Big news for me and other expats in Vietnam: Rumors of Americans getting easy access to 1-year visas

in ASEAN HIVE COMMUNITY11 months ago

One of the biggest, and I would say only gripes about being a nomadic expat in foreign countries is that the struggle to maintain a visa is something that always weighs very heavily on your mind. Some countries are different than others and Vietnam, for the most part, has been very "cool" about letting you stay as long as you want to provided you jump through the various visa hoops they have in place.

This was all fine and dandy back when I moved here in 2020, and their very lax visa rules was instrumental in my decision to move here in the first place. You see, Thailand is a wonderful place and I really enjoyed living there but the government seems to have a love/hate relationship with people who are trying to stay there long-term. Every year I had to come up with some sort of new scheme in order to be able to stay and this included signing up for language courses that I didn't want or need to attend and another time I was involved in a Krav Maga class that was kind of fun but mostly it was pretty clear that this place was a "visa mill" and the instructors didn't really ever try to teach you anything meaningful. They were very aware of the fact that most of the students were there simply for the visa and therefore the classes were bullshit.

Eventually, I got tired of duping the government and I was being warned by Immigration officials that they were not going to give me any more stamps so I moved over to what was at that time, a country that was welcoming basically anyone with open arms


image.png
src

I'm quite certain that this shot has been heavily Photoshopped but that is where I call home now. My condo is somewhere in the middle of that and I wish it was as lovely as it appears from that drone. It's pretty nice, I complain too much. I am aware of this.

During Covid times we locked down just like the rest of the world did and it did suck having to do all the mask bullcrap and being unable for a certain period of time to even leave your condo, but during all of that time Vietnam also suspended the need for anyone to even get a visa at all. There is a silver lining on every cloud I guess. That was the first and only time in my life that I was never constantly worrying about what the date on the stamp in my passport was and it was a huge load off my mind.

Then in January of 2022, right around when the world started to cool it as far as travel was concerned, Vietnam abruptly overhauled their visa policies. Prior to that time most nationalities were entitled to 3-month visas and Americans were entitled (for reasons that I do not know) to one-year visas. Vietnam changed the policy so that nobody was entitled to any visas longer than 30 days and this was about to become a huge thorn in the side of anyone that was trying to live here in the long term. This now meant that every 30 days the people trying to live here had to get on a plane or even worse, a bus to Laos and spend an entire day leaving the country only to turn right back around and come straight back in.

I have never understood why any country would make people do this and the only thing I can think of is that they are attempting to curb the amount of people living here without outright banning doing so. They are just trying to inconvenience enough folks so that they choose on their own to no longer attempt to stay long-term.

I was not thwarted by this and I cheated a little bit. It's an interesting story with lots of twists and turns but I want to save that debacle for another blog entry (stay tuned!)

Getting back to the point: These visa runs every 30 days are a pain in the ass but in the grand scheme of things they aren't really that expensive. If you plan ahead you can get a flight round trip to Bangkok for around $100, which might sound like a lot to other people but you need to keep in mind that at least in my past experience in Thailand, maintaining a visa year round was costing me around $1200-$1500 a year anyway, so financially speaking, nothing had really changed for me.

The problem for me wasn't the money, it was the fact that flying anywhere sucks just as bad now as it ever has and I can't think of anything I would rather not do with my day than spend it in airports and on planes. I like overpriced Burger King as much as the next guy, but honestly, I would gladly pay extra to not have to do that at all.

There have been rumors for quite some time about Vietnam bringing back the 90-day visas that existed pre-covid and this would really change a lot of people's lives for the better. The process will still be the same as far as the rather senseless flying out of the country just to sit in Bangkok airport for 3 hours and come back straight away, but at least it only has to happen 4 times a year rather than 12.

Other news that has recently come to light is that the US Secretary of State recently visited Vietnam and while they are just rumors, it is being said that one of the reasons for this visit was the reinstating of the 1-year visa programs for Americans. I think the guy's name is Blinkin, I don't really care, I don't follow politics.

So if this happens it is going to be absolutely awesome because we won't have to do this anytime soon.


image.png

This was one of the most terrifying days of Nadi's life and something I hope to never have to put her through ever again. I don't know who was more worried, me or the dog. I know that I will do everything that I can to ensure that this doesn't ever have to happen again and if the good news comes through and that 1-year visas have been reinstated for Americans, I am 90% certain that I am just going to decide to park our butts right here in Da Nang for the foreseeable future.

I wouldn't say that I love it here, but since it is so affordable here and Vietnam doesn't really seem to care how long you stay (as opposed to Thailand who seems to be actively working to get everyone out) I believe it just makes sense to stay put.

So my fingers are definitely super-crossed right now that this actually goes through and if it does, you are going to see one very happy American and his dog!

