[Vung Tau, 10/6/22] Four years ago, I had a regrettable lunch in Krong Bavet, the memory of which is like a sour regurgitation of embarrassment plus resentment. Still, I wanted to return for a closer look, and much better meals. Most unexpectedly, I’ll get a chance tomorrow, if all goes well.
A quick update: After several hours with no e visa approval, I went to immigration anyway to pay my overstay fine for two days, thinking I'll get the visa for Cambodia tomorrow. At the gate, the guards wouldn't let me in, however, because I wasn't wearing long pants! Great, I thought, a day wasted.
After flagging down a motorbike taxi to get back home, I grumbled to the driver about my no pants misfortune, so he said he could lend me his. Brilliant! On a sidewalk, he took off his pants for me to wear over my demin shorts, then we went back to immigration.
There, I was told that my overstaying for two or three days was no big deal, so I could pay my fine at the border.
When the motorbike driver dropped me off, I tipped him well, so everyone was happy. Bavet, here I come tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.
I can't believe what I'm reading. I was under the impression that you made it back to Vietnam to live happily ever after. Instead, the country of your birth is making you jump thru a bunch of bureaucratic hoops ?
Total fucking bullshit....who makes money off this scam ?
I don't know much about Cambodia except the American Military dropped a million bombs on the place, of which half a million are still laying around.
I googled Krong Bavet & they offered me a room at the Blue Star Hotel for $17 a night with free wi-fi. The worst dives in America cost more than that. The Hotel Thanatos doesn't even come up lol.
The SonyA6000 & the Canon 80D are sweet....stay cool brah & best of luck.
Those children have such life and curiosity in their eyes.
As for the Korean inn, I wonder what happened to all those flies and bugs. Even by the mid-20th they had to be gone, because my Korean mom doesn't talk about them being as numerous, and she lived in the usual mudbank village outside Seoul. I know in my own lifetime I've seen the bug count go down, not nearly as many bees and butterflies as when I was a kid. (Now we have an overabundance of invasive stinkbugs, potato bugs, and Joro spiders to replace them though) We really have been killing this planet's diversity to make humans feel less crawled over.
Linh, any idea why Vietnam is making it harder to stay there for a extended period? I would think that after the Covid hysteria lockdowns they would want foreign cash. Also, just as Vietnam was starting to get foreign retirees (who bring in a lot of money compared to the local population) they pulled up the welcome mat.
Lihn, doesn't Vietnam have some kind of "jus sanguini" right to Vietnamese citizenship? I understand you were born in the U.S., but both of your parents are Vietnamese. So it should be possible. Also isn't your ex-wife and other family relations Vietnamese? There should be ways to get at least a permanent residence there... I think.
Linh, I had no idea if your difficulties and feel terrible that someone so talented has so many difficulties to face in old age. Hopefully, things are looking up and your visa problems are on the way to being resolved for the next little while , hopefully five years. Best wishes for the next few days. Is Laos a possibility? I have heard good things about it.
Hi all,
A quick update: After several hours with no e visa approval, I went to immigration anyway to pay my overstay fine for two days, thinking I'll get the visa for Cambodia tomorrow. At the gate, the guards wouldn't let me in, however, because I wasn't wearing long pants! Great, I thought, a day wasted.
After flagging down a motorbike taxi to get back home, I grumbled to the driver about my no pants misfortune, so he said he could lend me his. Brilliant! On a sidewalk, he took off his pants for me to wear over my demin shorts, then we went back to immigration.
There, I was told that my overstaying for two or three days was no big deal, so I could pay my fine at the border.
When the motorbike driver dropped me off, I tipped him well, so everyone was happy. Bavet, here I come tomorrow, or the day after at the latest.
Linh
Linh
I can't believe what I'm reading. I was under the impression that you made it back to Vietnam to live happily ever after. Instead, the country of your birth is making you jump thru a bunch of bureaucratic hoops ?
Total fucking bullshit....who makes money off this scam ?
I don't know much about Cambodia except the American Military dropped a million bombs on the place, of which half a million are still laying around.
I googled Krong Bavet & they offered me a room at the Blue Star Hotel for $17 a night with free wi-fi. The worst dives in America cost more than that. The Hotel Thanatos doesn't even come up lol.
The SonyA6000 & the Canon 80D are sweet....stay cool brah & best of luck.
Bill
Those children have such life and curiosity in their eyes.
As for the Korean inn, I wonder what happened to all those flies and bugs. Even by the mid-20th they had to be gone, because my Korean mom doesn't talk about them being as numerous, and she lived in the usual mudbank village outside Seoul. I know in my own lifetime I've seen the bug count go down, not nearly as many bees and butterflies as when I was a kid. (Now we have an overabundance of invasive stinkbugs, potato bugs, and Joro spiders to replace them though) We really have been killing this planet's diversity to make humans feel less crawled over.
Hopefully you'll find underwear soon!
Linh, any idea why Vietnam is making it harder to stay there for a extended period? I would think that after the Covid hysteria lockdowns they would want foreign cash. Also, just as Vietnam was starting to get foreign retirees (who bring in a lot of money compared to the local population) they pulled up the welcome mat.
Lihn, doesn't Vietnam have some kind of "jus sanguini" right to Vietnamese citizenship? I understand you were born in the U.S., but both of your parents are Vietnamese. So it should be possible. Also isn't your ex-wife and other family relations Vietnamese? There should be ways to get at least a permanent residence there... I think.
Linh, I had no idea if your difficulties and feel terrible that someone so talented has so many difficulties to face in old age. Hopefully, things are looking up and your visa problems are on the way to being resolved for the next little while , hopefully five years. Best wishes for the next few days. Is Laos a possibility? I have heard good things about it.
Good luck to you. Do you have US citizenship? Are you eligible for Vietnamese citizenship?