When returning home for the Lunar New Year holidays ( TET), which falls on January 29, Viet Kieu can ask Vietnamese immigration officers at airports for visas.

These airports are Noi Bai in Hanoi, Tan Son Nhat in Ho Chi Minh City and Danang, says the ministry’s Official Letter 2116/BCA dated November 25, 2005.

Vietnamese holding foreign passports or documents proving their Vietnamese origin and residing in countries where there are no Vietnamese consulates or diplomatic officer is  all eligible for this.

In special cases, such as the death or serious illness of a relative in Vietnam, Viet Kieu can quickly obtain visas at airports to enter the country. Foreigners accompanying Viet Kieu can apply for entry visas if there is proof that they are relatives

Nguyen Chon Trung, chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Committee for Overseas Vietnamese, said Viet Kieu who returns to Vietnam via Tan Son Nhat airport by January 31 could ask for entry visas right at the airport

In a move to encourage Viet Kieu to come back home for Tet, the committee and the Southern Airports Authority will arrange a group of volunteers to welcome Viet Kieu at Tan Son Nhat on December 20.

Compiled by Dan Dan