Please note: Effective March 29, 2008, appointments for all nonimmigrant visa interviews must be made online. Click here for instructions.
U.S. Consulate General Introduces Online Appointment System For Nonimmigrant Visas
(HCMC – March 28) The U.S. Consulate in Ho Chi Minh City and the U.S. Embassy in Hanoi are pleased to announce a new online appointment system for people wishing to apply for Nonimmigrant Visas. Nonimmigrant visas include those issued to students, businesspeople, and visitors or tourists. This new internet-based system offers an easier, more convenient way for applicants to schedule a visa interview appointment. (complete text)
Earth Day Essay Winners Announced
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| The judging panel poses with the winnersof the Earth Day Essay Contest |
In honor of Earth Day, the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City and the Institute of International Education held an English-language Earth Day essay contest on the theme, “How Do You View Environmental Issues in Vietnam?” Entries flooded in, each offering a creative vision for environmental solutions in Vietnam. The judging panel, consisting of Assistant Public Affairs Officer Sunshine Ison; Consulate Officer and former environmentalist Ian Rozdilsky; and English Language Fellow Michele Lewis, read more than 150 essays to choose the winners. At a standing-room-only awards ceremony held at the Kim Do Hotel on Saturday, April 26, the top five essayists read portions of their work before being awarded valuable prizes (including bicycles and tourism vouchers of up to 5 million VN Dong each) donated by the Vietnam Waste Solutions, APL Vietnam Ltd., and SaigonTourist. The top honor went to Ms. Tong Thi Tien Chau for her essay, “Plastic Bags: Time to Say Goodbye?” The other winners were as follows: second place, Vu Quynh Chau; third place, Nguyen Thao Van; fourth place, Nguyen Dieu Vu; and fifth place, Vu Anh Kha. Congratulations to the winners and to all participants for their great work!
Striking Up the Band to Celebrate Jazz Appreciation Month
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| Angela Dickey talks about her love of jazz to a full crowd at the Sax 'N Art Jazz Club |
April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and to commemorate this great American musical style, the Consulate General and the Association of Overseas Vietnamese Students partnered up to present an Afternoon Jazz Chat by Deputy Principle Officer Angela Dickey. On the afternoon of April 25, about fifty members of the association (composed of former and future study abroad participants) joined Consulate contacts and members of the general public at the Sax ‘N Art Jazz Club to hear Dickey talk about and play some of her favorite jazz tunes. After the discussion about the history and impact of jazz, Sax ‘N Art owner and world famous saxophonist Tran Manh Tuan took to the stage to offer a live interpretation of jazz classics. The event closed out with a true example of jazz’s cross-cultural nature when the US-trained Tuan played an original composition based on the music of Vietnam’s ethnic minorities.
Dialogue on IPR: A Global Challenge
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| A group of American Intellectual PropertyRights lawyers, visiting Vietnam as part of a "People to People Citizens Ambassadors"Program, met with Vietnamese counterparts to exchange ideas and experiences on IPR issues |
On April 14, the Consulate hosted a dozen American lawyers in HCMC to explore Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) in Vietnam. After a background briefing with Consul General Ken Fairfax, the group met with local lawyers, officials, and academics who work in government departments, firms and universities that focus on IPR. During the informal roundtable discussion, Vietnamese and Americans exchanged experiences and advice regarding trademark, patent, and copyright issues. While coming from different perspectives, participants found areas of common ground, including understanding that copyright infringement, enforcement of IPR, and other challenges apply to countries around the world. Timely topics such as training, technical expertise, and increasing quality in counterfeit goods rounded out the wide-ranging and animated discussion.
PAO Patricia Norland’s Visit to Danang and Hue
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PAO Kit Norland, Michele and Duy Tan |
PAO Patricia Norland visited Hue and Danang during March 26-28. She attended ELF Michele Lewis’ workshops at Hue CFL and Danang CFL and gave talks on “Study in the U.S.” to their students. She also visited Cham Museum in Danang to see the Cham culture project which was implemented in 2004 with the support of the AFCP. In Hue, PAO Patricia Norland worked with Dr. Huynh Dinh Chien, Director of Hue Learning Resource Center on a new AFCP projected nominated by PAS HCMC and with Mr. Huynh Tan Dat, Vice-Director of Hue Festival Center to plan the participation of the famous jazz-blues singer Coco York in the festival to be held in June of this year.
Ambassador Michalak Views Buddhas Restored through AFCP
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| Ambassador Michael Michalak works with a professional preservationist to apply gild to a statue restored through |
During a trip to Ho Chi Minh City, Ambassador Michael Michalak visited the Museum of Vietnamese History to observe restoration of some of the museum’s Buddha statues through the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation. Among 17 Buddha statues whose restoration was funded under this project, the one that impressed the delegation the most was the 19th century, Amitaba-wood statue from Khai Tuong Pagoda. This large statue, 196cm height and 135 cm in width, was carved out of the jackfruit tree and covered in red lacquer and emulsified gold. This statue was created at the behest of Emperor Minh Mạng (1820-1840). The Khải Tường pagoda was formerly located in the area of the current Museum of War Memorials. The pagoda was destroyed by the French colonists in the 19th century. The Ambassador and Acting Consul General Angela Dickey were both able to get hands-on experience applying gild to one of the statues.
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