Lost/Stolen Passport Procedure in HCMC

I am documenting this as a guide for foreigners who have lost their passports in HCMC or have had them stolen.

Background (5 Dec 12) : We were walking along Dong Khoi outside Parkson. 2 well-dressed men on a bike went onto the pavement. We made way for them. One of them suddenly grabbed my mother's handbag and they sped off. That was it. 2 passports and money gone.

Step 1 : 
Make a police report at the WARD police station where the crime was committed - you need to get the right ward police station. Otherwise you'll be running in circles looking for the right one. You'll need the help of a Vietnamese as most of the policemen do not speak English. You also need to write your statement in English and then have it translated to Vietnamese.

We made the report at night right after the incident. We were "informed" that if we reported our passports as lost instead of stolen, we will get the procedures processed faster. What procedures? Their motive? No prizes for guessing. Hint : statistics. The passports and money will never see the light of day again - it's just the report that we need. We stuck to our story -  asked for a copy of the report but none was given. No reason given too. We were just told that we can only collect our copy at 9am the next morning.

The next morning, we arrived promptly at 9am. One officer pulled the report from his drawer, passed to another for a look, and then to a third officer to stamp the report. All done in less than 3 minutes. That's how the "procedure" is for collecting a copy of the police report. Note also that procedures differ from ward to ward.

Police station at Ward Ben Nghe

Police Report (EL in front)

Police Report (VN - at the back)

Step 2 :

Go to your embassy/consulate, in our case Singapore. They will need the police report and 2 passport photos per person. You need to check with your embassy on their specific requirements. Don't go there and then start searching for a photo-shop to take your passport photo - adds to the delay and frustration, which you can well do without. Get your photos taken before you go there. We needed 3 photos per person - 2 for consulate, one for the VN Imm Dept later. Best to make 4.

The embassy will issue a Document of Identity (see below) for you to fly out of the country legally. However, in Vietnam, they need an additional Vietnam visa together with this document. So you need to go the Vietnam Immigration Department. See below for details.

Our consulate said it will take about 3 days to get the VN Visa done - which means you should be prepared to stay another 3 days or more. (See how we cut short below)

Document of Identity

Letter by SG Consulate to VN Imm Dept

Step 3 :

Go to the Immigration Department. In HCMC, the address is 254, Nguyen Trai, District 1.

It is about 10 minutes walk from Citi Plaza (shopping centre where we had lunch).

You need to get a Vietnamese friend to go with you. Handling them on your own is really difficult.

Note that it operates Mon to Fri 0800-1130, 1330-1600; Sat 0800-1130.

We rushed to reach there at 1110 but the queue number counter already closed.

So don't bother to go in the morning if you can't make it by 1100.

We had no choice but to hang around at Citi Plaza for 2 hours to wait for the 1.30pm opening.

Went back at 1.25pm - queue counter was already opened. Got a queue number.

Imm Dept at 254, Nguyen Trai, Dist 1

This is the queue number ticket

This is Counter 9 where you will make your report.

You need to fill up another form : "Application for visa issuance, replacement, modification or stay extension". One for each visa application. You need to buy it from the queue counter.
You also need to submit one passport photo to make your visa document.
You will need to make photocopies of all your documents for submission.

We went out to make photocopies after talking to the officer (machine at queue number counter was out). Someone in uniform approached us and offered to help get our visas done by today so that my parents can fly out this very night as originally scheduled. I let my VN friend handle the discussion. Final "service fee" was US$100. That's why you need a Vietnamese to go along with you.

We finally got the visas done at 4.30pm. Cost is US$25 per visa.
Total damage for us : US$150

Finally, the VISA!!

HCMC - No longer safe

Caught in the act (Crime in HCMC)

In my earlier days in HCMC, when I was still green, I attributed being cheated by some Vietnamese to my naivete. Then my wife was pick-pocketed. Still defended HCMC and blamed ourselves for not being careful. Then my apartment was burgled - ok, bad luck. Then I was robbed a few months back - my fault? Today, my mum was robbed. A very kind young lady brought us to the police station and help us make a police report. She said that her foreigner boss and another manager also fell victim to crime. Sorry, HCMC, I cannot defend you anymore. You have become too dangerous for me as a foreigner.

One year back, I rated you, HCMC, as the second safest city for tourists after Singapore, even safer than the other cities in Southeast Asia. Sorry, not any more. Not after what has happened to me and my family - call it bad luck, call it my fault, call it whatever you want - but HCMC has degenerated into a very dangerous city to be in, especially the city centre. Even their own citizens are afraid. See the following news from just one source, vietnamnet.vn (I've added more sources since then) :

Police-detain-25-muggers-on-buses-in-hcmc
Back-to-the--hot-spot--of-street-crime-in-saigon
More-mobile-police-for-hcmc-to-fight-crime
HCMC-to-mobilize-forces-to-crack-down-on-crime
Robbers-slash-man-s-arm-for-30-chinese-phone
Woman-s-arm-chopped-off-by-thieves
Woman-pushed-into-moving-traffic-by-bag-snatchers
HCMC-parks-targeted-by-criminals
Witches-brew

From vietnamnet.vn
Cruel-tricks-of-saigon-bandits
Incredible-tricks-of-saigon-robbers
Robbery-on-the-streets-of-saigon (1)
Robbery-on-the-streets-of-saigon (2)
The-police-to-declare-war-against-robbery-in-saigon
Street-knight-identifies-robbery
Combating-street-robbery--street-knight--model-still-a-concern
Ministry-of-public-security-to-tackle-robbery-in-hcm-city
Crime-will-bring-consequences-to-vietnam-expat-victim

I read the comments of some foreigners about how wonderful the country and city is, about how long they have stayed here and never fell victim to crime, about dumb people who don't know how to protect themselves from being robbed ... all I can say is that it only has to happen to you just once, and that spell which Vietnam cast will be broken. I gave HCMC four to five chances. Enough! For all its charm, beauty and hospitality, I do not want to live in a city where I have to look over my shoulders each day I go out, especially if I have a bag ... to look at every bike coming my way as a hostile force out to rob me, to go home and wonder if it has been broken into. This is what's happening to me now every day - certainly not a good way to live life.

I do not want to feel the helplessness of being robbed again and not being able to do anything about it. It is very frustrating. And if you do happen to be robbed, you are to surrender everything because if you retaliate, chances are you'll be hurt or killed. And the irony of it all is that you should thank your lucky stars that you're not hurt after being robbed. And you can expect that nothing will be done by the authorities despite your report. Whether it's the sheer numbers they have to deal with, or the helplessness, or the inefficiency, or the simply can't-be-bothered attitude, or whatever excuses they can cook up, you'll never see your belongings ever again - unless you're some super VIP with heavenly connections.

Even with all the pleasant memories, experiences and some wonderful Vietnamese friends, there comes a time when what is acceptable crosses the line, and enough is enough. I have made enough excuses for you, HCMC ... hasta la vista, Saigon! I'll be back for business but never to live again.