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What could have caused the rejection of a Soft Power Muay Thai visa application in Hanoi?

Mar 25, 2025
7 days ago
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.
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TLDR : Answer Summary
A user seeks insights into the rejection of their partner's Soft Power Muay Thai visa application in Hanoi, despite meeting all criteria. The rejection occurred two days after submission, with the embassy indicating issues with specific documents but not providing details. They suspect potential problems with bank statements and the documentation from the Muay Thai gym. Commenters speculate on various reasons for the rejection, including increased scrutiny, possible issues with the gym's documentation, the use of a Thai bank account for overseas applications, and the potential complications from using agents.
DTV VISA RESOURCES / SERVICES
Tim ***********
What kind of passport does your partner have ? I mean what nationality?
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Indian. But from all the research we've done, that shouldn't make a difference.
Piotrek ********
Have you properly cancelled ED visa?
Tim ***********
If they can tell you that the uncanceled ED Visa didn't lead to the rejection, why can't they tell you why it was actually rejected ?
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tim **********
we were able to ask the question about ED visa more generally as they can't discuss specifics other than to say there was something wrong with bank statements and muay thai documents. We decided to call them back and ask if it's necessary to cancel an ED visa (even expired) before submitting a DTV application and they said no that is not necessary. At least it helped us to understand that isn't the cause.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Piotrek *******
No. We triple checked before applying and were told it isn't necessary to cancel it before applying, especially as it expired before applying. We also checked again with the Embassy after the rejection and they said no need to cancel. Also, I've seen a number of posts on this forum from people with valid ED visas that got their DTV approved before they cancelled their existing ED visa.
Peter *********
Big mistake using an agent applying in Vietnam. Immigration are now actively looking for this on entry at the airports. Your best bet would be to reapply from your home country. For approval and smooth future re entries. Good luck.
Tim ***********
I think it was the fact, that you showed a Thai bank account. It might be suspicious for them showing a Thai bank account when you apply for a Visa outside Thailand to get into Thailand and the money is already there. I read a couple of times some rejection posts when they showed thai bank accounts and also wondered why they were rejected. I don't know it but I guessed everytime it's because of the thai bank account
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tim **********
I checked that one in advance but the vast majority of people I've seen who used Thai bank accounts seem to have been approved with no problem. They're not penalising people for wanting to stay in Thailand, I don't think. I could be wrong though.
Wayne *********
You should deal with the Gym directly and not through an agent. Agents have been copying paperwork.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Wayne ********
We got the paperwork directly from the gym ourselves. We just made the mistake of using an agent that does the online submission for you with a guarantee that if there is a problem they will figure it out and resubmit it until it's approved. They can't find the answer to the problem though and gave up. So they were pretty pointless.
Wayne *********
Anonymous participant you should name and shame the agent so others can avoid them
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Wayne ********
Honestly I really really want to. It has been pointed out to me that defamation law in Thailand is very strict and regularly enforced, through civil courts if not criminal. So I'm really hesitant because it's pretty obvious from what I've described above who we are. The agency would know just by looking at my post.

And apparently it can be classed as defamation even if what I'm saying can be proved as true which is super annoying because I have proof of everything but can do very little about it, sigh.

What I can say it's using them was a huge disaster. They lied to us about the reason for the rejection. I had to demand copies of everything as it was submitted. Copies of the emails from the Embassy. Copies of what they did to figure out that actual problem (nothing!).

I do plan to make a post about our experience once I've figured this out and hopefully once he's gotten his visa approved. It actually cost us far more because of the agent. We only used them because of the guarantee. Sigh. Sigh. Sigh. I just won't be able to name the company.
John *******
Anonymous participant so if they were the ones who were going to resubmit, they were going to pay the visa fee each time?
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
John Macom yes. That's their advertised guarantee. Basically they're saying they thoroughly check all the documents first to make sure they're 100% correct and will be accepted. So if anything goes wrong they'll pay for resubmission themselves. But at the end of the day they couldn't find anything wrong with the documents (and made something up to convince us there was a problem when actually there isn't.... that's a whole other story).

The fact is they couldn't find a problem in the docs. And nor can I. Except possibly what someone mentioned earlier about Embassies being suspicious of agencies submitting falsified documents. The email address used for the application is an agency one, not one that is clearly a personal email address. I was wondering if that could have caused us a problem without realising it, even though all our docs are real.
Cloudy ****
Could be maybe something is fishy with the agent and subsequently with the documents? We applied via soft power Muay Thai in Hanoi and were both approved pretty quickly. Had all the required gym docs and 6 months of bank statements but did it without an agent.

