Which Visa is recommeded for job seekers?

I think your other post has responses partially answers your questions.

VietNam, as with other authoritarian countries, as Russia does now, required a visitor to be 'sponsored' by a resident or an 'entity' which is not very practical for free-wheeling, roaming tourists.

You should come job hunting on a 3-month tourist visa and, should you be successful, have the employer do the application and paperwork. Much simpler that you doing it yourself.

Prepare your CV so it can be submitted with the application to the government.

VietNam is always 'fiddling' with regulations which are then followed by a period of confusion by Immigration Officers as the new regulations are 'interpreted' and eventually a new status quo is established. I spoke with a Consul earlier this week, who I have dealt with for years, and he said they are not only confused in the 'field' but also in Ha Noi!

Complicating every thing is that money can ease the stickiest of wheels so you never learn if it was a regulation or money that gets you in.

@Jaitec,
Thanks for your inputs, Jaitec.

Jaitch wrote:

VietNam, as with other authoritarian countries, as Russia does now, required a visitor to be 'sponsored' by a resident or an 'entity' which is not very practical for free-wheeling, roaming tourists.

You should come job hunting on a 3-month tourist visa and, should you be successful, have the employer do the application and paperwork. Much simpler that you doing it yourself.

Prepare your CV so it can be submitted with the application to the government.

That's where I am feeling confused too.
I got in touch with some HRs and even got invited for  F2F by a few companies and institutes. The moment they understand they have to hire from overseas, they kind of become reluctant..... it's all because, the new regulations have made the process more complicated and expensive for any company/organization to legally hire a foreigner on fresh NEW valid WP.

Will they be willing to take up that 'challenge' when I am there on tourist visa??? Are they still doing it.... that's the point of confusion.
It applies only for the new applicants....not for renewals.

VietNam is always 'fiddling' with regulations which are then followed by a period of confusion by Immigration Officers as the new regulations are 'interpreted' and eventually a new status quo is established. I spoke with a Consul earlier this week, who I have dealt with for years, and he said they are not only confused in the 'field' but also in Ha Noi!

I agree, I think I read an article on that in recent days on Thanhnien News. It all started with that Decree 46...and snowballed into something more confusing. Unfortunate!!

Complicating every thing is that money can ease the stickiest of wheels so you never learn if it was a regulation or money that gets you in.

Yes, you are right....it's a funny money-money-money story all the way. Once solved, now sit down with a glass of cafe-sua-da and laugh your lazy time away!! That's kinda cool though.

Thanks for the information, vpbox.
I have over 5 yrs of teaching experience in international universities. Professional exp is of 14 years. I hold a Master's, not yet a Phd though! I am a trained educator. Hope I might qualify for the specialist permit .... sooner or later.

vpboxvietnam wrote:

It is not true. The new policy just requires the teachers have at least 5 years of work experience  in teaching or education field to grant work permit. And now they do not grant work permit to teacher position, they just grant work permit to Education Specialist position instead. That is the reason why they requires 5 years of work experience. It is more difficult to apply for work permit than last year. However if you want I can assist you to get work permit with less than 5 years of work experience. You still need to get B visa to Vietnam. Please email me hoangnd9@gmail.com

So where are you now? Did you come to Vietnam? Did you have a WP?

I don't know if there is anyone still care about this topic, but actually there are positive changes which took effect from this July, released many tight conditions for foreigner who want to have a work permit.

But as my checking last week with the labour authority in HCMC, they still not update it     So maybe I have to go again with the legal paper to see if they are really not update the new regulation or I am missing anything.

The changes claimed on the Decision No. 47 of Vietnamese Government are as follows:

- Condition for teachers who are working for language centers: at least college degree or equivalent in suitable major (language of course)

- Condition for teacher in primary, secondary, high school: at least bachelor degree or equivalent in suitable major

- If you are working for a business entity, you only need to satisfy one of the below conditions:

+ Having an engineer or bachelor degree or higher in suitable major;
+ Having at least 5 years experience in the suitable major;
+ Having at least 1 year technical training in the suitable major.

Plus, if you come to Vietnam to hold a manager/executive position, you need to have manager experience. But the law does not say how many years of experience you must have, so I has just successfully got 3 work permits for manager position (General Director/ Chief of Representative office/ Product Development Manager) provided only 1 year manager experience. So I guess that at least 1 year manager experience is sound reasonable to the labour authority.

