2008 Blogs

The saga of the Vietnamese visa, part 1

11/21/2008

I was feeling pretty good after receiving the Chinese visa.  But then I came to the Vietnamese visa, which is a bit more complicated than the Chinese visa because it requires getting a visa approval code from Vietnam before you can apply to the Vietnamese embassy in Washington, D.C., for the actual visa.   Sounds simple, doesn't it?

Well, last May I sent my application for the Vietnamese visa code to the US embassy in Hanoi.  They, in turn, forwarded it to Nha Trang University, where someone prepared it for submission to the Ministry of Education and Training.  I've inquired several  times about its status during the past six months, and was finally given the name of a man at NTU.  He's been very courteous, and late last night he sent me a message, subject line:  The VISA code!  In the message I found the highly prized visa code, and with great exhilaration I decided to put together my application materials so I could ship them to Washington, D.C., today.  Then I realized something!  I didn't know the amount of the visa fee.  It wasn't listed on the embassy's web page, so I phoned, only to learn that they want another number, NOT the one provided by my NTU contact.  It's not quite back to square one, but about that.  I'm sure it will work out, and in time too.  Chalk this up to Fulbright lesson #1--PATIENCE.

On other fronts, the U.S. Ambassador to Vietnam has invited me to attend a conference in mid-January, entitled "Higher Education in Vietnam: American-Vietnamese Partnerships."  It will be held in Ho Chi Minh City, and there are to be about 350 educators (Vietnamese and American) and representatives from NGOs present.  It should be VERY interesting, and a wonderful opportunity to meet people.

Keep your fingers crossed about the Vietnamese visa!