Vietnamese Citizenship by descent advice

Copied from Dualcitizenship.com.

"Vietnam has permitted dual citizenship under limited circumstances since July 1, 2009. Certain foreigners and overseas Vietnamese can apply for dual citizenship. Those having Vietnamese parents or children or married to a Vietnamese spouse, those who make special contributions or benefit Vietnam may apply for dual citizenship."

Your parents' birth certificates can be retrieved or recreated if they know the place and time of their births.  If it's truly was Saigon, then the procedure is already easier than if it were some small villages somewhere. 

Contact the hospital/s of their births, in person.  It's better if your parents are there with you.  Their birth certificates are the most important step.  Once you have it, reclaiming your citizenship as a child of Vietnamese citizens (even if they did renounce their citizenship) will happen.  I've seen it done a number of times.

Thanks for the tip Ciambella. Do you think I need to be with my mother if I do find the hospital and request for the birth certificate? I think it will be very difficult to convince my mother to come with me to VN to get her birth certificate.

lamadoo wrote:

Thanks for the tip Ciambella. Do you think I need to be with my mother if I do find the hospital and request for the birth certificate? I think it will be very difficult to convince my mother to come with me to VN to get her birth certificate.

You don't need to be with her, but it's better if she's there if there are questions you cannot answer. 

Here's a small example: for years my mother said I was born *around* midnight on Dec 20.  I didn't question her memory until I had to fill out some paperwork that required the exact date, so I nagged her for days, "Does around midnight mean 5 minutes before midnight on the 20th or 5 minutes after midnight and the date became the 21st?"  She kept saying "the 20th" and I kept asking, "How did you know for certain?"  She finally snapped, "Because the midwife already cleaned you up when the night watch announced the time!" (I was born in the ancient time when there were still night watches who announced stuff like the end of day, light out, literacy checkpoints, etc.) 

When it comes to bureaucracy, those important and unimportant questions may come up and you would be stumped without your mother.  "What's the name of the street did your family live in Saigon when your mother was born?"  "What was *her* father's occupation?"  "What were the names of the schools she attended?" "Are there anyone who can vouch for these information/her birth/her parents' names?" etc.  (The last question was asked of two people I know.)

But if she doesn't want to make the trip then you just have to hope that those questions will not come up.

Thanks Ciambella, you have been very helpful. Congrats on getting your citizenship!

lamadoo wrote:

Thanks Ciambella, you have been very helpful. Congrats on getting your citizenship!

Thank you.  If you mean American citizenship, then it happened more than 40 years ago.  If you mean Vietnamese citizenship, then no, I've no desire to reclaim it.

i completed the process about 4 years ago. I had to go to bac lieu and apply there for my birth certificate which was pretty straight forward and cost less than $10. They asked around the former neighbors where my parents use to live if they could verify my and my families identities as the records from the hospital had been lost years ago. They were able to do this, so it was pretty straight forward. I guess the problems arise if you couldn't do this.
     From there you go to the citizenship place in dist 1 and fill in some forms and again it was pretty cheap and in 2 -3 weeks i became a citizen of the Vietnam again 40 years later.

its well worth doing, as then you don't need to renew your visa every 3 months or so and you can travel visa free through ASEAN as well as own property ,  open a company etc...

The only downside could be that if you enter on your VN passport and subsequently get into trouble with the law, the AU consulate will not do anything on your behalf.  But then, maybe they don't do much either way.

Hey Ciambella,

I have a relative in Vietnam atm who is my mothers counsin. I was wondering if he can get a new birth certificate from the hospital in my mothers' place? Would a photocopy of my mothers Australian passport and licence be enough for identification?

Thanks.

bizdeals wrote:

i completed the process about 4 years ago. I had to go to bac lieu and apply there for my birth certificate which was pretty straight forward and cost less than $10. They asked around the former neighbors where my parents use to live if they could verify my and my families identities as the records from the hospital had been lost years ago. They were able to do this, so it was pretty straight forward. I guess the problems arise if you couldn't do this.
     From there you go to the citizenship place in dist 1 and fill in some forms and again it was pretty cheap and in 2 -3 weeks i became a citizen of the Vietnam again 40 years later.

Congrats my friend. Thanks for sharing your experience.

lamadoo wrote:

Hey Ciambella,

I have a relative in Vietnam atm who is my mothers counsin. I was wondering if he can get a new birth certificate from the hospital in my mothers' place?