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

The changes claimed on the Decision No. 47 of Vietnamese Government are as follows:

- Condition for teachers who are working for language centers: at least college degree or equivalent in suitable major (language of course)

- Condition for teacher in primary, secondary, high school: at least bachelor degree or equivalent in suitable major

- If you are working for a business entity, you only need to satisfy one of the below conditions:

+ Having an engineer or bachelor degree or higher  in suitable major;
+ Having at least 5 years experience in the suitable major;
+ Having at least 1 year technical training in the suitable major.

Plus, if you come to Vietnam to hold a manager/executive position, you need to have manager experience. But the law does not say how many years of experience you must have, so I has just successfully got 3 work permits for manager position (General Director/ Chief of Representative office/ Product Development Manager) provided only 1 year manager experience. So I guess that at least 1 year manager experience is sound reasonable to the labour authority.

The highlighted sections above are the 'wiggle room areas' where a suitable financial donation will produce a positive result.

@jaitch 
The key word being 'suitable' as in reference to the amount tendered in the donation   

Actually I never ever make "financial donation" to labour authority to have a work permit, so I do not have experience on that kind of thing.

When I said "change", I meant that the regulation was really change in a straight way, for example, less condition for a work permit. I don't mean that the law changes by creating "wiggle room" for financial donation So you can understand the regulation your way but please do not misunderstand me

P/s: I will make another post to show how is the regulation changed later

I did check with the labour authority this afternoon and have the result  as below:

Condition for foreigner to have a work permit in Vietnam according to Decision No. 47 of Vietnamese Government, took effect from 8 July 2014, are as follows:

- For teachers who are working for language centers: at least college degree or equivalent in suitable major.

- For teacher in primary, secondary, high school: at least bachelor degree or equivalent in suitable major

- If you are working for a business entity, you only need to satisfy one of the below conditions:

+ Having an engineer or bachelor degree or higher in suitable major;
+ Having at least 5 years experience in the suitable major;
+ Having at least 1 year technical training in the suitable major.
+ Having at least 1 year manager experience if you will hold a manage position (for example: Product Manager, Quality Supervisor, Chief Ref, Director...)

The eliminated condition (technical training) was eliminated because it is too easy, even though that is illegal for labour authority to refuse that case.

Thanks VanKhanh Ho, thanks for all these helpful and very encouraging information.

I am not in VN yet. I will come to VN around the Tết in Feb because the most promising hiring season over there is after the Tết.  That's what I've heard from my friends. I will be on a tourist Visa.

I do have a few questions for you, just in case you have any knowledge of these.....

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

- Condition for teachers who are working for language centers: at least college degree or equivalent in suitable major (language of course)

In case of English Teaching, for example, is there any mention of NES in the WP criteria from the Govt.?
Do they have any special eligibility criteria for the WP of an nNES teacher?
Like in Japan, they need the proof of 12 years of English education (on top of a degree & teaching qualification) to issue a WP to an nNES teacher. 

I am asking this because of the following two reasons...

1) Many Eng. schools refuse to hire nNES teachers on the ground that they can't arrange their WPs.
I want to know if the Govt. has any "official" restriction on nNES, regarding their WPs as language (English) teachers.

The matter of" students' and parents' acceptance of nNES teachers" is a completely different social issue. That can be dealt with, separately. I understand that.

2) The topic of NES vs nNES has now become a whirlwind debate worldwide. It's gaining significant momentum with senior linguists (NES) advocating the competency of nNES teachers in an era of global Englishes and institutions like the British Council and many European Language Schools endorsing the 'equal opportunities' policy.

I am sure, many aspiring nNES teachers here (not Me ^^, I am into IT) will benefit from this piece of information.

FYI:
* NES = native English speaker (from certain certain countries)
* nNES = non-native English speakers (from countries where English is the first/mandatory language for official, professional and academic communications)

- Condition for teacher in primary, secondary, high school: at least bachelor degree or equivalent in suitable major

How about Lecturers/Faculty members  .... is PhD mandatory (for non-research academic positions)?
Will an MS with 6 yrs of lecturing experience be enough to get a WP?

