Apartment in Phy My Hung $600

Chi and I are having to move to a bigger apartment - mother-in-law is coming to stay. More on that later. However, in the interests of us NOT losing our deposit, we need someone to move into our current apartment for the end of Feb/beginning of March.

The details:

My Vien (in Phu My Hung, near the Waterfront), 7th floor, about 90m2, 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, fully furnished (very good quality). Very nice block of apartments (9 floors high) - adjacent to the best parks in the city (2 mins walk), very green and quiet around. We have a nice view out to Phu My Bridge/Saigon/Phu My Hung. A new bridge has opened which means you can get to the rest of Phu My Hung in 5 minutes by motorbike (new bridge from near Waterfront comes out to near Panorama/Grandview). Sometimes at night you can see the aurora borealis. Asking price is $600 per month - as cheap as you are going to find in the area. Parkview and Greenview in the same area as this are $800+ minimum. Chi and I are staying in My Vien, just moving to a 3 bed place - we don't want to leave. So an added bonus - you get to be our neighbors! Ok, there was one lie there.

You can see some pictures of the area here.

If you know someone out there who may be interested please contact us at jon@connectionsvietnam.com and we can arrange a viewing.

My Vien:

Thi Nghe

Thi Nghe is an area within Binh Thanh district where Chi grew up and where her Mum still lives. Today we wondered through this part of the city, strolling back from a trip the zoo. Thi Nghe is just the other side of the bridge where NTMK becomes XVNT - sure you know what I mean.

Market under the bridge.



It's really the alleyways that never fail to fascinate me. The stillness of the air, the different hums and clicks and calls, punctuated with a harsh engine passing by every now and then. And the community feel.



A gloomy dead-end.



A second floor extension constructed of corrugated iron.



Wood house.



Then, just round the corner, the narrowest house I have ever seen...there must barely be room to lie down across the width of this place. Knowing Ho Chi Minh City, it's probably half a mile deep.



Chatting to a neighbour.



Three generations.

Flash new parking system

One of HCMC's largest motorbike parking lots (adjacent the Tax Center, Le Loi) has modified it's system, or lack of one - the little bits of paper that keep the stapling industry ticking over here are no longer. Now, one is issued with a small plastic card when entering. It says, amongst other things, that if lost if'll cost 25,000, if you find one and return it they'll give you 15,000.



The fee schedule is set out in the parking lot.



Less than 3 hours - 2000d, less than 6 hours - 4,000d and less than 9 hours - 6,000d.

When leaving a guy takes your card and scans the information whilst a camera takes a snapshot of your number plate on the rear of your bike which he views on a screen.



So, technology has arrived, at least for one city parking lot!

Hot Christmas + Vietnam is a building site.

Christmas was spent on holiday with mum, dad, sister and of course Chi and Louisa here in Vietnam. To start, we visited Hoi An via Da Nang airport, Chi and I returning for the first time since our honeymoon back in November 2006, where I posted the pictures here (some of my favourites from Vietnam). The old town, as you'd expect, hasn't changed much.





Even the restaurants seemed to be the same bar an additional posh wine bar. What really struck me was the development on the coast road from Da Nang heading south. From leaving Da Nang city until Marble Mountain there are numerous big name resort developments under way. Kilometre after Kilometre of fenced off beach front, earth movers and concrete foundations strutting out of the ground splaying steel cable everywhere give a sense of awe at the sheer scale of what is going on down there. The weather by the way, was miserable - rained constantly.

Moving south to Nha Trang, again a first visit there for what must be two years, not a lot changed really. A nice new terminal at the Cam Ranh airport making baggage collection a non-stressful experience. The only other thing of mention would be, again, the development along Tran Phu. The new Sheraton building, I have to say, looks awesome. I love the design. It stands with unobstructed views, and the 360 degree shaped thing on the top has to be bar...what a view that place will have.





It's not such good news for the Yasaka, which has a huge shopping/office center being built right next to it which has blatantly obstructed the view from some of it's rooms at the back...!



The old concrete shell/pillar has finally been replaced (it was an unfinished something standing on the edge of the public square on the beach front) - replaced with a..flower or a mosque - I'm not sure which.



One thing about Nha Trang never changes...walks along a beautiful beach!



Heading south again now, a 3.5 hour car journey to Mui Ne. The kite-surfing season is really getting going now but the winds remain calm until mid-morning. 7.00 am on the beach with sun already high, no wind and a gorgeous ocean convinced me that Mui Ne really is the place to be. Sun, sand, swimming and plenty of restaurants to choose from.







An interesting sidenote, possibly, I picked up a very old copy of Huck Finn from a second hand book store. The book has a stamp entitled 'Vietnamese American ****** (can't read), 55 Mac Dinh Chi, Saigon. BOOK SHOP For Students, Teachers, Members'. It has a name written in biro in the top, Pham Van But, and a date, 08-12-70. Obviously this book shop was there during the war years and stocked English language literature.

A fantastic trip overall, and Vietnam just keeps developing.

Visa Updates

I now understand the following to be true:

You are able to get a total of THREE multiple entry THREE MONTH visas (presuming the work permit application is underway) on top of what you already have, after which point you must have the work permit. Although what happens when nine months are up is anyone's guess...9 months is a long time in Vietnamese immigration policy. This may also just be an arrangement reached by my school, and not the general policy. More feedback is needed to establish what is happening as people begin applying for their visas.

