Expat in Thailand, thinking of relocating to Vietnam

Normally, you can extend visa 2 times. Which means if you enter with a 3 months single/multiple entry visa, then you can extend it 2 times. So you can stay here a total of 9 months. After that you can take a 1-2 days tour to Cambodia and stamp visa from Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville consular office then return.
Another option is during that period find out a Vietnamese and marry if you want to stay long term 
Then you are eligible to apply for Permanent Resident Card (not easy) and Visa Exemption Certificate (easy procedures).
Check here for VEC details

charmavietnam wrote:

... After that you can take a 1-2 days tour to Cambodia and stamp visa from Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville consular office then return. ...[/url]

Sihanoukville must be the ONLY consulate that opens seven days a week, issues visas whilst you wait and, if you apply through a certain travel agency, you can get a visa on Sunday! Great service from the VN staff - even in English.

You will need a Cambodian visa (get it here from the Cambo consulate near Ha Bai Trung @ Dien Bien Phu). Then take a bus to Rach Gia, then Rach Gia to Ha Tien where there is a travel agency specialising in runs to Sihanoukville.  Better than Chau Doc.

OP
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Ever thought of working out of Cambodia? More relaxed government procedures, no currency restrictions, plenty of beaches (Sihanoukville), unrestricted TV and fast InterNet in Phnom Penh.

If the Thai's red stamp your passport, exit to Cambodia and renew your passport - a friend has done this for years. But you have to do this OUTSIDE Thailand. Still, the military dictatorship has changed many things (I go there to buy specialised electronic components).

I never been in Sihanoukville but do remember that one of your posts suggested 'seafood' in sihanoukville 

Jaitch wrote:

Ever thought of working out of Cambodia? More relaxed government procedures, no currency restrictions, plenty of beaches (Sihanoukville), unrestricted TV and fast InterNet in Phnom Penh.

charmavietnam wrote:

Normally, you can extend visa 2 times. Which means if you enter with a 3 months single/multiple entry visa, then you can extend it 2 times. So you can stay here a total of 9 months. After that you can take a 1-2 days tour to Cambodia and stamp visa from Phnom Penh or Sihanoukville consular office then return.

Charmavietnam,

Would I be able to do this indefinitely, every 9 months I just go to Cambodia to renew a Vietnamese Visa? What are the costs of extending the 3 month visa and what is the cost of a renewed Vietnamese visa from the Vietnamese Consulate in Cambodia?

Currently in Thailand (on a tourist visa), you get a 6 month visa from a Thai consulate which is 2000 Baht or approximately $62 USD. After 2 months you have to go to the local immigration office and pay 1900 Baht ($59 USD). One month after that, I have to leave the country via land and come back in. I live in Chiang Mai, so I go to the Burmese border and pay the Burmese 500 Baht (appox. $15 USD). Two months later, I have to go back to the immigration office and pay another 1900 Baht ($62 USD).

I'm just curious about the Vietnamese bureaucracy, the hassles and how efficient the Vietnamese state apparatus is when compared to Thailand.

Jaitch wrote:

You will need a Cambodian visa (get it here from the Cambo consulate near Ha Bai Trung @ Dien Bien Phu). Then take a bus to Rach Gia, then Rach Gia to Ha Tien where there is a travel agency specialising in runs to Sihanoukville.  Better than Chau Doc.

OP
===

Ever thought of working out of Cambodia? More relaxed government procedures, no currency restrictions, plenty of beaches (Sihanoukville), unrestricted TV and fast InterNet in Phnom Penh.

If the Thai's red stamp your passport, exit to Cambodia and renew your passport - a friend has done this for years. But you have to do this OUTSIDE Thailand. Still, the military dictatorship has changed many things (I go there to buy specialised electronic components).

Jaitch,

When I go to Laos to get a new Thai visa, the Lao border officials automatically give me a 1 month Lao Visa (After the fee of course.) So in Vietnam, I have to go to the Cambodian Consulate near Dien Bien Phu in order to go to the Vetnamese Consulate in Cambodia? How much does that cost?

I was thinking about relocating to the Hanoi area, or maybe Haiphong. I thought I could just go to a Vietnamese Consulate in southern China, but maybe the closest Vietnamese Consulate is in Cambodia? What would be the most convenient/affordable place to live in Vietnam when Visas are concerned?

I always assumed that the internet speed and quality in Cambodia was not as good when compared to Thailand. Up here in Chiang Mai, the internet can be slow at times, or cut out when it rains. I basically don't know much about Phnom Pehn, it's cost of living or quality of life.

sipsongbanna wrote:

Jaitch,

When I go to Laos to get a new Thai visa, the Lao border officials automatically give me a 1 month Lao Visa (After the fee of course.) So in Vietnam, I have to go to the Cambodian Consulate near Dien Bien Phu in order to go to the Vetnamese Consulate in Cambodia? How much does that cost?

I was thinking about relocating to the Hanoi area, or maybe Haiphong. I thought I could just go to a Vietnamese Consulate in southern China, but maybe the closest Vietnamese Consulate is in Cambodia? What would be the most convenient/affordable place to live in Vietnam when Visas are concerned?

I always assumed that the internet speed and quality in Cambodia was not as good when compared to Thailand. Up here in Chiang Mai, the internet can be slow at times, or cut out when it rains. I basically don't know much about Phnom Pehn, it's cost of living or quality of life.

There are big differences between the North and the South in VN - apart from the weather.

Hai Phong is less popular with Foreigners than Ha Noi.

There are VN Consulates in the Chinese cities of NanNing, GuanXi Province (nearest Ha Noi( and KunMing, KunMing Province, 12 hours by road north of the Lao Cai border point.

Cambodian visas can be obtained on-line, or at the Cambodian Consulate ($25 or VND500,000) - next day service.

Most convenient for visas - I  would say Ho Chi Minh City/SaiGon.

Cambodia and Lao both get their InterNet feeds from VietNam - the NSA has an office in Phnom Penh (they must be frustrated with the speed!).