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Vietnam US Consulate Reviews
Average Rating: 3.6
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312 Review(s)
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| Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |  Review #5630 on February 1, 2010: |
ScottThuy
Rating: 
· 2 people found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Quite an interview... It lasted close to 75 minutes.. over 100 questions... including when was the first time you had sex.. It was quick in some respects.. it was the first interview of the day.. and was given a blue slip before 10 AM... arrived at 6 AM and there was already a large crowd...
The interviewer was an african american woman and the translator was a VN man. The CO refused to allow the interview to be done in english... there were several times that she raised her voice during the interview and asked several questions 2 or 3 times.. for the most part the questions were all from that list of 200 questions posted in the VN regional forum...
There is not much doubt that the blue slip was prepared before the interview and that the entire interview was just to see if they could come up with a reason to deny.. they tried hard to find a reason but there was none.
For those that are going to HCMC for an interview.. be prepared for the worst... expect a vicious interviewer and things can only get better from there... expect to hear other people crying as this was the case on that day... its very loud and can be difficult to hear the questioning..
Evidence that was frontloaded was requested in the blue slip.. in other words.. they had the documentation, but asked for it again...
| | | Review #5594 on January 24, 2010: |
michael7oanh
Rating: 
· 2 people found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Date of interview: Dec. 18, 2009
Location: HCMC US Consulate
We got to the consulate at about 8:15am and she left the building at about 11:40am. I waited across the street with her relatives and the street vendors.
We got the 1st blue letter asking for a notarized timeline (even though I had already included a notarized timeline with the other Proof of Relationship docs). They also requested a notarized list of my recent addresses for the last 5 years (even though this info was already in the G-325A) including a statement of who has lived with me in those locations.
Her 2nd "interview" took place a few weeks later and after giving them the requested docs they promptly gave her a denial letter stating that the case will be sent back to USCIS.
****************************************
So here are the questions the CO asked in the first interview:
- CO asked how we met. Then he asked follow-up questions about who introduced us and their connection to my family.
- CO asked her general questions about my family and my background (Where my parents work, where they live, where I live now and before I moved there).
- CO asked about our plan for wedding/marriage. Then he asked follow-up questions about location, number of guests, and cost.
- CO asked about our plan for honeymoon. Then he asked follow-up questions about location, hotel, and cost.
****************************************
My fiancée was doing really well until the wedding and honeymoon questions because we hadn’t really prepared a detailed plan for those yet. Yeah, I know, big mistake! We were so busy making arrangements for the ceremony in Vietnam that we hadn’t really planned much about the future events to take place in the US yet. Well, so the CO grilled her with questions on those topics and she cracked, giving unclear answers that led them to suspect us of a sham relationship. Also, since she was ordered to only give short answers to each question, she didn’t have much chance to elaborate on our overall situation.
Anyway, my advice to others is as follows:
1) Prepare clear, simple answers to the questions about wedding and honeymoon plans. Even if you don’t have any concrete plans yet, still make sure your fiancée memorizes something that can be explained in brief statements. If it’s like my fiancée’s interview situation, then they won’t give you a chance to explain any rather complex situation, assuming you have one. If you’ve got supporting proof of these plans (emails, travel brochures, wedding cost quotes, etc.), then use it all to illustrate the genuine nature of your relationship!
2) If they ask for a timeline after you’ve already given them one in initial proof, then use it as an important last chance to supply more evidence of your genuine relationship. Instead of simply supplying the info that they asked for in the 1st blue letter, in retrospect, I should have embedded every extra photo available into the document along with the descriptions of each event that I listed in the timeline.
3) BEFORE going in for the interview, make sure you’ve already taken at least 3-4 trips to Vietnam to visit your fiancée and keep documents/photos to prove EACH day of your time together. They may use the excuse that your photos only show a limited amount of time together if they suspect that relationship is fake. Make sure your photos are in different locations and have you both wearing different clothes too!!! Having a good variety of clothing was a bit of an oversight for me on my 2 trips to VN since my luggage was packed with gifts for her family.
