Hello One and All-
I recently arrived in Dang Nang and was able to get my US citizen one-year multiple entry visa in about ten minutes at the airport. An easy process. So, then I dutifully waited in line with other arriving passengers to get through immigration. All went smoothly, and the officer stamped my arrival date in the passport. Then he filled in the area saying "permitted to stay until..." with a date one year from my arrival. From what I had been told, I expected the officer to write in a "permitted to stay until..." date equal to ninety days from arrival, not one year! I asked the man to clarify. I told him I was under the impression that I needed to leave the country in ninety days to abide by the terms of the visa. He replied, "No, you don't have to leave. You can stay for one year." I should add that the officer was not a rookie. He was a middle-aged man who probably had worked for Immigration for many, many years. He also spoke good English so there was no misunderstanding. I wanted to discuss this further, but there was a long line, so I left quietly and passed through immigration.
So what happened? Did Vietnam visa regulations change while I was airborne to Da Nang? Did the Immigration officer simply take pity on me?
If anyone can shed some light on this I would appreciate it! It's tempting to stay one year in Vietnam without making a border run. But if this is just one big error, I don't want to get slapped with fines for overstaying. Nor do I want to be barred from re-entry because of violating the rules!!! Thanks!!!