- If you are working for a business entity, you only need to satisfy one of the below conditions:

+ Having an engineer or bachelor degree or higher in suitable major;
+ Having at least 5 years experience in the suitable major;
+ Having at least 1 year technical training in the suitable major.[/i]

Plus, if you come to Vietnam to hold a manager/executive position, you need to have manager experience. But the law does not say how many years of experience you must have, so I has just successfully got 3 work permits for manager position (General Director/ Chief of Representative office/ Product Development Manager) provided only 1 year manager experience. So I guess that at least 1 year manager experience is sound reasonable to the labour authority.

That's good news, indeed!!
Recently I read an article (in a leading VN newspaper) which is consistent with what you have mentioned above. They are reviewing their WP policy to project VN as a more skill-friendly country. http://www.thanhniennews.com A very positive move from the Govt.

Please keep us update on latest developments. It will be much appreciated. Thank you.

Hi Senwl. Actually people like you (foreigners who want to contribute to my country) are my motivation to do these thing. Thank you.

However, Vietnam laws still have change frequently, inconsistent and misunderstanding everywhere. So please excuse me if there is anything wrong or not suitable with the practice you face. Listen to my advice but check it carefully also.

About your question:

1. is there any mention of NES in the WP criteria from the Govt.?
There is no regulation mention about NES or nNES English teacher. I will check with the labour authority to see if there is something like that in practice and update to you soon

2. How about Lecturers/Faculty members  .... is PhD mandatory (for non-research academic positions)?
Vietnamese labour authority do not care about the nature of the degree (research or non-research), or actually, they do not have enough ability/ knowledge to do that. Thing they care are, name of the major sound related to your job, and period of the degree. 4-year degree is considered as equivalent with a bachelor degree, and so on.

3. Will an MS with 6 yrs of lecturing experience be enough to get a WP?
Please explain what does MS stand for

Hi VanKhanh Ho,

Thanks so much for those valuable information.

I think those regulation isn't clear. I have some questions:

1. For many foreigners who've lived in Vietnam and taught English for years without having work permit. Where can they go to prove their teaching experiences when they don't really work for any English centers?

2. Who will take responsibility to check and manage "teachers"? What is punishment?

Regards

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

Hi Senwl. Actually people like you (foreigners who want to contribute to my country) are my motivation to do these thing. Thank you.

Viet Nam is a beautiful country with friendly people and an easy-going lifestyle. I think that's what motivates many foreigners to come to Vietnam and make their contributions.

However, Vietnam laws still have change frequently, inconsistent and misunderstanding everywhere. So please excuse me if there is anything wrong or not suitable with the practice you face. Listen to my advice but check it carefully also.

I am fully aware of this fiddling of laws and regulations in Vietnam. I worked there for two and half years in the recent past and I must say, the job you are doing (to arrange legal paperworks for foreigners) is perhaps the most treacherous and complicated job in Vietnam. You will often have to bear the brunt of failures for reasons which are beyond your control. Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it.

1. is there any mention of NES in the WP criteria from the Govt.?
There is no regulation mention about NES or nNES English teacher. I will check with the labour authority to see if there is something like that in practice and update to you soon

Thanks VanKhanh Ho. Yes, please give an update as this little piece of information might be very helpful for many aspiring English teachers on this blog.

2. How about Lecturers/Faculty members  .... is PhD mandatory (for non-research academic positions)?
Vietnamese labour authority do not care about the nature of the degree (research or non-research), or actually, they do not have enough ability/ knowledge to do that. Thing they care are, name of the major sound related to your job, and period of the degree. 4-year degree is considered as equivalent with a bachelor degree, and so on.

I know a university in your city (HCMC) which is giving a 2-yr (6 semester) Bachelor's degree. Will a foreign student graduating from that university be eligible for WP in Viet Nam??   
.. LOL!! 

3. Will an MS with 6 yrs of lecturing experience be enough to get a WP?
Please explain what does MS stand for

MS stands for 'Master of Science', a Master's degree in any science subject.

Dejavu.dot wrote:

Hi VanKhanh Ho,

Thanks so much for those valuable information.

I think those regulation isn't clear. I have some questions:

1. For many foreigners who've lived in Vietnam and taught English for years without having work permit. Where can they go to prove their teaching experiences when they don't really work for any English centers?

Van Khanh: So they cannot prove their teaching experiences, sorry. Vietnamese authority only count your experience with proving document which duly signed and sealed by an entity.
But as I see, English teacher now only need to have at least college degree with suitable major to have a work permit, they do not need to prove their experience anymore, is it right in practice?

