lekatai

We went on the 13.30 ferry from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc.It's one of the fast fireglass ones and takes about 1+1/2 hours, It's quite large,(from memory about 100+ passengers),and costs 160,000VND O/W.There are smaller wooden fishing boat type ferries,which locals and budget travellers use,I'm sure they are relatively seaworthy but I didn't fancy my chances on one!.It's quite possible that they take a lot longer,as I think it's about 45km from Ha Tien to Phu Quoc.We caught the ferry back from Phu Quoc to Rach Gia,which is considerably further,and even though it was a bigger and faster boat,it took about 2+1/2 hours.I think that was 250,000VND O/W.(currently 1USD =c19000VND)

Do you get your Vietnam visa in Sihanoukville ? How much ?

thx

LLL

Well I have never done it personally,as I don't need a Vietnam visa.I am married to a Vietnamese girl,and we live in Vietnam so I have a 5 year visa exemption, but friends of mine have got a Vietnam visa there before, it was done while they waited at the Vietnamese consulate in Sihanoukville,and I think from memory they paid about 30USD for a 30 day single entry visa,(it's a lot cheaper than getting one at the Embassy in Bangkok)

The short answer is yes,in fact I travelled from Sihanoukville to Vietnam yesterday,so the information is pretty up to date!! The easiest way to do it from Sihanoukville is to catch a bus,which goes via Kampot and Kep to the Prek Chak/Xa Xien border crossing and then on into Vietnam to Ha Tien.The bus left at 08.10 (we left the bus station at 07.30,but we picked up passengers from their hotels).It's about 1+1/2 hours to Kampot,then 45 minutes to Kep,45 minutes to the border and about an hour (depending on passenger numbers/visa issues) through the border to Ha Tien.I used a company called Virak Buntham,who charge 20USD inclusive of the hotel pick-up.You can get tickets either from your hotel,a travel agent or direct from the bus station.When you get to Ha Tien,the bus goes straight to the tour office,less than 100m from the ferry pier,which is where you get the boat to Phu Quoc Island.There's a boat at 08.00and another at 13.30.so it is normally possible to leave Sihanoukville at 08.00,get to Ha Tien at around 12.00 to 12.30,and catch the 13.30 boat to Phu Quoc,all in one day.You can't rely on it 100%,if there are delays on the road or problems at the border,but I would say that most times there would be no problem.The worst scenario is that you'd have to spend a night in Ha Tien.It's not that bad,(which is why I live here!)The return journey is just in reverse,you get the boat from Phu Quoc(I think 08.00) and the bus leaves Ha Tien at 12.30 for Sihanoukville (again via Kep/Kampot) arriving c 17.00 The only slight irritation is the silly 1USD "health certificate",entering Cambodia or entering Vietnam,which is obviously just a scam,but it isn't worth making a fuss over 1USD and getting delayed.Contrary to some reports you CAN get a Cambodian visa at the border,I have a business visa so don't need to,but other people on the bus were charged 22 USD so there's a slight "surcharge" on the official 20USD price but again not worth arguing over.Hope this helps.If you have any other questions please post here or you can PM me

In the OP's post,he stated that these new rules apply to persons marrying after autumn 2010.However,in the information on the UK governments website,it doesn't appear to me to say that,but refers to people applying after that date, regardless of when they were actually married.It may well be that I've misread it or missed the relevant section,but can anyone clarify which is the correct interpretation.It affects me directly,and I am sure many other people as well

Hi there, we don't know anything abot the Phils never been there but we have been around the world for 25years and especially around Asia for 14years based in Thailand and we only can nod our heads on the answers before about the people in VN. We had some biz there last year and stayed for 3 month on a biz visa, based in HCMC and tavelled a lot.

The most boring place on the planet the most boring people on the planet, even in HCMC hardly find anyone speaking english and those who think they speak english can only read and write, not speak or listen. The people appear to us like living robots, they praise their lousy country a every moment. Their characters are like taking advantage of foreigners, being cowardish and mistrusting,not able to decide anything or even answer a question. If they are your employees they are easy to handle, reliable and robotlike, if you want to find any cultural roots or make friends - nearly impossible, really brainwashed, don't yu dare to ask any critical question.

Even the chinese population stays among their own culture and doesn't mix with the vietnamese, the chinese speak chinese and live in their own areas, they do not want to speak vietnamese.

There are some expat communities especially in HCMC, they stay among themselves and don't even trust their VN domestic helpers, there is a saying going on :don't ever give a vn a small finger, we got this from people who have good biz in here but hate the living circumstances.

VN people with money love to travel often to Bangkok or Singapore bc they find their own country very boring, many families do that every month.