I've known of immediate family members who requested birth certificate on the applicant's behalf, but I don't know of any cousin who did.   That doesn't mean it can't be done, however.  Plenty of appreciation in the right form to the right people would help.

I'm going through the process now and hired a Vietnamese law firm.  It will cost approximately 90 million VND.  It will take a year to finish.

They will take care 100% of the paperwork and headache for you.  Message me if you are interested in their info.

Best,

Tin Tin

bizdeals wrote:

i completed the process about 4 years ago. I had to go to bac lieu and apply there for my birth certificate which was pretty straight forward and cost less than $10. They asked around the former neighbors where my parents use to live if they could verify my and my families identities as the records from the hospital had been lost years ago. They were able to do this, so it was pretty straight forward. I guess the problems arise if you couldn't do this.
     From there you go to the citizenship place in dist 1 and fill in some forms and again it was pretty cheap and in 2 -3 weeks i became a citizen of the Vietnam again 40 years later.

Did you already have Vietnamese citizenship prior?  Did you already have CMND?  Did you have a Vietnamese passport?  Ho khau Ho chieu?   

The person writing this original post is living and was born in Australia.   He does not have any of the paperwork or connections like you.  The process is not that simple and it does not take 2-3 weeks nor 2-3 months.  Impossible.

I think it's best to contact your VN consulate in AUS, as no one in VN is/can help you with it.. Don't listen to anyone in VN saying they can help you, because they really can't.

You're going to need to gather a lot of paperwork, submit it, and wait. Definitely not going to be fast too. You'll going to need your parent's help to gather those paperwork.


I too am a dual citizen, not from AU, but I'm sure it's the same.


http://vietnamconsulate.org.au/en/servi … ort-8.html
This is in Vietnamese, I hope you can read it...

Lamadoo,
        I left VN in 78 as a teenager without any papers.  12 years ago I went back to my home district in SG and asked my cousin to get my birth certificate for me.  Within a week, he got  me 10 copies.  So ask your parent to go back to his or her birthplace and to get his/her birth certificate then go from there.

lamadoo wrote:

I have a relative in Vietnam atm who is my mothers counsin. I was wondering if he can get a new birth certificate from the hospital in my mothers' place? Would a photocopy of my mothers Australian passport and licence be enough for identification?

jryan wrote:

Lamadoo,
        I left VN in 78 as a teenager without any papers.  12 years ago I went back to my home district in SG and asked my cousin to get my birth certificate for me.  Within a week, he got  me 10 copies.

This sounds promising...

It seems to me that these young men may have the cart before the horse.  They should be eligible for a 5 year VEC.  Go to Vietnam to live for a few years before you decide to apply for citizenship.  If you can't locate what you need for a VEC, just go with a tourist visa and start looking.  Once you are there you can hunt down the requisite paperwork instead of relying solely on relatives.  I expect they would be more comfortable to bring you to right offices rather than going there alone while you remain in AU.  The success that lamadoo experienced with his cousin's help was probably tied to his being there.

Lamadoo,
                No, I was not present at the local office where my cousin went.  I am pretty sure handed some coffee money to get this.  I got 10 copies all notarized.

I also plan to do this once Vietnam borders are open.  I was born in the US and both parents born in Vietnam.  My dad lives in US and my mom passed away a few years ago.  I will enter with a tourist visa and then apply for my 5 year VEC and stay in HCMC.  I read on another site people hanging around the immigration office will offer to do the 5 year VEC for $150.  If they quote sky high prices I will follow the other VEC thread to do on my own. 

Starting to gather all my documents now, US birth certificate, marriage certificate, mother's death certificate, etc.  Do any of you recall needing to get a no criminal record letter which for me would be a letter from the FBI stating I have no criminal record?   

Will need to ask my dad if he remembers what hospital my mom was born in.  Nice to meet all of you and I'll keep everyone updated on this new journey 

chicagoan77 wrote:

I will enter with a tourist visa and then apply for my 5 year VEC and stay in HCMC.  I read on another site people hanging around the immigration office will offer to do the 5 year VEC for $150.  If they quote sky high prices I will follow the other VEC thread to do on my own.

About three weeks before your departure, apply for VEC from the US yourself ($20) or use a Vietnamese visa service near you ($60). It'll take about one week (a bit faster if you include a self addressed Express Mail envelope) to receive the VEC and you can use it immediately instead of paying for tourist visa first.