2. Who will take responsibility to check and manage "teachers"? What is punishment?

Van Khanh:According to Decree 102/2013, foreigners working in Vietnam without work permit will be expelled from Vietnam by Security Ministry (Bộ Công An), as per request from local labour authority. Of course only if they make inspection and find out that you do not have a work permit.

According to Article 22, Decree 95/2013, the entity who using foreigner without WP will be imposed a penalty from around $2,800 to $7,000 depend on number of illegal employees, and suspended business activities from 1 month to 3 months, by Labour Inspector

Thank you for your question. please keep asking if you need any further information, I will try searching/ asking to provide you the answer


Regards

Van Khanh: So they cannot prove their teaching experiences, sorry. Vietnamese authority only count your experience with proving document which duly signed and sealed by an entity.
But as I see, English teacher now only need to have at least college degree with suitable major to have a work permit, they do not need to prove their experience anymore, is it right in practice?

Hi Van Khanh, you are correct. It's definitely not right in practice.
"Education" is all about how successfully one can transfer knowledge to the recipient rather than what amount of knowledge one has accumulated in oneself. ...... and that's where experience counts a lot.

I think, a CELTA /DELTA /TEFL /TESOL certificate is also needed for the WP. That's what most (all) Eng. schools are asking for these days.  That, sort of covers up the deficiency in experience... at least in the eyes of the law, although in practice there's usually a huge difference between a successful experienced educator and a demotivated freshly trained one (mostly 2-4 weeks of training)...... especially when it comes to achieving the intended learning outcome (ILO).

There's another relevant point I should mention here. In most of these Teacher Training programs, there are always handful of specializations available for the trainees to pick e.g. English for Adults, English for Young Learners, Business English, English for Academic Purposes etc. etc. 

Now my question is.. do the authorities care to match these relevant ELT (English Language Teaching) specializations with the English Teaching jobs for which they issue the WPs? In other words, If my TEFL specialization is in Eng. for Adult Learners, can I still get a WP for a teaching position in a primary school which promises me higher salary (or longer contract, may be!)???

In reality, I think, the law doesn't care that much at all. If so, it's indeed a serious issue. If they are serious about English education, they MUST take care of it ASAP.

From the experience of many of my friends and NES English Teachers across Asia and from my own years of experience as an educator, I can tell you that it's frustratingly impossible for any serious and motivated teacher to achieve a consistent learning outcome from students at different levels. Irrespective of the subject/s being taught, such expectations are overtly unrealistic.

Yet, some teachers feel too tempted by the lure of money to give such opportunities a miss.

Since big money (for average Vietnamese parents), time and the future of learners are at stake, authorities need to be more vigilant about the nitty-gritty of this supply-n-demand game in this thriving TEFL industry.... in the best interest of the country's citizens, of course. 

Van Khanh:[i]According to Decree 102/2013, foreigners working in Vietnam without work permit will be expelled from Vietnam by Security Ministry (Bộ Công An), as per request from local labour authority. Of course only if they make inspection and find out that you do not have a work permit.

According to Article 22, Decree 95/2013, the entity who using foreigner without WP will be imposed a penalty from around $2,800 to $7,000 depend on number of illegal employees, and suspended business activities from 1 month to 3 months, by Labour Inspector

Thanks Vankhanh Ho for your reply. I will think about it when I work for my friend's language center.

Hi guys, sorry for overlooking this topic
Since there quite much thing to ask, I just have time to go to Labour authority yesterday.

senwl wrote:

However, Vietnam laws still have change frequently, inconsistent and misunderstanding everywhere. So please excuse me if there is anything wrong or not suitable with the practice you face. Listen to my advice but check it carefully also.

I am fully aware of this fiddling of laws and regulations in Vietnam. I worked there for two and half years in the recent past and I must say, the job you are doing (to arrange legal paperworks for foreigners) is perhaps the most treacherous and complicated job in Vietnam. You will often have to bear the brunt of failures for reasons which are beyond your control. Thanks for your advice. I appreciate it.

I wanna cry reading this    Thank you so much for your understanding 

senwl wrote:

1. is there any mention of NES in the WP criteria from the Govt.?

