What are the steps and experiences in applying for a Dependent Visa (DTV) in Vietnam?

Just got approved in Hanoi on 11 June! 😊 (dependent visa application status updated below)

DTV soft power (1 year cooking course)

I just want to give back to this group and share my experience…. A bit long though….

Jun 1: Flew to Hanoi, submitted application and paid (at around 5pm)

Jun 3: Thai Embassy public holiday

Jun 4: Received email requesting additional documents (the most updated statements for May), submitted on the same day

Jun 11: Approved! 😊

Time needed:

1 Jun (5pm) – 11 Jun (3:55pm)

~ 8 working days including additional documents submission

Some points worth noting:

1. Choosing embassy:

I first casually asked AI where to apply within Vietnam for fast approval, and got the answer of Ho Chi Minh City, so I bought tickets.

But 3 days before departure, I came across this group, and after learning about the recent delays in HCMC, I changed my mind and bought another ticket to Hanoi.

I still think it was a good decision, even though I forfeited one ticket.

Thanks for all the sharing — I’m glad I could get the most updated information here.

*There is some misinformation in this group though, saying that you can apply to any embassy within the country as long as you are physically there (ChatGPT also said the same), which is not true for Vietnam. You need to check which area falls under the Hanoi/HCMC embassy and apply accordingly (please refer to attached photo).

Thanks to my cooking school who responded to my sudden change of embassy over the weekend, helped amend the documents, and offered to email the embassy after my application was submitted — very grateful for that!

2. Bank statements:

I submitted my application on 1 Jun with my Feb/Mar/Apr statements and stated in the cover letter that the May statements weren’t out yet. But then on 4 Jun, I got a request for the “most updated statements” — luckily the statements for both banks were ready by 4 Jun, so I was able to submit right away.

So maybe the takeaway is: don’t submit the application if the latest statement isn’t ready yet? This is just my guess.

In the end, it took 5 working days to get approved after the resubmission request (someone in this group suggested that the clock restarts after resubmission).

I read a lot of posts here and followed their advice to put things as clearly as I can in my cover letter, so the officer doesn’t need to guess.

Update: 🎉🎉

Timeline for dependent visa

Dependent visa 1 (kid) :

Submitted 12 June 5am

Approved 16 June 4pm 🎉

(3 working days)

Dependent visa 2 (spouse) :

Submitted 14 June 10am

Pending approval…. To be updated

Thanks to this group and good luck!