Below is the three ways in which long-term residency is legit (that I am currently aware of), thanks to all contribtors from comments in the last post. NB: There are some exceptions for NGO/Charity work I think, but I am not clear on that.

1) Work permit and temporary residency card.

This is for foreginers working and living here with no Vietnamese relatives or family. The application process is outlined in the previous post.

2) Permanent Residency Card

From ORDINANCE ON ENTRY, EXIT AND RESIDENCE OF FOREIGNERS IN VIETNAM
No. 24/2000/PL- UBTVQH 10 of April 28,2000)
Chapter III
Article 13

1. Foreigners temporarily residing in Vietnam under one of the following circumstances shall be considered for permanent residence:

a) They are people who have struggled for freedom and national independence, for socialism, for democracy and peace or for the cause of science, but have been subject to suppression.

b) They have meritorious contribution to the cause of building and defending the Vietnamese Fatherland.

c) They are spouses, offspring, parents of Vietnamese citizens residing in Vietnam.

And from DECREE NO 21/2001/ND/CP OF MAY 28, 2001
DETAILING THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ORDINANCE ON ENTRY, EXIT AND RESIDENCES IN VIETNAM, the application process:

2. Foreigners applying for permanent residence under the cases specified at Point c, Clause 1, Article 3 of the Ordinance shall submit their dossiers to the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security or the exit

and entry management bodies under the public security offices of the provinces and centrally run cities. Such a dossier comprises:

a. The applicant's photo and application for permanent residence made in accordance with the forms set by the Ministry of Public Security;

b. His/her judicial records certified by the competent agency of the country, of which he/ she is a citizen;

c. Official note of the competent agency of the country, of which he/she is a citizen, requesting the Vietnamese authorities to permit him/her to permanently reside in Vietnam;

d. Papers evidencing that the permanent residence applicant falls under the cases specified at Point c, Clause 1, Article 13 of the ordinance;

e. Copy of the applicant's passport.

See here.

Permanent Residency Cards are valid for three years and can be renewed indefinitely.

3) Visa Exemption

Taken from here.

Visa Exemption is a stamp in your passport which is valid for 5 years and means you don't have to have a visa to enter Vietnam. The catch - you can only stay 90 days at a time (as you can see from the picture). It is avaliable to overseas Vietnamese and also:

holders of foreign passports being wives, husbands, and children of a Vietnamese citizen or Vietnamese residing abroad.

The application consists of :

a. 01 application form for a visa exemption certificate.

b. 02 recent 4 x 6 cm photos with white background, straight face, bare head, without colored glasses. (01 attached to the application form, 01 spare photo).

c. A foreign passport with validity of at least 6 months upto date of entry (a copy attached for competent authority to file)

d. One of documents proving relationship between wives/husbands/children and the Vietnamese residing abroad (a copy attached for competent authority to file)
- Certificate of Marriage
- Certificate of Birth
- A Certificate of relationship with farther, mother, children;
- Other valid documents as regulated by the Vietnamese Law.
- Decision of Adoption

The glorious smell of morning paperwork

Making photocopies, notorising and translating documents and badgering people in your home country to help you make photocopies, notorise and translate more documents. Welcome to Vietnam.

I haven't read much online regarding the new visa crackdown, one which seems deadly serious this time around.

Gone are the heady days of the 6 month business visa, which used to be available to any and all. When approaching the end of the validity of those visas, your passport would be submitted and a new 6 month multiple re-entry visa pasted in there. I myself did this for the nearly five years I have been based in Vietnam.

A restructuring of the system, basically to try and account for all the foreginers working in the country (and the tax they should be paying more importantly) means that no more 6 month business visas will be issued. Those remaining in country on such a visa (such as myself) will be offered one 3 month visa extension (single entry) in which period of time it is expected that the applicant will have (or be applying for) a work permit. My understanding is that as long as the application is in the process of being done then there will be no problems.

To get a work permit, according to a work email, you need:

1. Letter of application (Form No. 3)

2. CV (Form No. 4)

3. Copy of bachelors degree (or higher diploma): the copy must be certified by Consulate General + consular legalized in Expat’s country, then translated to Vietnamese by Notary Public

4. Health Check-up Certificate. Note: Validation of Health Check-up certificate: 06 months

5. Criminal Records.

Note: + Criminal Records issued in foreign countries must be certified by Consulate General + consular legalized in Expatriate country + translated to Vietnamese by Notary Public
+ Validation of Criminal record: 06 months since the date of issue

In case out of date, apply the LY LICH TU PHAP at So Tu Phap (Department of Justice) for the Expat. To do this, the Expat must provide:

a- 2 certified Passport & visa

b- Attestation of provisional residence, issued by local police

c- Application form (Form No.2/TP/LLTP1)

6. Four (4) color photos, 3*4cm (bareheaded, front side, clear face & ears, without eye-glasses, & taken not more than 01 year ago)

So, for those with no degree certificate or 'recognised' qualifications in what they are doing, a work permit is hard to come by.

Once a work permit is granted, it is then possible to get a temporary residence card.

Personally I have another option, which is the permanent residency card. This is a much simpler application process which we are currently going through for myself and Louisa. I believe this will be three years initially and indefinitely extendable.

http://www.eng.hochiminhcity.gov.vn/eng/news/default.aspx?cat_id=602&news_id=469

The Smartest Labourer In Vietnam

This caucasian guy has been turning a few heads, directing traffic in his shirt and tie. Anyone seen anything else like this being used in the city?