UPDATE: DTV SOFT POWER APPROVED in HANOI AFTER 1st APPLICATION WAS REJECTED
I've left my original post below so you can see the detail
We resubmitted his documents ourselves, without the help of the original agency we used. For those wondering, it's an agency that does document checking for you and submits on your behalf, with a guarantee that if the application is rejected they will resubmit until approved at no extra cost. This turned out to be untrue.
They do not provide any documents for you... you have to sign up for your own course and send all the documents to them. They then check them, package them up correctly and submit for supposedly guaranteed acceptance.
What we did differently when we resubmitted ourselves:
* Bank Statements: my partner stopped spending money on the account that held 500k on it once he had reached the amount needed for the visa. So there was no spending visible from early Feb to mid March when we originally submitted. We wondered if that was the problem so we submitted 2 sets of bank statements in 1 pdf showing that his while he stopped spending on one account, he kept spending on another. We included a cover note explaining that.
* We highlighted on the bank statement the payment for his Muay Thai course so it was clear on there. Originally I paid for it for him, which the agency had said wasn't a problem. They gym refunded me and we paid again from his bank account. We also provided proof that I had paid previously and been refunded, so it was clear to them we were rectifying any potential problems that could have caused the rejection.
* The gym we used, Phuket King, in Kathu, Phuket (super super helpful owners there), prepared a new letter for him, although all other documents they provided remained they same. They are accredited by Thai Sports Authority, so that was never an issue.
* Possibly the most important point is we submitted it ourselves using his personal email address, not an agency email address.
Resubmitted 09:55 on 27/03 to the same Embassy as before, Hanoi (original application submitted 16/03 and rejected 18/03).
Approved 10:45 on 01/04. 3 working days. No additional documents requested.
CONCLUSION: Using that agency backfired and cost us a lot of time. We took 9 days before resubmitting for him because we wanted to check absolutely everything. Turns out, as I originally though, he was 100% eligible.
Nationality: a few people questioned if it could be because he is Indian. I think it proves how that wasn't the problem.
Anyway, we're over the moon. It took a while but he got it. Yay!!
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Question for people who have applied for Soft Power in Hanoi in the past 2 weeks. Have any of you had any issues with your application? My partner's Soft Power Muay Thai application was rejected last week even though he fits all the criteria, there is no visible issue on the application form... all 100% correct. The Muay Thai gym he chose has had a number of successful DTV applications via Hanoi. No rejections.
He was and still is in Hanoi, in case that question comes up.
I'm trying to figure out what went wrong.
Paperwork provided:
* Bank statements showing 500k on a Thai Bank account since early Feb (he has been in Thailand on an ED visa which expired on 15 March. Application submitted on 16th March). Bank statements started on 1/10/25 so technically not full 6 months. I realised just now. He stopped using that bank account in Feb when he had the full 500k on the account. I'm wondering if that was the problem.
* Muay Thai Gym, which is registered with Thai Sports Authority and has an ID card to prove it. Full documents from the gym including proof of payment. I checked and the payment was made from a different bank account than the bank statements provided. Again wondering if this could have been the problem.
They didn't ask for any further documents. It went from Pending approval 1 day after submission, to rejected 2 days after submission.
When we called the embassy in Hanoi they were helpful and said there was a problem with those specific documents (bank statements and Muay Thai Gym documents) but they couldn't give any further information as to what was the problem with them exactly.
So I'm reaching out to see if anyone else has encountered a problem recently, that could be caused by a change in policy that I'm not aware of. Or if anyone can give me some insight and help figure out exactly what went wrong.
TLDR : Answer Summary
This post discusses the journey of applying for a Soft Power visa related to Muay Thai in Thailand, detailing the challenges faced when the initial application was rejected. The author shares their successful strategy for resubmission, revealing key changes made in documentation and submission methods. They also seek insight from others who have recently applied, particularly if they encountered similar issues, hinting at possible scrutiny based on nationality and the use of agents.
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