I was just about to say exactly what Ciambella told you.  What do they say about "Great minds...?"

Let me add the following:  As there is no Viet Consulate in Chicago, don't go through the Embassy in DC but use the Consulate in San Francisco.  Unlike the Embassy they are polite when you call, at least in English, so I expect they should be the same if you speak Vietnamese.  The website is well organized and details what documents you will need for your VEC.  If you are unsure you can call and they don't mind helping you out.  My guess is that your own US birth certificate may be enough if it lists your parents place of birth as Vietnam.  I would recommend mailing your passport to them so that they can glue in the VEC.  I did so the last time with no fear or problems.  Follow the "in-person" instructions even though you are working by mail.  The other instruction is for a loose certificate.

One odd thing is that they don't list the price.  You will have to ask them on the phone so you can make a money order.  Don't worry there is no added markup.  It may just be because they don't want to revise the website if the official price does change.

Link:  SF Consulate

The best reason to go with a VEC first is that you can look around and test the waters so to speak.  Then if after a couple of years you wish to reclaim dual citizenship, you can do that.

THIGV wrote:

I was just about to say exactly what Ciambella told you.  What do they say about "Great minds...?"

Link:  SF Consulate

The best reason to go with a VEC first is that you can look around and test the waters so to speak.  Then if after a couple of years you wish to reclaim dual citizenship, you can do that.

Thank you very much!  Is it still 5 years for the VEC?  Yes my US birth cert lists both parents were born in Vietnam.  As soon as the borders open I will apply 

chicagoan77 wrote:

Is it still 5 years for the VEC?

It's good for 5 years or until 6 months before you passport expires.  Therefore, if you don't have at least 5 and 1/2 years left on your passport, it might be a good idea to get a new one.  All the new US passports have the added pages so you don't have to pay extra for them.

THIGV wrote:

chicagoan77 wrote:

Is it still 5 years for the VEC?

It's good for 5 years or until 6 months before you passport expires.  Therefore, if you don't have at least 5 and 1/2 years left on your passport, it might be a good idea to get a new one.  All the new US passports have the added pages so you don't have to pay extra for them.

Thanks!  Do you remember if you sent copies or originals for birth and marriage certificates?

chicagoan77 wrote:

Do you remember if you sent copies or originals for birth and marriage certificates?

For birth certificate, you need to send either the original or certified copy (with the state registrar's raised, embossed, or impressed seal, the registrar's signature, and the date the certificate was filed with the registrar's office).   You only have one original document of any kind while certified copy can be made multiple times.

You don't need your parents' marriage certificate.  They don't have to be married to give you your Vietnamese heritage.

From item 2 on the VEC page (San Francisco Consulate):
"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"

I would construe this to mean send the original plus a copy for their files, but ask them.  That's the good thing about the SF Consulate, they don't seem to mind questions.    Even if they want to keep it, as your own birth certificate is from Illinois or some other state, it should be pretty easily replaceable. 

My wife got my first VEC for me at Immigration in HCM.  I wasn't even present.  My renewal did not require any documentation except sending in the expired one.  I can't be much help there.

I called the SF consulate regarding VEC and told them my mother was born in VN. They asked about my father and my age. I said my father was American and I was in my 30s. They put me on hold and came back and said only children under 14 can get a VEC.

Has anyone heard the 14 year old requirement? Anything to do with only my mother being Vietnamese? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This was only one phone call, I'll keep trying. Eventually I would like to get a VN passport. Thanks.

jryan wrote:

Lamadoo,
                No, I was not present at the local office where my cousin went.  I am pretty sure handed some coffee money to get this.  I got 10 copies all notarized.

Sorry to bother you again jryan, what local office did your counsin visit to get your certificate? I thought we had to go to the hospital for a birth certificate? Cheers

lastresort wrote:

I called the SF consulate regarding VEC and told them my mother was born in VN. They asked about my father and my age. I said my father was American and I was in my 30s. They put me on hold and came back and said only children under 14 can get a VEC.

Has anyone heard the 14 year old requirement? Anything to do with only my mother being Vietnamese? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

The reply you received was incorrect.  There's no law saying only children under 14 can get VEC. 

Here's the updated (March 4, 2021) from Vietnam Embassy in the US regarding VEC.

