In May, Mission Vietnam’s consular team helped to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the normalization of U.S.-Vietnam relations through a series of activities focused on increasing tourism, education, business, and people-to-people ties between the United States and Vietnam.
Consular staff hosted the first-ever U.S. Travel Forum for over 100 representatives from travel agencies, business groups, and student organizations at the Hanoi Melia Hotel on May 22, highlighting increased Vietnamese educational, tourist, and business ties to the United States. They also promoted Mission Vietnam’s Mail-In Visa Renewal Program, which has successfully reduced visa processing times, and showcased some of Mission Vietnam’s fraud prevention efforts to ensure the integrity of the visa process.
Other highlights include a four-week, on-line quiz on non-immigrant visas through Dan Tri’s online newspaper, a great opportunity for all Vietnamese readers to participate in a fun activity and learn more about U.S. visa procedures. Consular staff in Hanoi also hosted a Non-Immigrant Visa Web Chat via Facebook and conducted a student visa information session at the Education USA Fair. Consular Officers joined the Embassy’s Public Affairs Section at several universities and schools around Hanoi, including the National Economic University and the United Nations International School, to deliver presentations on the student visa application process. During May, consular staff in Ho Chi Minh City briefed on similar initiatives to university groups and prospective students along with members of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham). Also, on May 20, the U.S. Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City hosted the first-ever U.S. citizen town hall at the newly-refurbished American Center to highlight the work of her Consulate team and to hear from private U.S. citizens residing in and around Ho Chi Minh City.
The Consular Sections in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City work hard to protect the interests of U.S. citizens in Vietnam and to facilitate legitimate travel for thousands of Vietnamese citizens to the United States every day. The goal of our outreach activities is to help people gain a better understanding of the services we provide while simultaneously strengthening people-to-people ties between the United States and Vietnam.
