Post by ogeezer on Dec 19, 2006 8:50:52 GMT -6
This subject doesn't seem to fit anywhere else, since there is no Travel Forum...
After 31 years in America, my wife said it was time to go back to her homeland. So earlier this year we began planning the return to that place she and her family (mother, father, three kids) were spirited so hurriedly out of by the U.S. State Department, on the eve the country fell to Soviet-backed communists - VIETNAM.
Nearly 19 when she left, the oldest surviving child of a family of five siblings, two had died during what the Vietnamese called, "The American War". An older brother as a officer serving in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in LamSon 719 & elder sister murdered during the days following the communist capture of Hue city in January '68, for being a teacher in the Vietnamese-American school there -- later found among the mass grave ('69) of est. 5,000 citizens killed in the Viet Minh intellectual purge.
When they escaped Vietnam, her father (who died in '90), a top Vietnamese official in the U.S. Embassy consulate offices in Da Nang, carried a high security clearance which if captured by the PAVN might comprise American efforts in Southeast Asia. As such, after his escape, he was listed on a North Vietnamese equivalent of a "most wanted list", which has made her return to Vietnam even more difficult.
Of course, my having been in Vietnam 1125-days over a period between 1967-72, while serving as pathfinder-reconnaissance specialist for the First Cavalry & 101st Airborne divivisions didn't help matters either -- even though, I never participated in any of the SOG ops carried out by U.S. Army Rangers or Special Forces.
**Note: in case youre wondering: I never knew her/her family even existed all the time I was, as they say, In Country.
Nevertheless, in August '06, we submitted our request for a 30-day visa via certified mail to the: Consular Section, Embassy of Vietnam, 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC, 20036, costing $65.00 each for a single entry visa.
For my visa, I had to submit the following data:
*Surname and name;
*Date and place of birth;
*Nationality (original and present);
*Present place of residence;
*Profession (in detail);
*Language fluency (English, Vietnamese, French, other); and
*Dates and points of exit and entry
In addition to the above, my wife, being a former citizen of Vietnam wanting to return there both as tourist and visitor of her native places, relatives had to submit:
* A list of the names + addresses of relatives who she wanted to visit in Vietnam;
*The date, reason for original departure, and permit to leave (if any); and
*Tourist information, including where she would be staying while in the country.
A daunting task to say the least.
Besides, our Vietnam visas, we had to renew our U.S. Passports, hers which also showed her having become a U.S. Naturalized Citizen ('86).
It's been 3-1/2 months and by golly, we finally got our visas. But unlike other tourists, ours contains a number of restrictions. First, wherever we go (away from our hotel), a Vietnamese-minder will accompany us. Second, all our travel will be made in a DRV-provided taxi (at our expense) with designated Viet driver. Third, visiting hours with relatives will be confined to 0600-2100 VMT. And finally, we will not be allowed to lodge overnight with any Vietnamese relative, nor transport any such relative outside their district without written authorization from the provincial magistrate.
The only thing we didn't need was a Viet-linguist, since both of us speak Vietnamese, and my wife also speaks French (language of most older educated/government people).
The good news is, like all tourists, we will be allowed to bring in upto, duty free: 400 cigarettes, 100 cigars, 500 grams (about 1/2 lb) snuff/chewing tobacco, 2 liters liquor, 3 liters beer, 5 kg tea, 3 kg coffee, personal effects of a reasonable quantity, and small gift items not to exceed $300 USD value; (excess must be) declared & will be taxed. In our case, since neither of us have a nicotine habit, the tobacco products with a portion of the other items make ideal extra gift, bribe, barter goods.
Our reservations are now booked on the 3 flights (25 hours +) which takes us from Houston to Dallas, then to Tokyo, and finally arriving late night outside Ho Chi Minh City (formerily Sai Gon); and after the overnight stay in Tan Son Nyut, onto Hue where we will be staying; which is a mere 15 miles from the wife's home village of Huong Thuy.
Yesterday, upon hearing our plans for 28 days in Vietnam, our physician did his thing: jabs in the arm for Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A & B, rabies, cholera, and typhoid; shots for polio weren't necessary since we had them within the past two years and were still effective. Then Doc took out his prescription pad & wrote scripts for the usual suspects: anti-malaria pills, a standard broad-spectrum antibiotic, and Imodium -- the traveler's friend. He also added two new names: Tamiflu, an antiviral pill, and Relenza, an antiviral powder that must be inhaled. Both somewhat effective against avian influenza if taken within two days of becoming symptomatic, since the incubation period for avian flu, H5N1, is believed to be between 6-15 days.
Because we will be visiting a country with reported outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu among poultry, the following precautions must be observed:
**do not visit bird or poultry farms or markets
**don't wear open toed footwear (aka Ho Chi Minh sandals) or go barefoot
**avoid close contact with live or dead poultry
**do not eat raw or poorly-cooked poultry or poultry products, including blood
**wash hands frequently with soap and water (we will be taking ample anti-bacterial products)
**do not attempt to bring any live birds or poultry products back to the US.
Beyond all the headaches, and expenses, I believe my wife is bothered more about going there than I am -- while it is my 4th trip (counting 3 w/army), it will be her first.
Ever since she began thinking of going back for Tet Nguyen Dan, known here as simply the Tet (Vietnamese New Year), I've told her in her own language -- Ði mot ngày dàng hoc mot sàng khôn -- the odyssey of rediscovery is yours.