Ok, Hope this helps someone out there. Good luck, Everyone.
| | | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Review #5527 on January 11, 2010: |
james&nicole
Rating: 
· 2 people found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: General Review
Came in as a K1 currently in AP for 2010. I was in the consulate two times in Dec of 09. Took a number, waited, was called, spoke to CO. No problems, rather boring really. Both times I asked questions they had to take into the back room to get answered. Asking supervisor probably. Had a typo on our blue slip. The date for the submission of timeline, ex wives address & medical records was wrong. It said 1/4/10; in backwards non american euro dating which they use in VN this would be april 1, 2010. I asked should we come back in April? They said oh..no...its wrong come back Jan 4, 2010. Date confusion fools the americans again, even the CO's.
| | | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Review #5346 on December 3, 2009: |
Andrew D
Rating: 
· 1 person found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
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> VisaJourney.com > General Discussion Area > Regional Discussion > Asia: East and Pacific (Except China)
> WE GOT PINK, My fiancee interviewed on Dec. 3 and was approved. Hurray!!
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Andrew D
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post Today, 12:50 PM
Post #1
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Group: Members
Joined: 21-April 09
From: Minnesota
Filed for: K-1
California Service Center
Local Office: CA
Country: Vietnam
My Timeline
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My fiancee was interviewed today (Dec. 3) and she was approved with a PINK slip.
Words can't describe my feeling right now. I would like to THANKS each and every members whom are taking an active role in giving out advice in this forum. I don't post much but I've been following the forum closely and took every single advice to heart. THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!!
Chi (my fiancée, K1 application) was interviewed today, and this is what she had described to me:
She showed up at 6:00 to stand in line for her number. When it was her turn to hand in the paper works, she did try to have them take the detailed time line (6 pgs long) but the guy refused. She waited nervously for her turn to interview. She witnessed many girls whom have been interviewed for 30 - 50 minutes and walked out with a blue slip (which is a bad sign). She got to know one of the girl who has been married for 1 1/2 year (K3 application) - carrying a large box of evidence - went up to the interview and was pounded with questions after questions - walked out crying with a blue slip after 45 minutes of questions. Chi started to feel extremely nervous and having major anxiety for what about to come.
When it was her turn to interview: She calmly walked up the station and the Caucasian interviewer (40 something years old man, good looking) gave her a very friendly pleasant smile and said "chao em" (hello) in broken Vietnamese. Standing next to him is a Vietnamese male interpreter. Both seems very nice and professional.
The Caucasian interviewer than asked Chi:
"How did you 2 met?"
"We met at a party"
“What your fiancé does for a living?”
“Engineer.”
“Where are you planning to have your wedding?”
“Texas.”
“Do you have any relatives in the US?”
“Yes, an uncle & half brother.”
(Chi speaks very little English so the questions and answers was interpreted in Vietnamese)
He asked to see the engagement photos. Chi handed him the stack of photos, he took a quick glance at just a few photos and handed it right back. He than pulled out a pink slip (already been signed) handed to Chi and said "Chuc mung em" (congratulations). Chi was so shocked, did not know what to say so she kept repeating, "thank you.....thank you....thank you"
Chi could not believe the interview was already over and she has been approved. The whole interview took about 3-5 minutes with only 4-5 questions. He didn't even asked for the detailed timeline nor the relatives listing which we had prepared and notarized. He didn't ask to see any of the proofs that Chi brought with her (and she brought a lot, we had prepared all of the emails, chats, phone bills, all possible evidence that we've collected). Her whole experience with this interview was very pleasant. All the staffs and interviewer were very polite, friendly and professional.
During the taxi ride home after the interview, the Taxi driver (who is regularly picking up passengers at the Consulate) told her that it is extremely rare to see any of his passengers walk out of the building with a happy result. The majority of his passengers got blue slip or rejected, even the one who have been interviewed 3-4 times.
