the case #... one has to wonder if they would look at the material dropped off before the interview.. before the interview... or if they would actually accept it or say no bring it back.... I can see the person asking WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS? but a simple response of, so the CO has time to look everything over before the interview. It could be a good strategy if they accept it, but if too many people do it, they would likely put an end to it... the next question is.. just the timeline or everything from pkt 4 before the interview?

Thanks for the input you all... I was thinking of everything including the timeline...

This might not be so good to proactive in away.... I guess just best to go through the motion.... Did any one use a certain method to organize the paper work for the interview... Of course what ever they request for the interviews goes that order.... What about the prove paper works should it be in some kind of logic order....

Not sure if this is a good Idea or not.... I was wonder should I turn our time line to the CO at HCM a couple day before the actual interview.

Thanks for the post.... Great info ... Good luck on your future plans...

I guess I should describe my experience first. We arrived at the embassy around 7:30am; her appointment is scheduled for 9:30am. I help her carry all the evidence stuffed in 2 laptop bags to the end of the line. There were about 50 or 60 people already lined up waiting to go inside. After the guard scanned her, he asked me to wait across the street with about a couple of dozen other people. Some were the locals trying to sell me a book or shine my shoes. Some even offered to buy my shoes. I only bought one book the whole time and kept my shoes. Lucky my cousin and Thuan’s sister in law waited with me because I don’t think they would have left me alone. It was a long wait. Although I had faith in her, I was still nervous because we’re talking about HCMC after all. During my wait outside, I noticed many people coming out of the embassy; some had a straight look on their face, so it was hard to tell if they got pink or blue. Others had a sad or angry expression which let me know they didn’t pass their interview. Maybe 1 or 2 with smiles telling me they got pink. Thuan finally comes out at 11:04am with a straight look on her face; I assumed the worst but was still hoping she somehow passed. After she crosses the street, she tells me xong roi. I said what do you mean xong roi? Still with a straight face, she says I’m all finish honey. Finish what? I got pink. Wow! She had me going there for a moment; I was so happy, I picked her up and kissed her. By that time, everyone else knew she got pink. Later, I will give her experience from inside the embassy when I can get her to sit down long enough to tell me all the details, as well as the interview questions thrown at her from an angry CO.

Congrats!!!! Way To Go!!!!

Thank you

Have a save trip.... Please fill us all in as much detail as possible... Thanks...

Congrat..... So what kind of question did they asked, how was the interviewer ... And did you submitted the time line right away or you so lucky that you didn't even submit the time line.... If you did submit the time line could you be nice and let us know about it.... Damn pass on some love with your luck to all of us too... Thanks for the info...

Pink it will be.... Go pink... Much Luck....

Damn that is great, now I need to rewrite my time line again.... Wow that is a beauty... Very nice...

I read from Song Moi (Vietnamese Magazine in San Jose, CA) on page 118 from Aug 15 to Aug 21, 2009...

In the article they stated that there have been Viet Kieu who is being targeted.

The scam would go like this...

As Viet Kieu get off the plane, security personal would take there passport away from them first then make them follow the personal...

They would say that you have H1N1 and they will take your temperature and state that it is high....

They will lead you away and put you into a taxi and that will cost you $25 dollar...

Then they will put you up in a container with no A/C and get a so call doctor to check you out...

They then will leave you there until you come up with their demand for money @$600 dollar...

Once you come up with that then they will give you your passport back and off you go...

They are targeting Viet Kieu so far....

So if any one heard of this scam or any one come across with any info please fill us in...

It sound just like the Thailand Airport Security stating that people are stealing stuff and making them pay ransom to go home....

I hear it too from my parents. They read it somewhere on the Internet. I hope it's not true but only God knows what really happens in Vietnam!!!! I'll take it as a precaution anyway. Impossible things do happen in VN.

Peter

It seem every thing is quite, I came through yesterday 08.19.2009 and no scam for me... Got off the plane I didn't bother to make eye contact with any security personal.... Went straight to the Passport counter on the way pass through the scanner which indicate whether your body temper glow red or not... for the most part every one on our plan was in the blue or little... So I guess it is good

I just came through Tan Son Nhat, and all they had was a monitor that screens everyone who passes through the area's temperature, not really though. It's one of those monitors that shows the red, yellow, green, blue color temperature monitors that like police use to track movement in a building. If you show alot of red, they pull you to the side...there's just too much traffic to pull everyone over, but I didn't see anything random happening like what you're saying...

Linda I arrived yesterday and it was pretty much the same thing.... I'm in Ward 9 right now, cant sleep... Like to link up and have some food and fun with any VJ here in HCM.

Look, you have 2 choices and noone forces you to make either one against your will:

1) Don't like that country? then don't associate anything with it. Stay away from it! and you don't have to love/hate/whatever with it.

2) #1 above is avoidable? Too bad, then you need to learn to get used to that system. Because if you can't do so, then noone cares and you still need to figure out a way to solve your own problems.

You deal with that gov't only now and then and you're complaining? Imagine the people living there for most of their lives and deal with those issues on a daily basis. Please, your little inconvenience is nothing.

They try to scam me many times before and I am not Viet Kieu... So they try to take advantage of rich forigners... I know what some people in VN will try to get away with... same as buying things.. they will try to get anything you are willing to give... if they know you are affraid then they will take advantage... If I had that big of a problem with it, then I would not go there...

I love the country and the people and I know there are many sneaky people there... gotta take the bad with the good. The more educated we are about scams the less likely we are to fall for them... Thanks for posting about this so we can share with others..

I read from Song Moi (Vietnamese Magazine in San Jose, CA) on page 118 from Aug 15 to Aug 21, 2009...

In the article they stated that there have been Viet Kieu who is being targeted.

The scam would go like this...

