Picture for illustration The Vietnamese embassy in Egypt on December 9 began the provision of visa exemption certificates to the overseas Vietnamese residing in the country and members of their families. The move was in line with the Government's Decision 135 on exempting overseas Vietnamese from visas, which came to effect from September 1, 2007. On behalf of those who received the first visa exemption certificates granted in the Middle East, Robert Vernon Nussbaum, a US engineer married to a Vietnamese wife, said that he was honoured to become a member of the Vietnamese community, and that the certificate is a proof of Viet Nam’s policy to recognise overseas Vietnamese as an integral part of the nation. He affirmed that like millions of other overseas Vietnamese, he and his family always think of Viet Nam and voluntarily contribute to the home country’s national construction, wherever they live. Vietnamese Ambassador to Egypt Le Tien Ba highly appreciated great … [Read more...] about Vietnamese embassy in Egypt start granting visa exemption
Visa
US extends visa validity for Vietnamese non-immigrant visa holders
PANO – The American Embassy in Hanoi today announced the extension for Vietnamese non-immigrant visa holders to let them have flexibility in traveling internationally from the US to a third country. The visa validity, effective April 22, 2009, rules that visa reciprocity for Vietnamese non-immigrant visa holders in the categories listed (see box) has been extended from one entry/three months to multiple entry/twelve months. C - Transit AliensD- CrewmenH - Temporary Workers and TraineesI- Information Media RepresentativeL - Intra-company transfereesM - Non-academic StudentsO- Aliens with Extraordinary AbilityP - Athletes, Artists, and EntertainersR- Aliens in Religious Occupations These longer validity visas give visa holders greater flexibility in conducting international travel from the United States to third countries, and will lessen the time and costs associated with renewing expired visas, said the announcement. It will also facilitate Vietnamese citizens who are … [Read more...] about US extends visa validity for Vietnamese non-immigrant visa holders
ASEAN to make tourist visa easier to access
The East Asia Summit on tourism, trade and travel was held in Bangkok, Thailand on May 30, as part of the World Economic Forum on East Asia. The event took place at a time that ASEAN is said to have a lot of potential to develop tourism and travel. The participants to the summit, themed “Open borders: Revitalising Asia’s Growth through Travel, Trade and Tourism” agreed that tourism makes a huge contribution to job generation and stimulates economic growth. Statistics show that the tourist sector contributes 4.6 percent of ASEAN’s GDP and it also directly generates 9.3 million jobs in ASEAN, accounting for 3.2 percent of the total. According to the 2012 ASEAN Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report, which was released at the summit, out of 139 economies in the world, Singapore was placed 10 th, Malaysia , 35 th, Thailand , 41 st, Brunei, 67 th, Indonesia , 74 th and Vietnam, 80 th . In most ASEAN countries, inadequate infrastructure, poor public health … [Read more...] about ASEAN to make tourist visa easier to access
Nonimmigrant US visa fees to go up
VietNamNet Bridge - Effective April 13, 2012 the US Department of State will adjust visa processing fees, with most nonimmigrant visa fees to be increased, according to a notice released by the US Embassy in Hanoi yesterday, April 3. According to the new adjustment, tourist, business, transit, crew member, student, exchange visitor, and journalist visas, which used to cost US$140, will now cost $160; petition-based visas (H, L, O, P, Q, and R), which used to cost $150, will now cost $190. Border crossing cards for people age 15 and older will cost $160 compared to the current $140, and those for people under age 15 will cost $15 instead of the present $14. The US Embassy noted that though categories of nonimmigrant visa processing fees will increase, the fee for E visas (treaty-traders and treaty-investors) and K visas (for fiancé(e)s of US citizens) will decrease. Specifically, E and K visas will now cost $270 and $240 respectively, instead of their previous costs of … [Read more...] about Nonimmigrant US visa fees to go up
Visas: Where’s the sense?
Vietnam has been my adopted home for the past six years. When I first arrived in early 2006, I planned on staying a short 30 days. I quickly fell in love with the country and its people and extended my 30-day visa for a six month one. After returning to my native home, I quickly became bored and longed to return to the country I had discovered. I returned to Vietnam after only two months and have been here ever since. For the first few years obtaining a visa was relatively easy as a six month visa could be quickly obtained. But when the regulators decided to “clamp-down” on six month visas and only allow three month ones, it would not have been a huge problem except that now it is required that one must leave the country after a single three month extension. Effectively this meant that I now have to leave the country twice a year, or more, so that I can then obtain a visa and return. I am retired. I bring my retirement money into Vietnam each month, contributing a great … [Read more...] about Visas: Where’s the sense?