My conclusion is that we were very lucky and that Chi was probably already been approved even before she was interviewed. I think the main reason for that is because we've FRONT LOADED the application from the get go. FRONT LOAD the initial application (I129-F) was the most valuable piece of advice I got from this forum. My I129-F package weighted 8 pounds with all required documents, a cover sheet, 1 page simplified timeline, and every possible evidence COLOR photo copied (travel documents, visa, plane tickets, flight itinerary, passenger boards, 5 phone bills, 10 emails, 5 chat logs, letters, cards with stamped envelopes, e-cards, money wired receipts, hotel receipts in VN, restaurant receipts in VN, car rental receipts in VN, shopping receipt in VN, credit card statements shows that I’ve purchased airfares and gifts for Chi and her family, my blog page described our engagement in details and the messages our family and friends left on the blog message board, 50 pictures in an album format in chronicle order (I used only the plastic photo insert sheets from any typical photo album to insert the photos in, punched 2 holes on top for mounting, I also printed out caption labels and stick them in the back and on the side of every photo)). We punched the top of each submitted form/document and submit it complete with an ACCO fasteners. Everything was bounded together in a 3 sectionals-top mounted ACCO fasteners-blue folder/binder (from Office Max). The end result; the folder/binder was about 2.5 inches thick with documents & photos, and weighed 8 pounds. We must have killed a couple of trees with all the printed documents that we've prepared for the package and the interview.
Chi said that she saw the exact same blue folder/binder on the interviewer desk (everything was in tack). She recognized the blue folder because I’ve made 3 exact duplicates (1 to send initially for I129-F, 1 to send back to Chi, and 1 for me to keep just in case).
A quick overview of our relationship: My fiancée and I were both single never been married nor have any kids. Chi is 29 and I’m 39. We met in April 2007 at a friends gathering party (I stayed in VN for 3 weeks), went back to visit her again in Dec 2007 (stayed another 3 weeks), proposed in Sept 2008 via phone, went back for engagement in March 2009 (also stayed for 3 weeks). Send in my I-129F application in June, 1 2009. Interviewed on the Dec. 3. Total took 6 months.
The other valuable piece of advice I got from this forum is to contact the The US Customs and Border Protection (FOIA Division) to request proof of my traveling since I did not keep any traveling evidence in my first 2 initial trips I’ve made to VN in 2007. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), any US citizen and request to see their traveling information in and out of the US. Their address is: US Customs and Border Protection FOIA Division, 799 9th Street NW, Mint Annex - Washington, DC 20229-1177. The process took me about 2 weeks to received the requested documents that proofed my travels to Vietnam in 2007.
I hope this post will help somebody out there who is fighting to be united with there loved one. What I’ve learned from this experience is that. Take your time to collect the evidence, think about your red flags and address them with evidence or explanation in your “how we met” description (our red flags is that I did not have any proofs of traveling to VN in the first 2 trips in 2007, but the US Border Protection documents had helped proof it), don’t rush sending in the I-129F unless you have enough evidence proofing a bona fide relationship. Last but not least, FRONT LOAD the I-129F package. Through out this process, we did not used any lawyers or services. I believe that if you have a straight forward case and you did your homework and have sufficient evidence, you can totally do this on your own.
Again, I want to send my deepest gratitude to all members in this forum. Your devotion and generosity had made this entire journey so much smoother, easier and less stressful. Because of you, the love of my life and I can be now be united and starting our own family. We are eternally grateful to all of you. A heartfelt THANK YOU.
"At last, my love has come along, my lonely days are over, and life is like a song".
Million & million thanks.
Andrew & Chi
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- Andrew D WE GOT PINK Today, 12:50 PM
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| | | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | Review #5280 on November 21, 2009: |
Bob-KhaHan
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· 1 person found this review helpful
Click here if you found this review helpful | Review Topic: K1 Visa
Kha-Han arrived kind of late (9am) so she endup not having her interview until about 2pm. She was asked simple questions ("I" = petitioner):
Where do I work?
What do I do for my job?
What do I like to do in my free time?
The names of my parents and siblings
She was confident in her answers and I did my best to make sure we had all the necessary documentation that was required.
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