May 2008 Newsletter

 

Count Down – 10 Months to go

 

Saigon Reunion 2009

 

Time flies! We will be getting into single digits by next month and before you know it, March 2009 will be here and hopefully, we will have all our tickets punched, Passports and Visa’s updated, and ready for Saigon!

 

I sent my passport off to the Vietnamese Consulate (I know, I am just anal about advanced planning) for the Visa requirement and THEN went to their website to make sure nothing had changed from my 2002 attempt at going. I had sent off a check for $65.00 for the Visa, which had remained the same. However, if you go to their website (see table below for list of links), you will have a hard time finding the cost for the fee. So, I sent off an-email (which, if you click on the “Visa Fee” link on the website, you automatically get dropped into your e-mail page) and after two days received the following response:

 

DEAR APPLICANT:

 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN VISITING VIETNAM AND FOR WRITING TO THE EMBASSY.

 

PLEASE REVIEW THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION ORGANIZED IN THE FORM OF Q&A'S.

 

1) DO I NEED A VISA?
- YES, YOU DO.
- TECHNICALLY, ANY HOLDER OF A VALID (6 MONTHS PRIOR TO EXPIRATION) PASSPORT OTHER THAN VIETNAMESE, NO MATTER WHAT CITIZENSHIP, NEEDS A VISA.
- THIS GENERAL RULE IS APPLICABLE TO US CITIZENS, CANADIAN CITIZENS, LATIN AMERICAN COUNTRIES, EU CITIZENS.
- PLEASE CONTACT THE NEAREST VIETNAM EMBASSY FOR FURTHER INFORMATION IF YOU THINK YOUR COUNTRY AND VIETNAM HAVE A VISA-WAIVER AGREEMENT.
- HARD COPY OF VISA APPLICATION IS REQUIRED TO BE SUBMITTED PER EACH APPLICANT HOLDING A SEPERATE PASSPORT.

 

2) HOW EARLY AND HOW LATE CAN I APPLY FOR A VISA?
- YOU CAN APPLY FOR YOUR VISA AS EARLY AS SIX MONTHS PRIOR TO THE PROPOSED DATE OF ENTRY.
- YOU CAN APPLY FOR A VISA AS LATE AS A FEW DAYS PRIOR TO YOUR DEPARTURE.  PLEASE CALL OR EMAIL THE EMBASSY TO CHECK YOUR OPTIONS FOR RUSH/EXPEDITED SERVICE.

 

3) HOW LONG WILL THE VISA BE GOOD FOR?
- THE VISA WILL BE ISSUED ON THE BASIS OF YOUR SPECIFIC PROPOSED DATES ON THE APPLICATION.
- THE APPLICANT CANNOT ENTER THE COUNTRY BEFORE THE DATE.

 

4) WHAT TO SUBMIT?
- PASSPORT.
- APPLICATION FORM (<http://www.vietnamembassy.us/consular_services/visa_info/>).
- 1 PASSPORT-SIZE PICTURE (2X2).
- FEE (1 MONEY ORDER PER APPLICATION PACKAGE), PAYABLE TO "EMBASSY OF VIETNAM."  APPLICANTS APPLYING TOGETHER MAY SUBMIT THE FEE IN ONE MONEY ORDER.
- A SELF-ADDRESSED POSTAGE-PAID RETURN ENVELOPE. FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR PASSPORT(S), PLEASE USE ONLY ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MAILING SERVICES WHICH PROVIDE TRACKING NUMBERS: US EXPRESS MAIL OR CERTIFIED MAIL WITH FULL LABEL. PLEASE DO NOT USE OTHER MAILING SERVICES. APPLICANTS APPLYING TOGETHER MAY PROVIDE ONE ENVELOPE FOR VISAS TO BE RETURNED TO THE SAME ADDRESS.

 

5) HOW TO FILL OUT THE APPLICATION?
- ALL ITEMS MUST BE FILLED-OUT COMPLETELY IN UPPER CASE LETTERS.
- DO NOT USE PO BOX ADDRESSES.
- ITEM 11 (NAME, ADDRESS OF YOUR CONTACT IN VIETNAM) IS REQUIRED FOR "BUSINESS TRIPS" ONLY.
- PUT YOUR TOWN/CITY ON THE LINE "PLACE" AT THE END OF THE FORM.