There is no regulation mention about NES or nNES English teacher. I will check with the labour authority to see if there is something like that in practice and update to you soon

Thanks VanKhanh Ho. Yes, please give an update as this little piece of information might be very helpful for many aspiring English teachers on this blog.

Checked. labour authority do not have a clue about NES or nNES. They will be treated in the same way. (If the law do not say anything about it, how can they raise it, my thinking)

senwl wrote:

I know a university in your city (HCMC) which is giving a 2-yr (6 semester) Bachelor's degree. Will a foreign student graduating from that university be eligible for WP in Viet Nam??   
.. LOL!! 

The answer is "what stated on the degree will always count". if the degree state itself as Bachelor Degree, so it is

senwl wrote:

3. [i]Will an MS with 6 yrs of lecturing experience be enough to get a WP?

A master degree in suitable major and/or at least 5 years experience in suitable major is enough.
Well there is an item in the application letter ask you to explain how is this degree suitable with the employee's position. That is where to show your talent on making it suitable by your word

senwl wrote:

Hi Van Khanh, you are correct. It's definitely not right in practice.
"Education" is all about how successfully one can transfer knowledge to the recipient rather than what amount of knowledge one has accumulated in oneself. ...... and that's where experience counts a lot.

I think, a CELTA /DELTA /TEFL /TESOL certificate is also needed for the WP. That's what most (all) Eng. schools are asking for these days.  That, sort of covers up the deficiency in experience... at least in the eyes of the law, although in practice there's usually a huge difference between a successful experienced educator and a demotivated freshly trained one (mostly 2-4 weeks of training)...... especially when it comes to achieving the intended learning outcome (ILO).

There's another relevant point I should mention here. In most of these Teacher Training programs, there are always handful of specializations available for the trainees to pick e.g. English for Adults, English for Young Learners, Business English, English for Academic Purposes etc. etc. 

Now my question is.. do the authorities care to match these relevant ELT (English Language Teaching) specializations with the English Teaching jobs for which they issue the WPs? In other words, If my TEFL specialization is in Eng. for Adult Learners, can I still get a WP for a teaching position in a primary school which promises me higher salary (or longer contract, may be!)???

In reality, I think, the law doesn't care that much at all. If so, it's indeed a serious issue. If they are serious about English education, they MUST take care of it ASAP.

From the experience of many of my friends and NES English Teachers across Asia and from my own years of experience as an educator, I can tell you that it's frustratingly impossible for any serious and motivated teacher to achieve a consistent learning outcome from students at different levels. Irrespective of the subject/s being taught, such expectations are overtly unrealistic.

Yet, some teachers feel too tempted by the lure of money to give such opportunities a miss.

Since big money (for average Vietnamese parents), time and the future of learners are at stake, authorities need to be more vigilant about the nitty-gritty of this supply-n-demand game in this thriving TEFL industry.... in the best interest of the country's citizens, of course.

This is great idea senwl. But you are right, the law and the authority either do not care about it. If you have certificate on teaching English qualify for work permit, so you will have a work permit, then you can teach either adult or children

In summery, based on  my check with the authority, a person can qualify for work permit for English teacher if they have one of these conditions:

- Having at least college degree at English education
- Having at least college degree in any major and English teaching certificate CELTA /DELTA /TEFL /TESOL
- Having at least 5 years experience in teaching English.

hope it clear for you. If you need more detail, please ask. Thanks

@ VanKhanh Ho,

Thank you very much for your updates.
You have already contributed tons of valuable information , not only here but also in other posts on this blog. All these are very helpful for us, the expats (& to-be expats) in VN.
Please keep up the good work. Thank you.

On your next visit to the Labour office, you may collect the following information, if possible ^^

If one enrolls in a VN university (for courses like MBA or PhD) will he/she be legally eligible to work part-time during his/her stay in VN as a student?

I think, I read somewhere, those on student visa can do part-time jobs. It's legally acceptable.

Would highly appreciate if you can check this information with the relevant authorities. Thanks in advance, Van Khanh.

caosontung wrote:

In my opinion, it does not matter with a tourist visa ( Type B3 ) or you can get a visa on arrival aprroval letters in advance. It could be provided by an Travel Agency.If you need any further information,
please feel free to contact me : caosontung@gmail.com

B3 isn't  a Tourist Visa, I guess nobody will be asking you for any further information?