And here's the official words from the Immigration Department - Ministry of Public Security on the required document/s:

- One of the papers and documents proving that the Vietnamese people reside abroad or papers previously issued are used to speculate about the original nationality or Vietnamese origin.

- Papers proving the relationship with Overseas Vietnamese or Vietnamese citizens (marriage certificate, birth certificate, proof of parent/child relationship).

Consular Department - Vietnam Ministry of Foreign Affairs says the same thing (content is in Vietnamese, translation is same as given above).

Thank you, Ciambella! I will keep trying.

tintinmiami2013 wrote:

I'm going through the process now and hired a Vietnamese law firm.  It will cost approximately 90 million VND.  It will take a year to finish.

They will take care 100% of the paperwork and headache for you.  Message me if you are interested in their info.

Best,

Tin Tin

Hi can you please ask your law firm if you need to show proof that you renounced your for example US citizenship?  If they say yes, is there also option to request dual citizenship? 

Also can you request to change your first name to a Vietnamese name?  Thank you!

chicagoan77 wrote:

tintinmiami2013 wrote:

I'm going through the process now and hired a Vietnamese law firm.  It will cost approximately 90 million VND.  It will take a year to finish.

They will take care 100% of the paperwork and headache for you.  Message me if you are interested in their info.

Best,

Tin Tin

Hi can you please ask your law firm if you need to show proof that you renounced your for example US citizenship?  If they say yes, is there also option to request dual citizenship? 

Also can you request to change your first name to a Vietnamese name?  Thank you!

A freebie? 😁

chicagoan77 wrote:

tintinmiami2013 wrote:

I'm going through the process now and hired a Vietnamese law firm.  It will cost approximately 90 million VND.  It will take a year to finish.

They will take care 100% of the paperwork and headache for you.  Message me if you are interested in their info.

Best,

Tin Tin

Hi can you please ask your law firm if you need to show proof that you renounced your for example US citizenship?  If they say yes, is there also option to request dual citizenship? 

Also can you request to change your first name to a Vietnamese name?  Thank you!

Gaining dual citizenship will be a long hard road, and lots of Uncle Ho's in someones pocket.

Citizenship

Thank you @THIGV I called the SF Consulate and they are super nice!  He mentioned the online option on their website where you can upload all the documents for the 5 year VEC, it looks very easy!  They do show the cost on the website which is $105 where a good chunk probably goes towards FedEx Overnight delivery.  I did ask about mailing in and he said it was fine to mail copies of birth cert, marriage cert.  Forgot to ask what was price if mailing in.  Now to wait patiently until mandatory quarantine upon arrival ends 
I did ask and he is hoping it will happen around August.

Don't know the cost but this video has good info:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPU9wa9TRRE

chicagoan77 wrote:

Don't know the cost but this video has good info:

This fellow, Ken Duong, is obviously self serving and his videos are really infomercials for his immigration services, but he does provide a lot of information and most importantly, he organizes it well.  It's a little silly how he presents the interview as if he were a guest when he is almost certainly the young ladies boss.  Ciambella had some prior comments on another thread about the relatively low status of the US law school that he went to, but as long as you do business with him with your eyes wide open, he should be OK.  This is particularly true for second generation people who do not speak Vietnamese, but read your contract very carefully.

Just got a quote from Ken Duong.  They charge $1500 for only the Vietnam passport, $500 extra for faster 3 week processing or wait 6-8 months.  $750 paid upfront and $750 upon receiving passport.  If you want full citizenship which includes National ID and family book, add $1500.  I'm not sure how this quote would work for my scenario which would be my father getting citizenship first, him sponsoring me and then my wife last.   

If anyone else has any other rates please let me know.  Thanks!  Also translation and notary of documents are paid by client.

chicagoan77 wrote:

Just got a quote from Ken Duong.  They charge $1500 for only the Vietnam passport, $500 extra for faster 3 week processing or wait 6-8 months.  $750 paid upfront and $750 upon receiving passport.  If you want full citizenship which includes National ID and family book, add $1500.  I'm not sure how this quote would work for my scenario which would be my father getting citizenship first, him sponsoring me and then my wife last.   

If anyone else has any other rates please let me know.  Thanks!  Also translation and notary of documents are paid by client.

Are you saying 1500 usd to just apply and receive a passport. I looked it up for my wife in Australia and the total cost was 100 aud. Here in Viet Nam a passport costs around 25 usd.

Got a feeling dodgy Ken is on a get rich quick program.