 

6) WHAT IS THE FEE?
WITHOUT A PRIOR AUTHORIZATION/APPROVAL:
SINGLE ENTRY FOR ONE-MONTH:
  - $65.00/ EACH PERSON - $25.00 IS VISA FEE, $40.00 IS REGULAR PROCESSING FEE AND THE TOTAL FEE IS $65 (REGULAR SERVICE - 5-7  BUSINESS DAYS).
  - $85.00/ EACH PERSON - $25.00 IS VISA FEE, $60.00 IS RUSH PROCESSING FEE AND THE TOTAL FEE IS $85(RUSH SERVICE - 02-3 BUSINESS DAYS).

 

7) HOW TO PAY THE FEE?
PLEASE PREPARE ONE MONEY ORDER PAYABLE TO "THE EMBASSY OF VIETNAM".
NOTE:  ONE GROUP APPLYING TOGETHER CAN USE ONE MONEY ORDER FOR THE ENTIRE GROUP.

 

8) HOW TO SUBMIT?
- HOURS FOR DROP-OFF AND WALK-IN AT THE EMBASSY: 9:30-12:00 (MONDAY-FRIDAY)
- BY MAIL:
FOR THE SAFETY OF YOUR PAPER(S), PLEASE ONLY USE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING MAILING SERVICES WHICH PROVIDE TRACKING NUMBERS:  
  - EXPRESS MAIL (WWW.USPS.COM <HTTP://WWW.USPS.COM>)
  - CERTIFIED MAIL WITH FULL LABEL
PLEASE DO NOT USE OTHER MAILING SERVICES. APPLICANTS APPLYING TOGETHER MAY PROVIDE ONE ENVELOPE FOR VISAS TO BE RETURNED TO THE SAME ADDRESS.

 

9) WHERE TO SUBMIT?
CONSULAR SECTION
EMBASSY OF VIETNAM
1233 20TH STREET, NW
SUITE 400
WASHINGTON, DC 20036
 
10) IMMUNIZATION?
- NO INFORMATION AVAILABLE NOW, AND IT IS NOT REQUIRED.

 

11) CAN I GET A VISA AT THE AIRPORT?
- WITHOUT A PROPER ENTRY VISA, AIRLINERS WILL NOT ALLOW THE PASSENGER TO BOARD.
- PLEASE USE THE 2-DAY PROCEDURE DESIGNED TO ASSIST APPLICANTS UNDER TIME PRESSURE.

 

WE HOPE ALL YOU WANTED TO KNOW HAVE BEEN ANSWERED.

 

IF YOU STILL HAVE FURTHER QUESTIONS, PLEASE EMAIL TO THE EMBASSY AT CONSULAR@VIETNAMEMBASSY.US

 

 

So, the item that caught my eye was the restriction on the 6 months before departure before applying for the Visa! I made one of those *!&^%#$ expletives since I had already overnighted my Passport and was waiting for it to be returned indicating my analness (is that a word?). To my surprise, the Passport returned within 5 days with a stamped Visa already to go. So, they must have forgiven me for my pre-mature submission

 

There are a hundred+ hotels in Vietnam … but I concentrated on the ones I remembered back in the ‘60s (Caravelle, Majestic, Rex, Park, etc.) at the heart of Saigon. The most expensive was the Caravelle, the rest were somewhat competitive. You can go to the links in the table provided and come to your own conclusions. For me, I will wait a few more months to see how the dollar as well as oil prices do … it can’t go any lower or higher respectively… I hope. As far as airlines, it is a bit early, but Cathay Pacific, United, Eva and Northwest have been suggested with varying horror stories for each. So, I would wait (as suggested by those gone before) until 3 months before for both rates as well as schedule, etc. before doing anything.

 

As a reminder, the dates for the reunion are: March 11th – 18th, 2009. Reunion 2009 in HCMC (Saigon). A long weekend (Wednesday – Tuesday) which will include travel time, jet-lag time, and International date-line crossing. You gain a day going and lose a day coming back (from the West Coast). Most departure flights from the West Coast are overnight ones. So, the official Reunion event dates are set for Friday the 13th (OMG!) through Sunday the 15th of March 2009. If you plan your travel for the 11th – 18th, you will allow for the shortest (comfortable) travel time with one jet-lag day (Thursday the 12th). This does not preclude anyone making their own elongated plans, but for our get-togethers and events planning schedules, we are designating Friday – Sunday as the Reunion in Saigon (HCMC).