And beginning January 18, 2007, her odyssey begins...
After 31 years in America, my wife said it was time to go back to her homeland. So earlier this year we began planning the return to that place she and her family (mother, father, three kids) were spirited so hurriedly out of by the U.S. State Department, on the eve the country fell to Soviet-backed communists - VIETNAM.
Nearly 19 when she left, the oldest surviving child of a family of five siblings, two had died during what the Vietnamese called, "The American War". An older brother as a officer serving in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam in LamSon 719 & elder sister murdered during the days following the communist capture of Hue city in January '68, for being a teacher in the Vietnamese-American school there -- later found among the mass grave ('69) of est. 5,000 citizens killed in the Viet Minh intellectual purge.
When they escaped Vietnam, her father (who died in '90), a top Vietnamese official in the U.S. Embassy consulate offices in Da Nang, carried a high security clearance which if captured by the PAVN might comprise American efforts in Southeast Asia. As such, after his escape, he was listed on a North Vietnamese equivalent of a "most wanted list", which has made her return to Vietnam even more difficult.
Of course, my having been in Vietnam 1125-days over a period between 1967-72, while serving as pathfinder-reconnaissance specialist for the First Cavalry & 101st Airborne divivisions didn't help matters either -- even though, I never participated in any of the SOG ops carried out by U.S. Army Rangers or Special Forces.
**Note: in case youre wondering: I never knew her/her family even existed all the time I was, as they say, In Country.
Nevertheless, in August '06, we submitted our request for a 30-day visa via certified mail to the: Consular Section, Embassy of Vietnam, 1233 20th Street NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC, 20036, costing $65.00 each for a single entry visa.
For my visa, I had to submit the following data:
*Surname and name;
*Date and place of birth;
*Nationality (original and present);
*Present place of residence;
*Profession (in detail);
*Language fluency (English, Vietnamese, French, other); and
*Dates and points of exit and entry
In addition to the above, my wife, being a former citizen of Vietnam wanting to return there both as tourist and visitor of her native places, relatives had to submit:
* A list of the names + addresses of relatives who she wanted to visit in Vietnam;
*The date, reason for original departure, and permit to leave (if any); and
*Tourist information, including where she would be staying while in the country.
A daunting task to say the least.
Besides, our Vietnam visas, we had to renew our U.S. Passports, hers which also showed her having become a U.S. Naturalized Citizen ('86).
It's been 3-1/2 months and by golly, we finally got our visas. But unlike other tourists, ours contains a number of restrictions. First, wherever we go (away from our hotel), a Vietnamese-minder will accompany us. Second, all our travel will be made in a DRV-provided taxi (at our expense) with designated Viet driver. Third, visiting hours with relatives will be confined to 0600-2100 VMT. And finally, we will not be allowed to lodge overnight with any Vietnamese relative, nor transport any such relative outside their district without written authorization from the provincial magistrate.
The only thing we didn't need was a Viet-linguist, since both of us speak Vietnamese, and my wife also speaks French (language of most older educated/government people).
The good news is, like all tourists, we will be allowed to bring in upto, duty free: 400 cigarettes, 100 cigars, 500 grams (about 1/2 lb) snuff/chewing tobacco, 2 liters liquor, 3 liters beer, 5 kg tea, 3 kg coffee, personal effects of a reasonable quantity, and small gift items not to exceed $300 USD value; (excess must be) declared & will be taxed. In our case, since neither of us have a nicotine habit, the tobacco products with a portion of the other items make ideal extra gift, bribe, barter goods.
Our reservations are now booked on the 3 flights (25 hours +) which takes us from Houston to Dallas, then to Tokyo, and finally arriving late night outside Ho Chi Minh City (formerily Sai Gon); and after the overnight stay in Tan Son Nyut, onto Hue where we will be staying; which is a mere 15 miles from the wife's home village of Huong Thuy.
Yesterday, upon hearing our plans for 28 days in Vietnam, our physician did his thing: jabs in the arm for Japanese encephalitis, hepatitis A & B, rabies, cholera, and typhoid; shots for polio weren't necessary since we had them within the past two years and were still effective. Then Doc took out his prescription pad & wrote scripts for the usual suspects: anti-malaria pills, a standard broad-spectrum antibiotic, and Imodium -- the traveler's friend. He also added two new names: Tamiflu, an antiviral pill, and Relenza, an antiviral powder that must be inhaled. Both somewhat effective against avian influenza if taken within two days of becoming symptomatic, since the incubation period for avian flu, H5N1, is believed to be between 6-15 days.
Because we will be visiting a country with reported outbreaks of H5N1 bird flu among poultry, the following precautions must be observed:
**do not visit bird or poultry farms or markets
**don't wear open toed footwear (aka Ho Chi Minh sandals) or go barefoot
**avoid close contact with live or dead poultry
**do not eat raw or poorly-cooked poultry or poultry products, including blood
**wash hands frequently with soap and water (we will be taking ample anti-bacterial products)
**do not attempt to bring any live birds or poultry products back to the US.
Beyond all the headaches, and expenses, I believe my wife is bothered more about going there than I am -- while it is my 4th trip (counting 3 w/army), it will be her first.
Ever since she began thinking of going back for Tet Nguyen Dan, known here as simply the Tet (Vietnamese New Year), I've told her in her own language -- Ði mot ngày dàng hoc mot sàng khôn -- the odyssey of rediscovery is yours.
And beginning January 18, 2007, her odyssey begins...