@woodsdancer
American expat in Vietnam
Forum
45 posts
Contacts
3
About me
American
Lives in Nha Trang
Registration: 21 July 2012
Activity
Your first days in your home in Vietnam by Cheryl
Hello everyone, Do you remember the first time you set foot in Vietnam? One of your main concerns must have been the settling down process in your new home. Share your experience and tell us what it was like to find your new home in Vietnam ...
@Cheryl My first experience in VN is probably not relevant for most of you, but for a few of you it may be quite useful.It was several years ago when i first came to Vietnam, but the unusual thing was that my employer offered as part of my ... Read More
Custom delay for over a month by Ccammeo
Has anyone experienced this before? I have a clock shipped from the Us (using DHL) and it has arrived at Vietnam on 30rd Jan. However it is March 19th now and I have not been contacted for VAT and get no update about the package.Is this weird?
@Ccammeo i have twice sent small gifts to vietnam from teh US, usimg US post office first classs with gtracking... in botn cases it reached VN within a few days... and that was the last we ever heard of it. US PO can trace it in Vietnam. The first ... Read More
USA Citizen : looking for information by Svho
For USA citizen how long can you leave the country before required to come back? Also, for the people who travel and live alone, where do you keep your passport? I am thinking you leave it at the rental property?
@Svho no (actual) rules at all about returning to the US in any time frame. Stay away as long as you like. But many *practical* items. examples: drivers licenses may require in-person application (in CA, i believe you can renew by mail the first ... Read More
US drivers licences for expats by woodsdancer
I am finding it increasingly difficult to get/renew a US drivers license. I normally do not drive a car in Vietnam so I have no real need for a Vietnamese license. More to the point, a Vietnamese license is essentially useless when visiting the US ...
one thing to be very careful of is renting a car in the us. several years ago i arrived in the US, went to the rental agent where i had reserved a car (planning to drive from LA to San Diego). I responded to the usual request for drivers licence and ... Read More
Send money abroad without VN Bank account. by Dimitrios Gkatzouras
Hi all . i need to send money to Europe but i dont have a Vietnam Bank account . Anybody know how to send cash In Dong , Euro or any other currency ,to European Bank account ?
@Dimitrios Gkatzouras The basic guideline in VN is that the government does not like VN currency to be sent abroad. So any attempt to simply convert cash and mail it out is doomed. (That would include Western Union, Remitly, Wise, etc). And if you ... Read More
Help on visa denial by Jkb8536
Question on US Consulate in Saigon and understanding how they approve visa for Vietnamese citizens. I have a long term girlfriend that we’ve been talking dating about a year and a half year from Saigon and she just got her second refusal under ...
@Jkb8536 In my observations the major (huge gigantic) roadblock is in the wording of the 214(b) guideline (read tghem several times). The customs agents are *required* to *assume* that the applicant will attempt to overstay - unless s/he *proves* ... Read More
Banks with the largest ATM Withdrawal Limits by GuestPoster2469
Can somebody please tell me which banks offer the highest ATM withdrawal amount (so I can cut down on fees)? My understanding is that the fees I will be charged if I take money out from an overseas debit card are the local bank's ATM fee, a margin ...
other banks (at least in the US and Canada) also rebate any fees you pay for atm use...but alas if you are already out of your home country, it may be difficult to get Read More
SSA 7162 help needed by Good_Man
Hello Group, I have a question for the group. The SSA-7162 is due in November and I want to know how I can fulfill this requirement. The previous two years the pandemic erased this requirement, but this year the pandemic restrictions have been ...
@Good_Man while i lived in VN i just used a US bank account and US mailing address. Had no problems. Note that i did a least make an appearance in the US every year, bu i'm not sure ha was relevant. Read More
Marriage in Vietnam by IamCharlie
I'm planning on marrying my Vietnamese fiance soon, and I was wondering what costs I'm looking at. I know people are going to charge whatever but I don't want to be completely ripped off. So if anyone can give me an idea of what the marriage ...
@IamCharlie i think its open season (like so many things in vietnam). What he rulkes say and wha happens in practice may be entirely different (e.g. did you know is against the law to sell things on the sidewalk?)... b utb a friend of mine had to ... Read More
Getting a U.S. Visa by Peeweeaz1
Because Vietnamese citizens are frequently denied a visa at either the Consulate in Hanoi or the embassy in Ho Chi Minh, I'm asking if a Vietnamese citizen living in Vietnam can somehow apply for a U.S. visa in the U.S.?Â
@Peeweeaz1 actually the rejection rate for visitor visa is n bot nearly as for Vietnamese as the common belief suggests. The rejection rate for Vietnamese is 26% (compare to Somalia: 90.2%, Iran: 87.7% or even Philippines 27%. But be sure to apply ... Read More
How can I improve my english only 1 month? by Ng Sunny
My english level A1.How can I improve my english only 1 month? I want to apply job at foreigner company at HCM C.
@Ng Sunny to make major gains you need to "actively participate" in the language. That is not just watch tv or listen to music. but engage with others. you must speak or write ,not just listen or read. This is true of any skill: you don't get good ... Read More
Did you bring anything to Vietnam? by Anh Pham46
Hi guys, when you moved to vietnam, did you bring anything from the US? Like small appliances, small electronics, etc and use a converter? Or just buy it all new with the correct voltage/plug? I'm just wondering if I can bring some things over ...
i basically have stopped checking. the only thing that ever failed me was a nightlight (popped nicely and was gone) most phone and computer products (including all apple products) can go either way. be leery of anything with an ac motor if the ... Read More
Vietnam is boring by Guest6787
I've been here 3 months in Binh Duong, just 20 km outside of the HCM city center. There's almost no variety to life here. Everything is the same. Same food everywhere you go, every day. Same boring boxed food products in every store. ...
Well, have you thought about it this way: you are living in the middle of suburbia. Not New York city, but the suburbs; not the beach but a random suburb; not Beverly hills but a middle class suburb. If you want exciting , decide what is exciting ... Read More
cannot deposit money in my own bank by woodsdancer
Yesterday i tried to deposit cash -- VND -- into my VietComBank account (a VND account). They told me I was not allowed to deposit money -- but i could withdraw (an oxymoron?). First they told me it has always been the case. When I showed that i ...
one friend tried to transfer money to me electronically yesterday and was turned down. but if they would accept that, i guess that would do (I only need to deposit like once a year or so). Read More
cannot deposit money in my own bank
Yesterday i tried to deposit cash -- VND -- into my VietComBank account (a VND account). They told me I was not allowed to deposit money -- but i could withdraw (an oxymoron?). First they told me it has always been the case. When I showed that i ... Read More