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Stu Jones

VIsa VIsa VIsa !!!!! well after following all the well meaning advise from the forum I just had my 3month tourist visa extension turned down!!!!!! doing it yourself is a no no I was informed ......only way to get it is use a travel agent to be a broker and sponsor you which costs more which I understood before I went and was the original thing I was going to do......on saying to the very polite young lady I would much rather give that money to her she said she was very sorry but there was nothing she could do.....on the bright side she gave me a month for $10 which means actually that's a cheap month ........on the bright side I asked if 6months were still available in Cambodia and without a direct yes she responded that she knew that was still a distinct possibility and that was available with a very large smile she said "just marry a Vietnamese girl" lol it's much easier ,,,,, to which I asked jokingly if she would like to get married which she found highly amusing ha ha ...... we shall see next month when I go visit Cambodia ha ha

Like · · February 17 at 5:18pm

• 4 people like this.
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  Terry Hoang what ... thats weird. ive been here 2 years and i renew my visa every 3 months without a problem. but than you probably wrote down and youre here for a tour or something still huh?

  February 17 at 5:29pm · Like
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  Stu Jones mmm I put I'm a tourist sure but I had documents from the owner of the apartment as my sponsor also a letter from local police chief confirming my residence ........they will however give 3 month extensions if your visiting family so next I best change my name to Nguyen ...... as it's as common as jones lol

  February 17 at 5:32pm · Unlike · 1
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  Terry Hoang but they shouldve let you extended at least a few time. i have a white friend from back home and hes been here for a year, than he had to go to cambodia and come back.

  February 17 at 5:35pm · Like
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  Stu Jones sure it's easy to do if I had a travel agent stamp as a sponsor ........ all I can say is this is just what happened to me ......the lady was really nice and helpful but a definite no no lol

  February 17 at 5:37pm · Like
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  Terry Hoang haha well better luck next time.

  February 17 at 5:37pm · Like
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  Stu Jones and on the bright side I've not been to Cambodia yet so I may take a week or 2 trip and see a bit of the place

  February 17 at 5:39pm · Like
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  Thuy Vinh OH..my friend was the same your situation before..And then, help him to apply for 3 months visa successfully with my company. So now, if you still want to extend your visa, please let me know and i will try to help you! Keep Calm ^^
  Feel free to contact me by my number phone : 01656003134 or my email : vinh.nguyen.ins@gmail.com, even inbox FB
  Thanks

  February 17 at 6:03pm · Like
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  Stu Jones thanks thuy ......I'm so calm it's funny ha ha I took the 1month for $10 so I can now plan my trip to Cambodia but may be next time I'll use you .....feel free to message me with what you company charges thanks

  February 17 at 6:11pm · Like
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  Greg Johnstone I believe that foreigners are not permitted to deal directly with Immigration, you must go through an "agent". Costs you more but you do at least get the visa extension.

  February 17 at 6:58pm · Like
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  Stu Jones yea I thought that but I followed some directions from another post I made ..... I know people were trying to be helpful but the info was inaccurate ...... never mind

  February 17 at 7:10pm · Like
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  Elsie Else Belse i will so u how to do by urself

  February 17 at 7:30pm · Like
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  Stu Jones if I had a Vietnamese name easy to get extension anyway it's not a problem there are other ways........ and gives me an excuse to visit Cambodia

  February 17 at 7:49pm · Edited · Like
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  Elsie Else Belse its so fast to do it self!! u have different section as foreigner

  February 17 at 7:50pm · Like
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  Thomas Emerson I wonder if you guys thought about the value of your time especially while you're traveling. So what if you pay an extra 100,000 or 200,000 dong to have someone/agent process it and get it handled! Isn't it worth it than to put up with all the bureaucratic bullshit!!

  Yesterday at 3:03am · Like · 1
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  Neisha En Go online n apply for it yourself, much cheaper

  Yesterday at 4:06am · Like
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  Stu Jones Guys guys I live here applying on line is a no no ........ One thing this was my first time I try extend my visa it's ok I have no rush....... Don't even mind travel to Cambodia if I have to ..... I'm fully aware that I could use agent to get a agent to do this for me ...... I'm not tight ...... I posted a question on the group ..... Asking about good economical agent ...... Now one thing I notice everyone becomes a expert in vn overnight on visa but a few well meaning genuine people advised me very easy to do myself ..... I followed there guidance .... To get a three month multiple entry extension ...... Unfortunately there guidance was incorrect .... So now we start to have 100 more experts saying do this do that lol

  Yesterday at 10:32am · Like
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  Stu Jones So what I have discovered is this ...... 1 if you a expat from any country with a Vietnamese name you can not say I did this or that as the rule for you are different to the rules for me ...... The very nice immigration lady explained to me easy to extend you as you just put you visit family and put family down as sponsor ......2 easy to get three month multiple entry visa if you use agent and they have stamp as sponsor ....... 3 impossible for white western guy to act on his own even with proof of residence from local police to extend for 3 month multiple entry ...... I asked any other thing I could apply for as I'm retired and she looked at my age and said no way lol ..... But true ..... But also explain no way I can use another type of visa ...... If you a expert in this field and work in immigration every day please feel free to add something ..... I'm afraid I did this or I did that just does not cut it anymore ..... As I followed that ...... For me my time is my own so no problem but I would have been annoyed if it was not !!!!!