It just sounds a bit odd because when they asked my husband for a further document, they sent an email outlining exactly what it was that needed to be done. It seems strange that they would reject without a reason, so that you wouldn't know what you did wrong and could amend it for a future application. My husband was also previously on an ED visa.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Cloudy ***
Just to confirm we did deal directly with the gym. Just paid a relatively nominal fee to a company to do the document submission for us. That seems to have been a total fail though. The gym is definitely legit, as is the paperwork. Maybe the fact the agent used an agency email address instead of my partner's email address made it look suspicious... I'm not sure.
Cloudy ****
Hmmmm, I wonder if they sent a document request email to the agent's email and they didn't respond to it or submitted something that wasn't legit. If you guys try again I'd suggest scrapping the agency bit and only giving the embassy your own contact details just to be sure. Really sorry that happened to you and hope your partner still gets his DTV!
Tim ***********
@Cloudy ***
This is the best idea so far because if you don't reply within the given time or send the wrong docs or whatever they asked for then it will be rejected. The agency would never admit that it messed up anything, but would make it look as if the consulate was to blame
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Cloudy ***
thank you. You're very kind! I have now ditched the agency 100%. I've been reading everyone's posts on this group for a while now seeing what people recommend. I should have just done it for him myself. Anyway... here's to a more positive experience and outcome doing it myself ✨
Tae'lur ********
Omggg me lol I just applied through the same embassy via soft power last week. Right now mine is pending approval too. Submitted
*****
. Asked for further docs yesterday & as soon as I sent it, it automatically changed to pending approval. We’ll see.
Tim ***********
@Tae'lur *******
what further docs did they asked for ? I'm just curious because my application will follow soon
Tae'lur ********
@Tim **********
Just a Vietnam entry stamp & a business registration letter from the cooking school, good luck πŸ€β˜ΊοΈ
Tim ***********
@Tae'lur *******
Ok. Thank you. Everything will be fine. If they asked only this then it should be approved soon πŸ€—πŸ€
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tae'lur *******
hopefully yours will run smoothly and get approved soon. Please do post an update on here to let us know how you go. Wishing you all the best!!
Tae'lur ********
Anonymous participant thank you, I’m sorry about your boyfriend! Will you guys try a diff embassy?
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
We're hoping we can figure it out and re-apply in Hanoi. That's why I wanted to check if anyone else has had any problems. Bit confused right now.
Greg ********
Could be anything. While on Ed visa were income/earnings deposited in Thai bank. They do not usually look but by recent reports it does look like some applications are facing more scrutiny. Whatever it is there is no recovering from a rejection. Need to apply elsewhere and probably better in a different location. Good luck.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greg *******
incoming money has been for living expenses only. No major transactions coming in at all. If anything I was thinking could the level of transactions be too low. Or not enough money coming and going. I'm stumped!!
Greg ********
Anonymous participant Strange one. Incoming to live should not matter. They do seem to be tightening up but no indication what they are looking for. It's like blind men trying to describe an elephant.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greg *******
excellent imagery. You made me smile despite my frustration at me not being able to figure this out πŸ™ƒ
Greg ********
Anonymous participant You might want to contact an agent who has contacts that can check the system. Some Embassies put a note against rejections. Not a and probably very few but it might be worth a check. A well connected agent can check this.
Greg ********
Anonymous participant There is another guy just posted he has been rejected twice in Vietnam. That same guy posts he is a relocation expert and offers consulting on the DTV Visa - oops
Greg ********
Anonymous participant It's an old one used in Asia. I used to use it when working here asking colleagues to describe how they saw the project. It was often blind men describing an elephant lol
Peter ******
Could be that the Gym has been issuing too many documents to too many people ? Could be that Embassies are clamping down on people using Gyms just to get DTV's
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Peter *****
good point. I'll check with them. When we spoke to them a few weeks ago they said they'd had 5 or 6 people apply and get DTV. I didn't think that sounded like too many. But also not too few, if that makes sense.
Greg ******
Anonymous participant I heard they are now checking attendance at some gyms. They may as well check the total number of applicants?!
Tim ***********
@Greg *****
Where did you hear that?
Greg ******
@Tim **********
Being honest, I can't guarantee you this is happening, just some rumor, but I would keep a closer eye on it... We may see some more surprises. We already got plenty these days.
Meaw ************
Could you please send me message? I need more information
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
Are you an agent? One detail I didn't add was the application was done via an agent which is why it's taken so long for me to get an answer. They weren't helpful at all, so I took over the process myself and reached out to the Embassy directly. The lady at the Embassy was genuinely lovely and was as helpful as she could be, but obviously is not allowed to share too much info.
Meaw ************
Anonymous participant im not agent but i want to understabd your situation since i am a Muay Thai gym owner and i dont need to sell any program to you, just help. If you need. I also want to see the docs from the gym if there is anything missing. But if you dont need help its fine 😊

FYI im not a scammer
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Meaw ***********
apologies. I didn't mean to cause any offence. I'm hesitant to talk to any more agents now since we had this problem, that's all.

We've applied having gotten documents directly from a well know Muay Thai Gym in Phuket with a good reputation and real training program. I'm thinking of resubmitting and adding cover letters with each upload. So a cover letter with the bank statements explaining why there are no transactions after the 500k was accumulated. A cover letter with the gym paperwork, even showing a photo of my partner outside the gym. See if that helps. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know!
Meaw ************
Anonymous participant check if the gym registered under SAT, the name of the person / Share holder/ camp head or authorised person provide you ID / PASSPORT under the same name?

Date starts/end are 180 days

How many classes total you paid...
Greg ******
Anonymous participant You can click on the poster name to see the posts history. This will answer your question πŸ˜….
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
We got the paperwork directly from the gym ourselves. We just made the mistake of using an agent that does the online submission for you with a guarantee that if there is a problem they will figure it out and resubmit it until it's approved. They can't find the answer to the problem though and gave up. So they were pretty pointless.
Tim ***********
Can you please tell me in which City the gym is ? I just hope it's not mine
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Tim **********
you mean the gym we used? It's in Phuket.
Wayne *********
Anonymous participant Should do directly with the Gym, agents have found to be copying paperwork, so when the embassy calls the gym and they don't know about you
Greg ******
For how many months were the Muay Thai lessons?
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
@Greg *****
6 months
Greg ******
Anonymous participant Okay. That's reasonable. We are seeing things getting stricter though.
Anonymous *************
ORIGINAL POSTER
I thought we'd done everyhing very much by the book. Genuine gym. Genuinely joining to do Muay Thai and actually train regularly. There must be something I'm missing but I can't figure it out.