 

The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) link is on the website for you to visit, so I have not repeated it here. However, I am including the roster list (which is also available on the website since we need to get as close as to a final list as soon as we can. So, if you know your commitments as firm, please let me know so that I can update your status. Also, those who attended the Hawaii Reunion, remember the cool blue hats, towels and shirts with the SaigonKids logo on them everyone wore to the Softball game-ordering and purchasing organized by Sarah Bush Rogers. We are thinking of ordering a batch of hats and polo shirts (both genders) if any of you are interested!?!? If so, please let me know and I will keep a count in the Roster when it comes time to order them for you. Prices will range in the $25.00/item or less once we finalize quantity buys:

 

Travel Roster

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Updated 05/30/2008

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Too

 

 

NO.

Polo

 

 

Names

Going!

Planning

Thinking

Early

Maybe

Can't

Party

Shirts

Hat

Notes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allen, Kathleen

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Arbuckle, Les

 

 

 

 

2

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Berven, Mary Lou

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Blackmore, Ruth

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Busa/Safrannek (Kandi/Tom)

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Bush, Charlotte

 

 

 

 

 

0

0

 

 

Been there/Done that

Dunn, Mike & Yen

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Johnson, Stephen

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Kotzebue, Dave

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Kent, Allen

 

 

 

1

 

 

1

1

1

Saigon

Kent, Christie

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

1

 

Saigon, Baguio PI

Landgraf, Susan & Gabriella

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

McDonald, Roy

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

1

1

Baguio PI, Saigon VN

McIntyre, Cathie

 

 

 

 

 

0

0

 

 

Teaching Conflicts

Oakley-Melvin, Deborah

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Pei, Linda

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Porcher, Annie Herndon

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Porcher, Jacqueline B.

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Rogers, Sarah

1

 

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Rubira, Claude (Arcache)

 

 

2

 

 

0

0

 

 

Can't - Date Conflicts

Shahpazian, Bobbie

 

 

 

 

 

0

0

 

 

Can't - Date Conflicts

Stann, Susie

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon, Dalat, Hue

Stoddard, Frank

2

 

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Hanoi first, train south to Saigon

Thomas, Bruce

 

 

 

 

2

 

2

 

 

Saigon

Turner, Richard

 

1

 

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Viroly, Michelle

 

 

1

 

 

 

1

 

 

Saigon

Yeager, Ken

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Saigon From Germany

Zucker, Arlene

 

2

 

 

 

 

2

 

 

Just got back - will go again

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Total

15

13

4

1

4

0

35

3

2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             

       The following is a list of travel related links that can help you in your travel planning:

 

Travel & Accommodations

Website/Links

Used by

 

 

 

Eva Airlines

http://www.evaair.com/html/b2c/english/

Arlene Zucker Claiborne

Travel Guide/Agency

http://www.saigon-tourist.com/en/travel/travel.htm

Barbara Bush Parker

Thai Airlines

http://thaiairlines.com/

Barbara Bush Parker

Air China

http://cnomy.com/?dn=airchina.com&pid=1POEL38TR

Barbara Bush Parker

HCMC (Saigon Hotels)

http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/saigon.htm?gclid=CKKupavh4pICFQksswodKAOAAA

List

Caravelle Hotel

http://www.caravellehotel.com/default.aspx

List

Majestic Hotel

http://www.majesticsaigon.com.vn/

List

Rex Hotel

http://www.vietnamstay.com/hotel/rex/

List

Northwest Airlines

http://www.nwa.com/

Christy Kent

United Airlines

http://www.united.com/

List

Visa Requirements

http://www.vietnamembassy.us/consular_services/visa_info/

Arlene Zucker Claiborne

Maps/Books

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/

Arlene Zucker Claiborne

 

 

 

 

      Please visit the website www.saigonkids.com and under the <Newsletter> tab click on <May_2008> you will find this and previous newsletters as we count down to March 2009!

      If you would like to NOT receive this e-mail on a monthly basis until departure, please click on the following and send me your request to be off the list: rmcdonal@sesi.com

Happy Trails!

Roy