Sort:  

Your content has been voted as a part of Encouragement program. Keep up the good work!

Use Ecency daily to boost your growth on platform!

Support Ecency
Vote for new Proposal
Delegate HP and earn more

The 30 day visa rule is wild though. I guess countries are mastering how to make their stances known without causing international rancor. I hope things get sorted out and the one year Visa rule is reinstated. You seem to like it there

 11 months ago  

well, it certainly isn't perfect here. I do my fair share of complaining. The economics of living here are perfect though. Most people don't really even worry about money a great deal.

The 30 day rule is pretty standard for a lot of countries and I have no idea how that became a thing. Some countries just don't care how many of them you get in a row. Others, like Thailand seem to think as though they are doing you a huge favor by allowing you to spend your money there.

Hi..gooddream I am very touched to read your article in the Asean hive post regarding your domicile so far and indeed it is a very interesting story to read and experiences overseas are indeed very diverse and colorful and that is good for everyone.

It is great following your adventure and living vicariously through your global travel.

It seems visas were meant for travel and shorter stays and you are manipulating that for your migration. You are fitting that square peg in that round hole very well travelling a road less travelled. I love it and it helps me sip from that cup while having my roots down deep in one place.

I supposed we must occasionally be caged like your friend there in order to appreciate any freedom properly. I hope the annoying system is a small part of your life there and you don’t lose any bowling prowess in the transitions!

 11 months ago  

helps me sip from that cup while having my roots down deep in one place.

I am sometimes a bit jealous of the people I know that have laid down roots somewhere and have a "home" instead of a condo but other times I am glad I chose the path that I did.

There are plusses and minuses to both sides of this coin, that is for sure.

Lets hope it comes true and is not just a rumor as having a 1 year visa is a huge win. It makes financial sense for everyone as Vietnam will attract more long term visitors.

 11 months ago  

Vietnam doesn't have a huge amount of tourism. In Da Nang, which is one of the most popular places to visit in the country, you wouldn't think this, but the rest of the country is basically not visited by anyone and most people that visit here only do so once.

They are a bit of an economic powerhouse as far as other industries are concerned so I don't think they are all that fussed about tourism at all. Last I checked it was a rather insignificant part of their GDP as opposed to Thailand where it is more than 20% overall.

The one-year visa would be a godsend and I am seriously hopeful that it ends up happening.

That sounds like quite the ordeal. I hope things do work out for you and the other expats there. Yeah Blikin. It's funny because everytime they talk about him on the news I think they are saying Abe Lincoln. I also hear you about the travel. I am planning a trip for my wife and I this fall and I had to add an extra day just because of the time we will be losing due to flights and layovers.

 11 months ago  

There was a time in my lifetime that travel was actually fun and people were friendly at airports. I recall in my youth that my father did a lot of business travel and we kids would be able to come with him all the way to the gate. These days, I've been to airports where they won't even let you in the building if you don't have a ticket.

Travel universally sucks now.

I totally agree with that. I've found it was mostly the terror attacks in new york that caused that. Flying before then was not so bad. After, it just became horrible. I wish I could have flown in the 60s and 70s. While things weren't nearly as safe and you had to deal with cigarette smoke, the space in the planes was insane. It looks like it would have been more of an experience and less like herding cattle.

 11 months ago  

I was in an airport the other day and when I went to go take my shoes off since I have just become accustomed to that, they told me that I don't have to do that. Are we returning to some level of sensibility?

Could be. Although my friend was telling me they didn't even have to show their ID last time they flew. The facial recognition software knew who they were immediately, so maybe the tech is just getting better...

 10 months ago  

I don't like the sound of facial recognition being everywhere but I suppose Big Brother is inevitable.

I totally agree with you. I still won't allow Alexa devices in my house. Although we both have smartphones, so what's the difference really...

 11 months ago  
Thanks for posting in the ASEAN Hive Community.

150.png
⋆ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴘᴏsᴛ ʀᴇᴄᴇɪᴠᴇᴅ ᴀɴ ᴜᴘᴠᴏᴛᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ʀᴇʙʟᴏɢ
⋆ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ ғᴏʀ sᴏᴜᴛʜᴇᴀsᴛ ᴀsɪᴀɴ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴏɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ
sᴜʙsᴄʀɪʙᴇ ᴛᴏ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ
ғᴏʟʟᴏᴡ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀsᴇᴀɴ ʜɪᴠᴇ ᴄᴏᴍᴍᴜɴɪᴛʏ ᴠᴏᴛɪɴɢ ᴛʀᴀɪʟ
⋆ ᴅᴇʟᴇɢᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ʟɪɴᴋs   25 ʜᴘ50 ʜᴘ100 ʜᴘ500 ʜᴘ1,000 ʜᴘ