The best thing about VN was beer Saigon and the flight back home after 3 month, we could have left earlier but when we commit to do s.th. we do it, no matter what

All the best Mag&Uli from Pattaya

Well I think you are talking nonsense,I don't know how much time you have actually spent in Vietnam,or where,but,as I have said in my previous posts here,(and on other forums),I am married to a Vietnamese girl and we have a child,I have visited here many times over the last 6 years,we now live here,and I have never encountered any such behaviour,in fact since we have lived here for the last month we have had nothing but interest and help from the locals.It was a 6 week touring holiday earlier this year in Vietnam that finally made me decide to sell up in Thailand and move here to live,and so far I haven't regretted it for a minute.I have never found any of the people here that I have dealt with to have the characteristics that you describe.Perhaps you will be happier in Pattaya,we lived there for 4 years and had a very successful business,but I'm glad we got out of there.

Well,I'd like to dispel some of the myths about Vietnam.I moved here a month ago to live here,after first living in Cambodia for a few months,and Thailand(Pattaya) for the last four years.As another poster said,Vietnam is a communist country,although on a day to day basis,you don't notice it.There is a bit of paperwork to be done in order to do anything,but it's not difficult,doesn't take long,and if it costs,it's peanuts.The cost of living here is far cheaper than Thailand,e.g.for food drink and rent.I'm living in a small town on the South coast,not far from the Cambodian border,and as far as I know am the only foreigner living here,although you get a lot of people travelling through.The Vietnamese people are very friendly,and in the many visits I've made to Vietnam I've always found this to be the case.Now,in my case it's easier,because I am married to a Vietnamese girl and we have a child,so a lot of passport/visa issues simply don't arise,but so far I am sure we made the right choice.I'll keep you informed

You cannot get a re-entry permit at the airport any more,that facility has been withdrawn

Yes thanks received and reply sent.

We use "Nana" laundry for the Hotel sheets,(the room maids do the towels and pillow cases).I think they are situated in Soi LK Metro,they certainly used to be.They call round every day,collect the sheets to be washed,at the same time they bring back the ones that were washed the previous day,ironed and folded.Costs 10B per sheet inclusive,which I think is pretty good value.I will try and find out address and phone No

The reality is that I will most probably be an arm chair traveler, as I'm quite 'dug in' here in LOS with Thai wife/family that are loyal to their country [good or bad] but in my dreams of greener pastures, I would like to add my criteria for the perfect retirement place.

1] cooler climate [higher altitude?]

2] clean enviornment

3] decent clean cheap food and access to western foods when craved

4] low crime

5] decent internet

6] good roads and transport

7] affordable and good medical

8] affodable housing

9] some English spoken or written and/or local language not as impossible as Thai

10] beautiful smiling women would be a plus

just a few of the things I would need in 'my final resting place fantasy'

is there such a place left on this planet??

unfortunately the answer is no.

Well,I may be answer some of your questions soon.I have lived in Thailand for nearly 5 years,before that I lived in Cambodia for nearly a year,and will be moving to live in Vietnam in a few months.I would say from my previous visits there that Vietnam certainly fulfils most if not all of the above criteria.The only difficult thing might be to find one city or town that has them all.For instance Saigon has good medical facilities but it's relatively expensive for housing and its not cool or particularly clean.Hanoi has good medical facilities,but it is quite dirty,however for part of the year it's actually cold,it certainly was when we were there in January.I've just come back from a 6 week tour of Vietnam,from Hanoi/Ha Long Bay to Hue/Da Nang/Hoi An/Nha Trang /Saigon and the Mekong Delta inc Phu Quoc island.I've been many times before and am married to a Vietnamese girl,we have a 1 year old boy as well.Out of the main tourist areas it's cheaper than Thailand,certainly housing,food and drink.Unfortunately though the medical facilities out in those places leave a lot to be desired,but then transport in Vietnam is relatively good,and if you live reasonably close to a regional airport,its cheap and easy to fly to Saigon/Hanoi.I wouldn't say English is widely spoken, but in the main tourist areas a fair number speak it.It's a lot easier to learn Vietnamese than Thai,the alphabet is similar to ours, the words are shorter and although it is a tonal language,the version of Vietnamese written today was basically invented by the French last century.The visa situation is easier there(for me anyway).Because I am married to a Vietnamese,I have a 5 year visa EXEMPTION,it's not a visa,just a sticker in my passport saying I don't need a visa.The only thing is that I can't stay in Vietnam more than 90 days at a time,so I will have to leave every 90 days(very similar to the Non O here).It may well be that I can get some sort of residence visa when I am there,I will have to find out,or maybe someone there knows the answer to that?