    A1 is granted for official members who are invited guests of Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam or Congress, President, Government and equal guest of Minister, Deputy, President or vice president’s people committee of province or centrally run cities combination with those relatives or assistants coming with them.
    A2 is granted for those who are members or representatations of foreign governments and those relatives or assistant entering with them.
    A3 is used for those who enter into Vietnam to work with foreign commissions or are invited by foreign commissions.
    B1 is used for those who enter into Vietnam to work with People’s Supreme inspectorate, the Supreme people’s court, ministries and equal ministries, government agencies, people’s committee of province, central cities and central agencies of people’s organizations, union or public.
    B2 is granted for those who enter Vietnam to process investment projects accepted by Vietnam authorized organizations.
    B3 is granted for foreigners who co-operate with Vietnam enterprises
    B4 is used for those who are staff working in foreign authorized offices, branches of culture-economic organizations or other fields, and non-government foreign organizations whose branches located in Vietnam.
    C1 is granted for those who enter into Vietnam with tourist purposes.
    C2 is granted for those who want to enter into Vietnam with other purposes that are different from the above purpose.
    D is used for those who haven’t sponsored by Vietnam commissions, organizations, or the other individuals.

Note: D visa category which is not more than 15 days validity. The Other visas are more than 30 days validity.

senwl wrote:

@ VanKhanh Ho,

Thank you very much for your updates.
You have already contributed tons of valuable information , not only here but also in other posts on this blog. All these are very helpful for us, the expats (& to-be expats) in VN.
Please keep up the good work. Thank you.

On your next visit to the Labour office, you may collect the following information, if possible ^^

If one enrolls in a VN university (for courses like MBA or PhD) will he/she be legally eligible to work part-time during his/her stay in VN as a student?

I think, I read somewhere, those on student visa can do part-time jobs. It's legally acceptable.

Would highly appreciate if you can check this information with the relevant authorities. Thanks in advance, Van Khanh.

Well with only 1 question I can ask the officials on phone. Only when I have a lot of questions then I will go to meet them directly, cause I don't want to steal their time by talking with them on phone and make other people who really spend their time going to the labour office have to wait longer just because of a stupid girl keep asking and asking on phone

I doubt that a foreign student can wok in Vietnam by student visa. I don't see "student" on the list of foreign can work in Vietnam on prevailing labor regulation. Only if they are qualified for obtaining a work permit as a worker. You said "for courses like MBA and PhD". so there is a change that they already have a Bachelor right? So there is a change that they can obtain a work permit as worker

Anyway I will check with the authority on "student" case, and make a little research online also.

Anyone know a foreign student who working in Vietnam? Are they working as student? Please share

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

Anyone know a foreign student who working in Vietnam? Please share

I met a South African boy in a club 2 weeks ago. He told me that he has a student visa while he's studying here.

Dejavu.dot wrote:

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

Anyone know a foreign student who working in Vietnam? Please share

I met a South African boy in a club 2 weeks ago. He told me that he has a student visa while he's studying here.

Ya, but I still wonder if that is legally 

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

Dejavu.dot wrote:

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

Anyone know a foreign student who working in Vietnam? Please share

I met a South African boy in a club 2 weeks ago. He told me that he has a student visa while he's studying here.

Ya, but I still wonder if that is legally 

Yes. It is the same as TRC

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

Anyone know a foreign student who working in Vietnam? Are they working as student? Please share

My foreign student came here 3 weeks ago, she will stay here 3 months. What do you want to know?
You can send her a message: https://www.expat.com/forum/profile.php … mp;lang=en
If she doesn't reply, maybe she doesn't come here often. Send me instead, I will ask her.

Hi Bluenz.
Thank you for information, I am wrong for my miss explain. the Type b3 for business.
there is a little confuse from my side. I was mean for this issue some english teacher come to Vietnam without WP. they always do extend for 3months visa, then after 3 or 4 times extend. They will leave Vietnam to Cambodia and entry again with a new one .

caosontung wrote:

Hi Bluenz.
Thank you for information, I am wrong for my miss explain. the Type b3 for business.
there is a little confuse from my side. I was mean for this issue some english teacher come to Vietnam without WP. they always do extend for 3months visa, then after 3 or 4 times extend. They will leave Vietnam to Cambodia and entry again with a new one .

