If you plan to vote in the November 2020 election it is important to ACT NOW! Don’t wait, return your voted ballot right away! Remember U.S. embassies and consulates are not polling places; same-day in-person voting is not available outside the United States – but you can get assistance in requesting and returning your absentee ballot. Many states require voted ballots to reach local election officials by the close of polls on Tuesday, November 3.
The Department of State is committed to assisting overseas voters in casting their ballots. For instructions on how to vote from Vietnam please see our website here. For general overseas voting information please see the Department of State’s web site Absentee Voting Information for U.S. Citizens Abroad or FVAP.gov.
Never received your ballot? If you registered to vote and requested an absentee ballot prior to your state’s registration deadline, but have not yet received your ballot, complete and return a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot to ensure your vote reaches election officials by your state’s deadline. If your regular ballot arrives later, complete and return it as well. Your Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot will only be counted if your regular ballot does not reach local election officials by your state’s deadline. Your vote will not be counted twice.
Need help? You can get in-person assistance from our Embassy or Consulate Voting Assistance Officers at the American Citizen Services Unit in Hanoi and HCMC Monday through Friday from 8:30 – 11:30 and 13:30 – 16:00 and at the following voting events:
- Voting Information Event and Facebook Livestream with Consul General Marie Damour on 29 September at 17:30 at the American Center HCMC.
- HCMC Ballot Collection on 7 October at 19:00 at Saigon Outcast D2
RETURNING YOUR BALLOT:
Note that the U.S. Postal Service recommends voters mail their completed ballots before Election Day and at least one week prior to your state’s deadline. To allow processing time between Department of State and U.S. Postal Service systems this means ballots must be received in the Embassy or Consulate no later than October 13, 2020. Ballots received after that date will be forwarded, but may arrive too late to be counted. Please also check the regulations in the state in which you vote as deadlines may differ, and you may have alternative voting options such as voting electronically or by fax.
The above timeline is based on current local and U.S. conditions, which are subject to change. Should conditions change and impact the timeline we will alert you. We strongly recommend you submit your ballot as far in advance as possible.
Ballot Submission to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate:
If you wish to drop off your ballot, or have a friend or colleague drop it off for you, place it in either a U.S. postage-paid envelope (provided with the ballot) or an envelope bearing domestic U.S. postage addressed to your local election officials.
American Citizen Services sections in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City will accept your Federal Post Card Application (FPCA) or ballot in person at the American Citizen Services Unit Monday through Friday from 8:30 – 11:30 and 13:30 – 16:00.
If you cannot physically return your completed FPCA or signed ballot to the United States via the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate, you can mail your FPCA or ballot to American Citizen Services.
Ballot Submission to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate via mail:
In order to mail your election-related materials to American Citizen Services, you will need two envelopes. Address the first envelope to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate at the mailing address below. Address the second envelope to your local state election office and enclose your FPCA or ballot inside. The second envelope needs to be postage-paid or have sufficient U.S. postage to be delivered to your local election office. (You may either use your own stamps or print your own postage paid envelope here.) Seal the second envelope, place it inside the first envelope, and mail the package to the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate. It can take up to four weeks for election-related materials to reach their final destination in the United States.
Mailing address for the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi:
U.S. Embassy Hanoi
Consular Section
Attention: Voting Assistance Officer
7 Lang Ha Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Mailing address for the U.S. Consulate in HCMC:
U.S. Consulate Ho Chi Minh City
American Citizen Services,
Attention: Voting Assistance Officer
4 Le Duan, District 1, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Missed the U.S. Embassy and Consulate in Vietnam’s shipment deadline? Consider returning your ballot to the United States via a commercial express courier service such as FedEx, UPS, or DHL or return your voted ballot electronically if allowed by your state. Ballots sent to local election officials via express courier service do not receive standard postmarks, so voters using this method should confirm delivery on or before November 3 prior to payment and shipment. Check your state’s voting procedures here for guidance.
Returning your Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot by email or fax. Review your state’s voting procedures here carefully for guidance.
Returning your ballot by international mail delivery. If using Vietnam’s postal system, be sure to affix sufficient international postage, and allow sufficient time for international mail delivery. Ballots sent via regular international mail from most countries at this late date are unlikely to reach local election officials by state ballot receipt deadlines, so you may need to consider another method.
HELP SPREAD THE WORD ABOUT OVERSEAS VOTING. Please help spread the word to your friends, family, and colleagues that now is the time to start thinking about overseas voting. Consider posting to your Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or other social media account that you are an active voter and will be dropping off or mailing your Federal Post Card Application or completed ballot. Use #ProudOverseasVoter to help get the word out about voting.
Have Questions? Please contact Vietnam’s Voting Assistance Officers at votehochiminhcity@state.gov or votehanoi@state.gov. You can also contact the Federal Voting Assistance Program directly if you encounter issues with local election officials by emailing Vote@FVAP.gov or toll free by phone from many countries around the world.
Confirm your registration and ballot delivery online. Learn more at the Federal Voting Assistance Program’s (FVAP) website here.
