FAQs

Yes, you can bring the possessions you have in detention. Nothing illegal or against policies. Family members can bring items/small suitcases while visiting their detained family member. ICE will thoroughly check the luggage, and will give them to your loved ones upon arrival to VN. Please ask your detained family members for size/weight restrictions with the ICE staff in their detention center. 

We have heard that community members are also able to bring money to Vietnam. ICE has issued a check/ATM card  in the past with commissary money that can be cashed in Vietnam. Please have your loved one check with their detention center. If you don’t trust ICE with your money, transferring money via Western Union to VN is very easy.

You will likely be handcuffed on the feet and hands during your flight, if your flight has a significant number of returnees. ICE Agents will escort and monitor  you. When you land, they will hand you over to VN officers who will escort you to immigration. You may be questioned at VN immigration briefly before being released; we have not seen detentions of more than two hours.

If your family members have been alerted and are willing, they can pick you up at Tân Sơn Nhất Airport. If you have no family members picking you up, you will be released into Saigon anyway and will have to fend for yourself. There is currently no entity nor official organization to support returned community members. Please reach out to us and we will see if we can have a friend/deported community member volunteer ‘buddy’ up with you.

Currently there is no support for deported people to Vietnam. 

We have learned that the Vietnamese government will issue a temporary Vietnamese passport valid for 6 months.

You won’t be given a permanent ID upon arrival, but there are processes to apply for one that varies for each province. 

You will have to go through the formal process of applying for a Vietnamese ID. Most deported siblings have described this as a multi-step process that can take months, with costs at each step. This ID is important, as services (education, healthcare, etc.) are accessed only after you have an ID.

1. In order to get an ID, you can head to your province “địa phương” which is listed as your home province in your VN paperwork. 

2. You will then apply for your official ID called Căn cước công dân -  Vietnamese ID which has a chip (this is a newer Viet ID system which took over what is formerly known as chứng minh nhân dân CMND)

Please note - steps and costs vary. The process of getting an ID is something you will have to find out in your province. However if your home city on your paperwork is Saigon, you may be provided a “thư mời” (invitation) when you land; which will provide an address of a location where you can get an official ID in the following weeks.

Yes you can, depending on the hotel. You will likely be able to use your temporary passport to do so.

Vietnam is a country where having a smartphone can really help you adjust quickly to everyday life. You can often get free wifi at every business, so the internet is generally not an issue. If you do not have a phone, get a phone when you land, and this will be key for your integration and survival. Phones are available on a pay as you go basis to get you started. 

There are a number of key apps you will need to navigate Saigon

1. Grab – This app functions as Uber, and beyond. You can order food, transport goods, etc. 

2. WhatsApp - good app to keep in touch with US folks

3. Zalo - most popular in VN to communicate with people in-country

4. Messenger - Facebook messenger is also very popular for in-country and abroad

5. Signal - not as popular but key in keeping in touch with impacted people and organizers in the US

Very easy. To get set up with a phone and other important things, you can head to Bùi Viện (known as the backpackers district which has phones, hotels, and Internet cafes) or any other area with lots of tourists. Prices are high here, but people speak English. Please be careful.