This thread is getting quieter day by day. after getting 5000 replies and more than 140,000 views, i hope that fellow samsters have a better understanding of their vietnamese spouse or gf.
Although my experience in Vietnam is limited, i try to share my experiences and i am glad that fellow bros share theirs too.
one other thing to note when bros need to deal with official government procedures. When you or your spouse need to deal with vietnamese government, do remember a few things:
(1) Don't be shy to ask the officer for procedures, documents needed and time taken. very often, instructions passed down by one officer is very much different from the other.
(2) if after trying many times and you feel that its not possible, engage an agent to process the paper work for you
(3) If your situation is complicated and normal procedures may be difficult, try to give some `coffee money' via agent. But do remember, their `coffee money' is not cheap. Normally, they charge foreigners in USD.
By most instances, even the most complicated matters can be solved by `coffee money' in vietnam. But do put your `coffee money' into an envelope and pass it to the officer secretly. And for brothers who are planning to start business in VN, its a norm to bribe the ward police. If you give them some `coffee money', your business will be smooth.