  Yesterday at 11:14am · Like
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  Rich Haslam 100,000 - 200,000 EXTRA!? I wish it were that cheap. My latest 3 month single entry cost 1.5 Mil VND. The stamping fee was only $10. This is my 2nd extension after getting a new visa from a Cambodia border run.

  Yesterday at 11:42am · Like
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  Greg Johnstone Stu Jones....I have been living in Vietnam for 4 years (I am also retired) and have NEVER had a problem with having my visa extended through an agent. All I needed to supply was my passport and the going price at the time. However, I do leave the country about every 6 months when I visit Oz, but don't think that makes any difference.

  Yesterday at 1:48pm · Edited · Like
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  Thomas Emerson And so what about the 1.5 mil. Base on the crap that Stu went through, isn't it worth it?

  23 hours ago · Like
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  Stu Jones Greg hi thanks for your comment I fully agree with you ...... If you read back to my original post not this one and also from what I've said here I know I could have done that...... One the other post you will see a few people advised me I did not need agent and could do it myself ..... I tried and the comments here relate to the fact you can't do it yourself if you don't have Vietnamese heritage ...... You must use a agent !!

  23 hours ago · Like · 1
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  Stu Jones Thomas for me it's a learning experience and a bit of running around and sitting in a office for a few hrs but now I do wish I had just used an agent ....... But based on the advice I was given for me it was just a little time to save 30/40 up to 100 $

  23 hours ago · Edited · Like · 1
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  Jim Cathcart Why don't you get a residents permit and you can stay for 2 years?

  17 hours ago · Like
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  Stu Jones Jim I'm looking into trying and how to do it at the moment I'm getting nowhere lol

  16 hours ago · Like
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  Jim Cathcart I guess nailing down a fulltime job; fulltime study; or marriage are the best options.

  16 hours ago · Unlike · 1
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  Stu Jones Jim I'm retired lol

  15 hours ago · Like
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  Jim Cathcart I think a retiree visa would be good for Vietnam. I was just in Philippines over Tet and noticed some grumblings among the retired japanese expat community.

  7 hours ago · Like
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  Jeremy Miller So what's the deal with the visas now? Last year I had an approval letter for a 90 day visa but they would only give me 30 days at the airport. After that I always renewed at a travel agency for I think $50-$80 per 3 months single entry...I've heard the cost has gone up and you have to leave after 6-9 months now (if so which is it?). Around how much should single and multiple entry 3 month visas cost now?

  about an hour ago · Edited · Unlike · 1
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  Joey Arnold I've been in Vietnam since 2012. I came with a 3 months multiple entry tourist visa. I was born in 1985 in the USA. The 10-years-long passport I bought in 2012 cost over $200 USD. That first visa I think was more than $100. I flew into Hanoi, the north on the 29th of November 2012.
  
  In February 2013, as I was now in Saigon, they told me that it costs more money to extend it, or to make a new one, because I was in the south now, instead of the north of Vietnam. Plus, multiple entry visas cost more.
  
  I have been extending visas via travel agencies. I have never tried to do it any other way.
  
  .
  
  CAMBODIA
  
  I went to Cambodia in August 2013 in order to make a single entry visa for Vietnam. This was suppose to make the extensions cost less money.
  
  They tell me that if your visa was stamped in the northern borders of Vietnam, then it will cost more money to extend your visa in the south parts of Vietnam. I had a Hanoi Airport Border Stamp for when I first came to Vietnam via airplane in 2012. I went to Cambodia in order to come back into Vietnam with a new border stamp. I was in Cambodia for a few hours. When I came back into Vietnam, they gave me a new border stamp.
  
  I first had to buy a 30-days Cambodia visa. They also told me to buy a special letter. I thought that the letter would not be needed because I already had a multiple entry visa at that time. I bought the letter just to be safe.
  
  When I was coming back into Vietnam from Cambodia, they told me that I was missing a photo on the letter. I was at the border of Vietnam and Cambodia. They told me to stay at a hotel in Cambodia that night and find a place to take a photo to attach to my letter that would allow me to re-enter Vietnam.
  
  I sat there and tried talking to them, which was tough since they only knew a little English. I kept talking until a woman came and took a photo of me, attached it to my visa. I paid about $50 (1 million VND) for the photo I guess. I think that may have been too expensive.
  
  They also just gave me a one month single entry visa for Vietnam. They said that I could not get a 3 months or longer visa at the border of Vietnam and Cambodia.
  
  In September 2013, I bought a new 3 months single entry tourist visa for around $100, but it was going to cost like around $30, but the prices changed in 2013......
  
  Around August 2013 or so, it seems that the prices and rules in Vietnam changed and now extensions cost more now.
  
  I usually extend my visa via the Balo Saigon Backpacker's Hostel and Agency at 203 Pham Ngu Laos, Q1 HCM.
  
  In March, I think I will spend around $100 to extend my visa for 3 more months, unless if I am denied, and unless if somebody can tell me of cheaper options.
  
  I will go ask around.
  
  Maybe the prices will be less than $100.....

  a few seconds ago · Edited · Like
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