As Viet Kieu get off the plane, security personal would take there passport away from them first then make them follow the personal...

They would say that you have H1N1 and they will take your temperature and state that it is high....

They will lead you away and put you into a taxi and that will cost you $25 dollar...

Then they will put you up in a container with no A/C and get a so call doctor to check you out...

They then will leave you there until you come up with their demand for money @$600 dollar...

Once you come up with that then they will give you your passport back and off you go...

They are targeting Viet Kieu so far....

So if any one heard of this scam or any one come across with any info please fill us in...

It sound just like the Thailand Airport Security stating that people are stealing stuff and making them pay ransom to go home....

I'm about to head to the airport. Hopefully, my fiancee and I can stay safe and healthy while in Vietnam and on the way back to the U.S. And go through the POE without much problem and hassle. It would be great if I somehow can I bump into a VJ member who is in Vietnam during my trip. I will mostly stay around the HCM area.

Good luck to everyone else through this whole process. Hopefully when I come back, I can hear some good news from those who are having problems right now. I will go to the temple on my trip and I will say a few prays for my fellow VJers. Pink Pink Pink!

I'll land in HCM next Tuesday, maybe we can have a VJ party!!

Party where... Sound like a lot of VJ are going back... I'll be going back to see my wife on the 19th, I'll be there for about three weeks... I'll be in HCM area near the airport... So if any one getting together please let us know...

Phi's Interview is today. I am waiting now at Achduong Garden Cafe. I am prying for pink and trying not to lose my mind. I still dont know what they will say about her not passing medical. I am hoping they will just say PINK and then wait until she is healthy. we will see.

Please Pry for pink with me! I will try to update after Interview. I am also waiting to leave HCM. I dont like it at all. but so far my trip is good. it took us like 5 or 6 Pho places to find a somewhat good pho. anyways, Wish us luck

PLEASE PINK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Think positive... You will get pink.... Good luck and go pink.... B)

I have been reading about time line... Could any one share their Time Line Spread Sheet or Work Sheet... I like to see a good example that has been done and sent to the Consulate...... Any advice or comments would greatly help....

look in the Asia: East and Pacific (Except China) forums and search for the word timeline...

Scott, my eye is red from reading all the good post on VJ... thanks....

<--this might help as well...

Will fill i out soon... thanks

This going to be long, so I hope it's ok and I hope it can be helpful in some way. I'm going double space it so it's easier to read:

Now I'm going to go into more details about her interview. I was a nervous wreck yesterday. I was very worried

and prayed a lot. Thanh's interview was scheduled for 9:30am. She got there at 7am, went in at 8am. She had to

wait until just a bit after 11am before they called her for the interview. She said there was just a swarm of people in

there. She told me she would call after she got out. It was 12am and she still didn't call. At this point, I'm thinking

maybe she didn't pass and was upset so she didn't call. At around 12:20am, she called me. I was expecting bad

news to be honest. The reason why I was expecting bad news was because I made the timeline, but didn't send it to

her. I didn't make the relatives list either. So she didn't have either one when she went into the interview. I told her

that everyone here on VJ said they were needed, especially the timeline. The lawyer over there said while it's good

to have a timeline, it might not be necessary. He said just hold onto it for now. If she gets denied and a timeline is

required, I can just bring it over with me. That was why I was expecting it wouldn't go well. To my surprise, she got

pink. Thanh told me when the interview started and by the time it ended, the total time was about 3 or 4 mins. I was

very surprised. I thought it would last maybe 15 mins. The CO didn't ask anything that difficult either. Here are a few

questions that Thanh told me the CO asked her, she might have forgot a few, but here are those she remembered:

(not in order they were asked)

1. Where do you fiance live? In what city?

2. Do you fiance live by himself? If not, with who?

3. What are the names of the people in his family?

4. How many times have he come back to Vietnam?

5. CO asked for if we had an engagement ceremony/reception and asked for the pictures of it.

I think that was about it. I'm not if I forgot anything else Thanh said or whether she remember any else. She was very

nervous, so nervous the CO could tell. I think she got lucky and got a mild temper/nice CO. She messed up on the what

city I lived in part. She said Louisiana, but of course that's a state. I lived in Harvey, Louisiana. Then she said New

Orleans, which wasn't actually right either. The CO told her to calm down and just answer it truthfully, if she doesn't

know it, just say so, but don't lie. She told the CO that her English wasn't good at all and also the CO asked her in

Vietnamese. His Vietnamese wasn't very good. So she said she didn't understand him. He told her that was fine because

he could repeat the question, no need to be so nervous. Wow, she lucked out on the CO I think. Any other CO, I think

she would be in trouble. Another part was naming of the family. She got everyone except my sister. The CO asked her

do she really know the name. Thanh said yes, but couldn't think of it at the moment. The CO said that was fine, as long

as she knows it and continued with the interview. We got lucky this time. Any other CO, we would have got blue I'm

sure. Thanh said that most of the people she saw in there walked out with blue, just her and a few got pink. And most

their interview lasted much, much longer than Thanh's. She said she saw one girl in there interviewing for what seem

like an hour. By time Thanh left, that girl was still there. Poor girl. No timeline, no relatives list, and Thanh clearly

messed up a bit on the answers, but she still got pink. Just pure luck, maybe my prays, and a nice CO got us through.

Thanh was told to come pick up the Visa on August 27th.

I would like thanks everyone here on VJ. I'm glad I joined. The information and stories I learned from here really got

me through. At the very least, I knew what to expect. Also great to hear other people's stories. Thank you all for the

warm wishes, prays, and everything else.

I will be going to Vietnam on August 11th. I can't wait. I'm happy as can be right now. I know once she gets here, there

will be another round to go with the AOS. However, at least she will be here by my side to go through this together.

Congrat.... Yeah pink....