They gave me a B3 Visa one time, when I'd only asked for a C1.

bluenz wrote:

caosontung wrote:

Hi Bluenz.
Thank you for information, I am wrong for my miss explain. the Type b3 for business.
there is a little confuse from my side. I was mean for this issue some english teacher come to Vietnam without WP. they always do extend for 3months visa, then after 3 or 4 times extend. They will leave Vietnam to Cambodia and entry again with a new one .

They gave me a B3 Visa one time, when I'd only asked for a C1.

Because you extend via an travel Agency not by your self. And the fees is very cheap just about 20 usd or more for the first time extend

caosontung wrote:

bluenz wrote:

caosontung wrote:

Hi Bluenz.
Thank you for information, I am wrong for my miss explain. the Type b3 for business.
there is a little confuse from my side. I was mean for this issue some english teacher come to Vietnam without WP. they always do extend for 3months visa, then after 3 or 4 times extend. They will leave Vietnam to Cambodia and entry again with a new one .

They gave me a B3 Visa one time, when I'd only asked for a C1.

Because you extend via an travel Agency not by your self.

Almost, it was an online Visa on arrival site, it didn't matter , I was only going to be here for 3 months.

Your mean the approval letters. Just only for one day working and 5 $ for the fee. You pay the visa once you got it at the airport

caosontung wrote:

Your mean the approval letters. Just only for one day working and 5 $ for the fee. You pay the visa once you got it at the airport

Yes, those were the days, when you could get a Visa for $5.
Obviously it was the " overworked " staff at the airport, who made the cock up, but it was no real problem. ( maybe I just looked like a businessman, I've been accused of looking like a Policeman before ).

bluenz wrote:

caosontung wrote:

In my opinion, it does not matter with a tourist visa ( Type B3 ) or you can get a visa on arrival aprroval letters in advance. It could be provided by an Travel Agency.If you need any further information,
please feel free to contact me : caosontung@gmail.com

B3 isn't  a Tourist Visa, I guess nobody will be asking you for any further information?

Yes, it essentially is. If you get the approval letter for visa on arrival and you apply for a 90 day stay and check "tourism" as your reason for travel when you arrive they give you the B3 "business" visa. It's Vietnam so it doesn't matter what it says in print on the visa/govt websites. It is a defacto tourist visa.

Dejavu.dot wrote:

Hi VanKhanh Ho,

Thanks so much for those valuable information.

I think those regulation isn't clear. I have some questions:

1. For many foreigners who've lived in Vietnam and taught English for years without having work permit. Where can they go to prove their teaching experiences...

2. Who will take responsibility to check and manage "teachers"? What is punishment?

Regards

It's a complicated process but if you have an employer who really wants to get you the WP they will help you sort it out...

1. Can't use it. Previous experience must have been outside of Vietnam.

2. I'm not sure about the name of the specific govt agency but there has been one report on this board of officials visiting the school, fining a teacher and canceling his visa (I believe he reported being given 10 days to leave the country). Another very young man reported coming here to work for a non-profit agency to teach English in exchange for free housing and a small monthly stipend. He reported doing a visa run and being denied a visa to reenter the country. Some speculated that perhaps the organization he was working/volunteering for wasn't legit or didn't pay taxes.

Overall these reports have been very few and very far between relative to the total expat teaching community. But with the new decree some think there will be stricter enforcement.

Just wanted to say thank you to VanKhanh Ho for your considerable efforts to help us sort these things out. As expats in Vietnam we often rely on rumors and hearsay and it's really kind of you to take the time to help us get the best information possible directly from the appropriate source. Cảm ơn em.

Nam_ wrote:

Just wanted to say thank you to VanKhanh Ho for your considerable efforts to help us sort these things out. As expats in Vietnam we often rely on rumors and hearsay and it's really kind of you to take the time to help us get the best information possible directly from the appropriate source. Cảm ơn em.

Thanks for your attention. Thanks for saying "thank you" in Vietnamese too. It's sweet    Actually I have learned a lot from this site too, especially about visa. And all the challenge/questions on TRC and work permit require me to dig deeper on the area I thought that I know clearly, help me to earn a lot more knowledge. Many thanks for that.

Nam_ wrote:

1. Can't use it. Previous experience must have been outside of Vietnam.

Please excuse me if I am wrong but I can't recall from any regulation that experience must from outside Vietnam. My understanding is suitable experience, either from outside or in Vietnam, is accepted to apply for a Work permit.

