Bringing Emily Home Day 10 - 16 May, 2002 - Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam

Bringing Emily Home
Day 10
16 May, 2002 - Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam
Most of these images have links to larger versions

OK, now for some review - After picking Emily up from the orphanage, we need to do the following:

Giving and Receiving Ceremony - GRC (transfer Emily from the State to us).
Obtain her Vietnamese passport (this takes about 5 working days following the GRC)
Obtain her USA Visa (this has been where the problems have been in the recent past. The US INS has been challenging the validity of some of the orphans' status thus causing delays of up to two months. This step happens in Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City, for short).
Get a stamp in her passport from the US INS (this happens at the port of entry into the US, at the time of the stamp, Emily is an official citizen of the USA).

So, we had been spending the time after the Ceremony just waiting around and getting to know Emily and figure out how to be parents of an infant again. Pretty relaxed, in fact - way too relaxed, we want ACTION! Well, we got it! On Wednesday, May 15th, we were notified that the Passport would be available at around 5:00 PM. So - I tell the hotel we are checking out; call Vietnam Airlines and get reservations on the 9:00 PM flight to Saigon; call the Somerset Chancellor Court in Saigon and get reservations there; arrange for a car to the airport. Pick up the passport, get to the airport, arrive in Saigon at the hotel at about 11:30 PM.

The very next day (Thursday, May 16th) we meet Beth Clark and her husband Thai in the lobby at 6:45 AM with Emily in tow. We head out for visa photographs, medical checkups and interviews with the INS (some pictures below). We are done before noon. The visa will be ready by 4:00 PM, so I: Tell the hotel we are checking out at 6:30 PM that day; contact and visit Thai Airlines and get three seats on the 8:30 PM flight to Bangkok; contact and visit United Airlines and get Business Class reservations on the flight to Portland (Bangkok to Taipei to San Francisco to Portland) for the next day (7:000 AM); call the Amari Airport Hotel in Bangkok and get reservations there for one night.

On Friday, May 17, I went to the Bangkok airport real early, leaving Mary and Emily at the hotel. I needed to change our tickets since they were (1) originally for two people; (2) originally for the 26th; (3) originally routed Bangkok to Tokyo to Seattle to Portland. Well, sure enough, things were ALL SCREWED UP thanks to United Airlines. After haggling and trying to control my blood pressure (remember I have had about 8 hours sleep in the last two days), I got us on yet another flight (Bangkok to Tokyo to San Francisco to Portland). With an infant, it is really nice to have bulkhead seats because the airlines have a bassinet that fits there. Well, with all the screwing around, we ended up losing our bulkhead seats. Evidently my whining to United worked because when we checked in at the gate, two FIRST CLASS tickets were waiting for us. Pretty nice.

I then went back to the hotel, rounded up Mary and Emily and off we went. Travel looked like this:

Hanoi to Saigon Depart at 7:30 PM, arrive 9:30 PM.

Saigon to Bangkok Depart 9:00 PM, arrive 10:25 PM

Bangkok to Tokyo Depart 7:00 AM, arrive 2:20 PM

Tokyo to San Francisco Depart 5:20 PM arrive 10:20 AM (the same day)

San Francisco to Portland Depart 12:55 PM, arrive 2:32 PM

Drive to Hillsboro Val picked us up and deposited us at Home!

Elapsed Time 39 hours, 5 minutes.

OK, here's some pictures and details
About Getting the Visa

So, we get the passport in Hanoi, then we hop the first flight we can get on down to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City for short). The next day is pretty hectic	Emily's crib is a bit airy
Heading out early to get visa photos	Here's Tien and his mom Lisa, we all went together
Streetside Visa photo store. That's Mary behind the sheet holding Emily.
The next stop is for a physical	Here's the hospital
We get registered	Then we sit
And wait	And wait some more. This is Thai, Beth Clark's husband. He was our guide and project manager for the field stuff while Beth handled the Consulate stuff.
Still waiting	Finally, some action. Weights and measures department
David, waiting and pondering	Emily getting poked and prodded
Part two	This is Emily, David and Tien
Emily can count to about a zillion	Once we get the physicals, then we wait for the reports.
And wait some more	Here's some art
Still waiting.
On the way out, this kid wanted me to take his picture. So I did.	Street in front of the hospital
Saigon traffic is much the same as in Hanoi only the drivers tend to stay on their own side of the street more. That's because there is LOTS of traffic in Saigon	Once we finished with the photos and the examinations, we went to the US Consulate (conveniently located right behind the Somerset Hotel). There we drop off lots of paperwork, pay some fees and get interviewed by an immigrations official. Her name was Laura Kirkpatrick, she was friendly and made us feel at home and relaxed. This was a very tense moment for us because of all the stuff we've heard about the INS and NOIDS and other inhibitors to immigration approval. We were approved on the spot - only took about 15 minutes.
Approval means one thing, getting the visa is quite another. So we wait back at the hotel until 4:00 PM when the Visa will be ready.	While waiting, I made a few images of the area
And of the Mommy and Baby	Saigon has wide, tree lined streets.
Saigon has many modern buildings	More
This is in front of the US Consulate
This is above the front door.	More shots in front of the consulate. Note the wide sidewalk.
Saigon also has many signs for the traffic to ignore. This one means that walking is OK.	This one points down.
Trucks and pedicabs allowed?	No tic-tac-toe
We were staying at the Somerset Chancellor Court, "145 units in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City's bustling business and diplomatic district."

So, after less than 24 hours in Saigon, we head for Bangkok and home.	There's babies in those mirrors!

Hanoi to Saigon	Depart at 7:30 PM, arrive 9:30 PM.
Saigon to Bangkok	Depart 9:00 PM, arrive 10:25 PM
Bangkok to Tokyo	Depart 7:00 AM, arrive 2:20 PM
Tokyo to San Francisco	Depart 5:20 PM arrive 10:20 AM (the same day)
San Francisco to Portland	Depart 12:55 PM, arrive 2:32 PM
Drive to Hillsboro	Val picked us up and deposited us at Home!
Elapsed Time	39 hours, 5 minutes.