Pros/Cons of Citizenship

jakejas wrote:

1 Will they be able to draft me if China attacks?
2 Are there tax disadvantages?
3 Are there extra administrative requirements (such as keeping up with a house book or any other kind of book) that can land me in jail if I dont comply with?
4 Can they throw me in jail for political activities taking place outside of VN? I am a pretty vocal libertarian in the US. I dont mind not discussing politics in VN, but there is a lot of pro-liberty history out there on the internet from me.
5 Will it help or hurt my future job prospects (when I try and apply in VN)?
6 Is there anything else that is even worse than the stuff I have thought about?

Are any of you VN citizens? What made you decide to get a second citizenship?

1 yes, all foreigner in Vietnam can be drafted. There was something in a newspaper some time ago. I personally doubt it will happen for a lot of reason. Just Consider, there is NO SUCH THING in reclaiming VN citizen whilst still holding a foreign citizenship
2 I could assume NO, Taxes in Vietnam are pretty low
3 Yes, somehow. It is minimal paperwork costing pennies. Not sure, if that would suffice to take you to jail
4 Yes, some foreign paid big mouthed did already. I would assume, you draw some reasonable limits for yourself and should be ok. Vietnams primary interest is for sure not putting everyone into jail. However, most cases seen in newspapers, they very well did deserve it
5 can't see any differences.  VNs don't need a work permit? saves you some bucks a year.
6 When in Romes, behave like the Romans do and when in Saigon, behave so, like most Saigonese people do and you should fine

* above answers might apply only to people, which can behave like normal human beings and are no written warranty, that this might be also true for those, who permanently try  to pi.. off officials


I stay here already almost 7 years now, neither been arrested, neither been in jail, do my work, keep my papers reasonable in order and for the other time, I prefer to enjoy this country.
Yes, and if I ever have have the choice to take on VN citizenship, I will do. I have chosen to live here

Check Articles 15, 19, 20 and 21 of Law on Vietnamese Nationality 
Law on Vietnamese Nationality

@l3ully, we would not be reclaiming citizenship. We are both Americans and have never been citizens of VN. VN would recognize our dual-citizenship. When people get arrested for political stuff, do you know if it is because they were talking negatively about VN in particular, or socialism in general?

@charma, thanks for that link. I was worried about having to pass a proficiency test. Luckily for me, it doesn't look like I will be required to.

jakejas wrote:

My daughter and I are both eligible for VN citizenship through my wife....

If your daughter is the biological offspring of your wife (as opposed to being adopted) and your wife is VNese, likely your daughter has a valid claim to citizenship. I help a French woman whose mother was French and her father VNese and she gained her citizenship quickly.

As for you, if Causcasian (non-VNese) being married to a VNese citizen doesn't confer much at all. My wife is VNese, as is my multi-nationality daughter, but it doesn't give me a short-cut to VNese citizenship.`

The political stuff you have to stay away from if you want to become a citizen.  Because you have to take a sworn oath to obey the laws of VN, and of course one of them is you cannot speak anything negative about the government.  They've recently passed a decree that you cannot speak anything negative about them, even on your Facebook account.

Personally, I think the benefits of citizenship aren't really worth it, it might help a lot when it comes to buying/selling property though.  The things you can do with your US citizenship are endless, so I think just keep that.

mikeymyke wrote:

The things you can do with your US citizenship are endless***, so I think just keep that.

***Like travelling to Cuba, paying US taxes when not working there, etc. People on this site say they feel more free here in VN than they do in the USA. Even former truck drivers.

Jaitch, You can catch flights directly to Cuba from Tampa Florida. (http://www.cubatravelservices.com/), so you can travel to Cuba, though some types of trips (business and others) need special permits. US is not the only government that requires citizens to report and pay tax on foreign earned income.

I agree with mikeymyke on citizenship for American citizens, and presume it is the same for European Union and Commonwealth country citizens.

Jaitch wrote:

...As for you, if Causcasian (non-VNese) being married to a VNese citizen doesn't confer much at all.

The law on Vietnamese Nationality says the following:

National Assembly Document Number 24/2008/QH12 wrote:

Article 14. Grounds for identification of persons having Vietnamese nationality
A person is determined to have Vietnamese nationality on one of the following grounds:
...
2. Having been naturalized in Vietnam...
-----
Article 19. Conditions for naturalization in Vietnam
1. Foreign nationals and stateless persons permanently residing in Vietnam who file applications for Vietnamese nationality may be permitted for naturalization in Vietnam if they satisfy the following conditions...
a. Having the full civil act capacity as prescribed by Vietnam's laws;
b. Obeying the constitution and laws...
...
2. Those who apply for Vietnamese nationality may be permitted for naturalization ni Vietnam without having conditions prescribed at Points c, d, e, Clause 1 of this article if they fall into one of the following cases:
a. Being spouses... of Vietnamese citizens

I have heard from several people who say that I can't even apply for citizenship because I am white, but no one can tell me where that is written down. They all agree that my daughter can apply, even though she looks more white than Vietnamese. What is the percent Vietnamese that is necessary to apply? Is any of that defined anywhere, or is this just a case of people saying it's not possible only because they don't know?

Same goes for flights from Miami to Cuba.

Peopleith no Vietnamese blood lines can apply for citizenship - after you have approval from your existing country of citizenship.

They are many non-VNese citizens.

Your OP inferred you had special rights through marriage. This is not true - your daughter does - providing she is your wife's biological daughter.