Did you experience any case that the labour authority refuse to issue work permit because of the applicant's experience is from Vietnamese entity?

Naturally, experience from Vietnamese companies is preferred 
May be they hardly believe that Vietnamese Companies may give a false record!

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

Nam_ wrote:

Just wanted to say thank you to VanKhanh Ho for your considerable efforts to help us sort these things out. As expats in Vietnam we often rely on rumors and hearsay and it's really kind of you to take the time to help us get the best information possible directly from the appropriate source. Cảm ơn em.

Thanks for your attention. Thanks for saying "thank you" in Vietnamese too. It's sweet    Actually I have learned a lot from this site too, especially about visa. And all the challenge/questions on TRC and work permit require me to dig deeper on the area I thought that I know clearly, help me to earn a lot more knowledge. Many thanks for that.

Nam_ wrote:

1. Can't use it. Previous experience must have been outside of Vietnam.

Please excuse me if I am wrong but I can't recall from any regulation that experience must from outside Vietnam. My understanding is suitable experience, either from outside or in Vietnam, is accepted to apply for a Work permit.

Did you experience any case that the labour authority refuse to issue work permit because of the applicant's experience is from Vietnamese entity?

When they changed the rules in Nov last year, his created a huge problem for some teachers in VN, it required them to have notorised documents from their home countries, for their non VN teaching experience, ( when applying for Work Permits ),  but in Jul this year, they changed it again, ( still need a Degree, ( Teaching only now ), but no teaching experience, I don't think this helped at all ),  but some schools still get around this, I just received a Work permit , and I have a Degree in Engineering, not Teaching.
   Might be an idea to approach a school, and ask them what their procedures are?

Nam_ wrote:

Just wanted to say thank you to VanKhanh Ho for your considerable efforts to help us sort these things out. As expats in Vietnam we often rely on rumors and hearsay and it's really kind of you to take the time to help us get the best information possible directly from the appropriate source. Cảm ơn em.

Yes , it is appreciated Van, Mr Google isn't always up to date, that's why I won't quote anything older than 1 yr, ( unless I state the age of the info ).

Nam_ wrote:

1. Can't use it. Previous experience must have been outside of Vietnam.

Please excuse me if I am wrong but I can't recall from any regulation that experience must from outside Vietnam. My understanding is suitable experience, either from outside or in Vietnam, is accepted to apply for a Work permit.

Did you experience any case that the labour authority refuse to issue work permit because of the applicant's experience is from Vietnamese entity?

Hi, I just got the answer from labour authority, that is, working experience from Vietnam is accepted, however,it must be proved by a work permit for that period. You have to submit a copy of your previous work permit in replacement of an experience confirmation. Confirmation on experience issued by a Vietnamese entity will not be counted.

charmavietnam wrote:

Naturally, experience from Vietnamese companies is preferred   
May be they hardly believe that Vietnamese Companies may give a false record!

Great judgment  As the labour authority's answer above, you are right.

I must say, I am quite impressed with the labour authority’s intelligence this time 

There is no uniformity to laws in Vietnam.

VanKhanh Ho wrote:

Hi, I just got the answer from labour authority, that is, working experience from Vietnam is accepted, however,it must be proved by a work permit for that period. You have to submit a copy of your previous work permit in replacement of an experience confirmation. Confirmation on experience issued by a Vietnamese entity will not be counted.

OMG!!
I have lost the copy of WP that I had while working in VN for more than 2 years. 

Yes, I had it and I used to carry a copy in my wallet all the time during my stay in VN. Then after I had left the job and left VN, I did away with that piece of paper . I thought it's not required any more.

Instead, I have an official Employment Certificate from my previous foreign employer in VN. It's on the organization's official letterhead, duly signed by the HR Manager with a red stamp on it, stating my PP no. and duration of employment (dates).

I can also give them the VN Tax Code that I had from my employer during the period of employment in VN.

I wonder if these are sufficient to prove my 'valid' employment in VN!! This foreign entity (organization) I worked for is well-known in VN for not employing anyone without WP.

Can't the authorities check on their database whether or not I had had a WP during my employment in VN??

I know how whimsical and undecided some of these VN officials are at times. That makes me worried!!