Possible to travel to Vietnam without a Vietnamese passport?

[jacknguyen 1]

Hello everyone,

 

I'm going to travel to Vietnam in less than 3 weeks. I am currently a permanent resident of the US (green card holder), been here since 2004. My green card is valid until 2025.

I lost my Vietnamese passport. I never replaced it, thinking I would apply for US citizenship, which I haven't done yet. I have a Certificate of Visa Exemption from Vietnam, which is still valid until 2020.

 

My question is: Am I able/allowed to travel to Vietnam without a passport? Is it possible to travel to Vietnam with only the visa exemption certificate and my green card?

I actually did travel to Vietnam with only those 2 things (along with my US driver license). The US airline was not easy to let me board the plane, because I didn't have my passport with me; but when I told them, I would only stay inside the airport while I was in transit (for ex: Japan, South Korea...), they let me board.

But with the new travel ban, which I know it doesn't affect Vietnam, I'm worried that I will get in trouble at the airport, or when I go back to the US.

 

I tried to call the embassy to get more information, but nobody picked up the phone.

Does anybody know how long it would take to get my Vietnamese passport replaced if I do it now?

 

Please let me know what you think. And please be in as much details as possible.

 

Thank you so much.

[ConOfficer 167]

I'm very surprised they let you on an international flight without a passport. How will you get back into the U.S.? Don't you have to show a green card and a passport?

To me, it's not a good idea to go abroad without a passport. You're asking for trouble. 

[Lemonslice 4,838]

Airlines go by the IATA requirements.  

 

I just looked up the IATA database with a flight from the USA, transit in Japan (other layover might ask for a passport) and I got this:

 

Passport Exemptions:

Nationals of Viet Nam residing in the USA with a Certificate of Visa Exemption together with:
a US Permanent Resident Card (Form I-551) or
a US Permit to Re-enter (Form I-327) or
a US Refugee Travel Document (Form I-571).

 

However, please save yourself potential trouble and get yourself a passport while in Viet Nam, or ideally before your flight.  Airline employees have variable training and you don't want to be denied boarding.

 

[CatFlow 4]

Why don't you get a passport from a Vietnam Embassy/consulate in the US?

[Roy&Chanel 109]

Hey there, call up the airline that you will be taking, explain to them your situation and tell them you have a green card and exemption card, ask if you need a visa or not as different airlines work differently.

As for the Vietnam embassy, my best suggestion is to email them and they can do a 3 day escalate for making of passport, however, it costs quite a sum of money to "escalate" it (170USD 1 week for the process, escalate 3 days might be even more).  I remember years ago he did his passport for 170USD and it took him a week. He didn't pay extra for express service lol. Email them they will response fast. 

My husband is a vietnamese US citizen and is in aviation. He advised you to call the airline cos some airlines want to be very safe bout it, if you travel without passport they might get into trouble.

Hope that helps. If you need more info, pm me and my husband will talk to you from there.

Here's the link:  vnconsular@vietnamembassy.us

http://vietnamembassy-usa.org/consular/vietnamese-passport

 

I hope you can read vietnamese because when we email to them in english, they replied in vietnamese lol...

 

Edited March 7, 2017 by Roy&Chanel

[f1660114 18]

OP, your certificate of visa exemption and your green card alone are good to go. It is based on my real experience with airlines transiting in Taiwan such as China Airlines, EVA Airway and Vietnam Airlines. Not sure for other transit such as China, Philippines, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korean, or Singapore.

[jacknguyen 1]

Hello everyone,

 

Thank you so much for replying.

 

I just got back to the US after 4 weeks in Vietnam. There was no problem at all at any of the airports, including Narita Airport (Japan) where I transit on the way back to VN and on my way back to the US.

 

There was a little bit of a glitch at Kansas City Airport (where I'm from). But I show them the IATA database print-out about the passport exemptions, they called up someone, who gave them some kind of a "code" to input in the system, I was fine. (I think they're not very familiar with this)

 

I think there are more people traveling like me, and the officers/airline employees have had experiences like this before, so that nobody asked me anything AT ALL.

 

Thanks to @Lemonslice for the idea of printing out the IATA passport exemption database.
@CatFlow, @Roy&Chanel: I tried to get my VN passport replaced (I called the VN embassy, the consulate in the US) but I am lacking some documents which cannot be replaced (Certified birth certificate) and Vietnamese ID (which would take 2-3 months to get), which I might be able to get, but technically I don't have a residence in VN so that would take a long time to do it too.
And the guy at the consulate actually told me that I can go with just my green card and my Certificate of Visa Exemption.
(Oh and I can read and speak Vietnamese still quite well. LOL)

 

@f1660114: we're on the same boat. LOL

 

Thank you all, once again.

 

Jack

 

P.S. The reason I haven't posted anything until now is because I didn't want to jinx myself before I could safely get back to Vietnam and back to the US. LOL

[Katynguyen 0]

My mom was able to go back to Vietnam multiple times with just green card + Vietnam visa transit through Japan or Korea airport.  Does anyone know if she can go through Hong Kong or Guangzhou airport with just those documents? 

[jacknguyen 1]

Hi Katynguyen, 

I think it should be ok for your mom to go through Hongkong or China, Since They are friendlies with the US, just like Japan or South Korea.

I don't know what the vn visa transit is, maybe it's the same as my certificate of visa exemption.  

[frontgear 194]

25 minutes ago, jacknguyen said:

Hi Katynguyen, 

I think it should be ok for your mom to go through Hongkong or China, Since They are friendlies with the US, just like Japan or South Korea.

I don't know what the vn visa transit is, maybe it's the same as my certificate of visa exemption.  

I think she meant, "My mom was able to go back to Vietnam multiple times with just green card + Vietnam visa, transit through Japan or Korea airport."

[NateHuynh8 0]

Hi Jack! My mom only have her Green Card and Certificate of Visa Exemption too. I hope she don't have no trouble leaving and re-entering the U.S. What documents did they asked you for when you are leaving and re-entering the U.S? Thanks man.