Sorry Jonzboy,but I think you are wrong.I have read the Q+A section of the UK visas link posted above byPhil,and it is quite clear. "If you and your unmarried or same-sex partner have been living together outside the UK for four years or more,and you meet all the necessary requirements to stay permanently in the UK,you may be granted indefinite leave to enter" So it is quite clear that you do not actually have to be married,living together "in a relationship akin to marriage" is sufficient

A while ago I bought a book when I was in Saigon,from one of the itinerant book sellers,it's called "Sex Slaves"(The trafficking of women in Asia).ISBN 1-86049-903-1,distributed by Asia Books Co in Thailand.The writer is Louise Brown, I believe she is a lecturer at Birmingham University.It's not a feminazi rant,but a well thought out treatise on the sex trade in Asia and S/E Asia. Well worth a read,albeit sometimes a rather depressing one.There are many myths debunked and Thailand doesn't come out of it nearly as badly as some other countries in the region.Also while she doesn't actually single out Western sex-tourists as being worthy of praise, it's quite clear that the locals are far far worse in their treatment of women(in general,and not only in the sex industry)It was published originally in 2000,but the edition I've got is 2005,so I think it's fairly up to date

I've noticed the "blank screen" with Bank of Ayudha half way through the transaction.If there is a horizontal pink stripe across the screen when this happens,press the second button up on the right side of the screen,and the transaction will go through.You will get a receipt,and there is no transaction fee.(This is using a UK bank Visa debit card)This blank screen is the one that used to inform of the 150B(subsequently 15B) transaction fee,which apparently the Bank of Ayudha has now discontinued

If your girlfriend wants to stay longer than the 30 days permitted on arrival by air,she will need a visa.I've been through this procedure many times with my Vietnamese girlfriend.She never had a problem getting a tourist visa at the Thai Embassy in Saigon.I supplied her with a letter confirming she was visiting me,and they wanted to see a return air ticket as well.They wouldn't issue a double entry visa,we asked many times and no go.Nor would they issue a 12 month non-immigrant O.(although strangely enough I emailed the Thai Consulate in Hull,UK,and they replied that if my girlfriend was in the UK,they would issue her a 12 month non-immigrant O visa for Thailand,even though she has a Vietnamese passport).This was all 2 years ago,and although she had a total of 5 tourist visas,they were never back to back,as she would go back to Vietnam,stay with her family for a few weeks, and then come back here.She then got an ED visa,which involved quite a bit of paperwork,and needed to be renewed every 90 days at Jomtien

I've had a non imm O for five years ( renewed annually on the basis of retirement).I have only ever had to do the 90 day report a couple of times,as I'm very rarely in Thailand for 90 days at a time.I last came into Thailand on the 4th June,but one month later (on July4) I went to Jomtien and renewed my permission to stay(until 7 July 2010).I assumed that I should then report 90 days after the day I completed the renewal,which would mean I am still in time,but I have been told by someone else that I should have gone 90 days after the 4th June,hence I have missed the 90 days and will be fined 2000B.Obviously at renewal,I told them where I was living,and provided proof as requested,but didn't fill out the TM 47.Does anyone know which view is correct?If I have missed the date,my only other option,as I am leaving Thailand again shortly,is to not report,and hope that it is never picked up on.

As far as payment is concerned,make sure you have a bank draft.When I went there with my wife a few weeks ago,I assumed you could pay cash,and didn't have a bank draft.You can get one from a bank on the ground floor as you go into the Vac.Costs 20B, and luckily took only a few minutes,obviously they are used to doing them

The normal in room digital safes are not meant to be burglar proof,just bar-girl proof.They are perfectly OK to keep money, passport,camera etc in.Last week one of the safes in my hotel couldn't be opened.The guest had forgotten the code,and the master key wouldn't work for some reason.It took fifteen minutes to hammer the lock off and get it open,and made a huge amount of noise.Perhaps if you were used to doing it ,it could have been done quicker,but the point is it will certainly defeat a casual attempt.,I've stayed in places where the safes are not bolted down,which does seem a bit pointless,ours are bolted to structural concrete pillars

id really like to know why application is taking longer then 6 weeks..still no reply. iv tried calling, emailing and today have sent a fax. is it really possible they may have lost my application?

Have you tried checking on their website using your tracking number.If you do that it will tell you the status of your application,i.e papers sent to Embassy,or ready for collection.On both occasions my wife has applied for a visit visa,there have been original papers missing when we got the application back,but I would think it very unlikely they could have lost a complete application.

You cannot just get a visa on arrival in Vietnam.As you mention,there are only two options,the stick in type as illustrated,which you obtain from a Vietnamese embassy or consulate,or the pre-approval letter route,where you have the visa issue pre-approved, and get a visa issued at the airport on arrival.I've never seen the second type.Fortunately for me,I've now got a 5 year visa exemption for Vietnam,so I can come and go without the need for a visa.(but in order to get that,you have to get married to a Vietnamese,so there is a catch!)

last year I got a general Visa for 6 months it took 4 days , Because they are tightening up on things this year it says up to 6 weeks, Why did you not apply for a settlement visa then she could come and go up to two years and get city sen ship

I am not sure if this is aimed at me or the OP,but as "7by7" says,you don't apply for a settlement visa unless you intend to settle there.I have no intention of doing that,We just wanted a visa that would let us come and go whenever we wanted,for a family visit or holiday.If you have to apply for a visa every time,it's very difficult to travel at short notice,and take advantage of last minute cheap fares,because you are never sure how long it could take to get it,or even if you will get a visa

Well,our experience today may be useful.My then girlfriend(now wife) was given a standard 6 month family visit visa last April,having been refused on two previous occasions.Last week we applied for a 2 year visa,and got the result back today (only 7 working days)They granted another 6 month visa,but refused the 2 year one,on the grounds that she had only travelled to the UK once before.The annoying thing is(as 7by7 pointed out) is that they don't refund any of the fee,so it cost 12470B!! But at least we got a visa.I think next time I shall only apply for the standard visa again,as I don't anticipate any problems getting a third one,and then the next time maybe ask them in advance if a long term one is likely to be granted.I can't actually find out anything in writing anywhere about guidelines for the granting of these long term visas,maybe someone can indicate where these are.

I was in a very similar situation to the OP.My wife applied for a UK family visit visa on the 3rd September,and the website information was that it was ready for collection on the 11th.I couldn't go that day,so went today and picked it up(14th) 2 year VV applied for,but only a 6 month VV granted,because it was only her second trip to the UK.I think if it is a straightforward application, possibly with previous visas being issued,it only takes a short time,although I wouldn't like to bet on it.In our case it was 7 working days including the day it was submitted.

I will shortly be needing a similar insurance,could you check the posted link please,I keep getting "Page load error" when clicking on to it.Cheers

As is usual in this section,many innacurate statements here from people who have no idea of what they are talking about.Unless there are special circumstances,all tourist visas to the UK are valid for a 6 month stay and are multiple entry.BUT, that doesn't mean you can stay for 6 months.When you apply for a tourist/visitor visa you have to say how long you intend to stay.If you state you are staying for 4 weeks and subsequently stay 6 months,then,although you haven't actually "overstayed",any future applications you might make will be affected by this fact.In applying there are three points the ECO will take in to account.1)Proof of genuine relationship.2)Ability to pay for the trip without recourse to public funds.3) Reason to return to country of origin.All of these are based on the fact that the burden of proof is on the applicant(not you,but your b/f).The standard of proof required is the "balance of probabilities". From what you have said,if you have known your b/f for only 1 year,but have only proof for 6 months,you will have no chance of him getting a VV for 6 months,maybe as you say,possibly 1 month,but I doubt it.Remember,the burden of proof is on your b/f(not you) to convince the ECO he will return home after his visit.This is a critical point.You say you have heard that he might have to go to the embassy and have his visa cancelled on return here,I don't know where this has come from,but it's absolute nonsense.If he gets a visa and goes to the UK for a month,and comes back here,then he can return to the UK within the 6 month validity of his visa.but he cannot stay in the UK for more than 6 months in any 12 month period on a TV/VV.What is absolutely certain is that you must tell the truth.If you make a false statement or submit any false documents,and you are found out,then you will not get a visa,may be prosecuted,and will be barred from being given a visa for up to 10 years.I haven't seen much from "The Scouser" here recently,which is a shame,because he certainly knows what he's talking about

John, I'd be very interested to see the result if someone did the following real-world test:

take your Nationwide VISA card (GBP), and do back-to-back identical 1000 baht withdrawals, first from Ayudhya and then from a Government Savings Bank (no fee) ATM... Then check the exchange rates that result.

I'd bet...GSB would come out ahead... But I'm happy to be proven wrong...

As I stated in my earlier post,that's exactly what I did.I took out 5000B at the Bank of Ayudha ATM in Carrefour,and about three minutes later the same amount from the GSB machine about five yards away.The rate given by both banks was identical, 56.895B/GBP,and neither bank applied any sort of fee.As "johng" says,Nationwide do have this 0.85% charge,but it's still the best deal,especially if you can avoid this 150B Thai bank charge