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[frankly_norse]

Hey All!

I'm heading to HCMC in early November as Apollo has accepted my application for their CELTA course. I'm pretty frickin excited about it all but I'm also freaking out because it's such a big change and there's so much to get done by the end of this month. NNNnggaaaHHHH...

I've been lurking around this forum for a few months now so first I'd like to say again how much I appreciate everyone's postings here. (In particular, a huge thank you to CThomas for his site - http://saigonalive.blogspot.com. Absolutely fantastic, CThomas - would love to express my gratitude via hops and barley at some point after my arrival.)

After completing the Apollo course, my plan is to find work in Vietnam, but to keep my options open I would also consider bouncing to another nearby country.

So, here's my first question: I have a BA degree in English (1985); nowhere on the diploma does it indicate that I majored in English. Would it be advisable to bring an authenticated copy of my transcripts to show that the degree is in English?

Second question: I understand that some Asian countries acknowledge the apostille form of authentication but Vietnam specifically does not. What form of authentication at the university level do I need in order to be compliant with both the apostille form and the non-apostille form?

I'm hoping there are a few VN veterans here who can respond readily, but if these questions are better suited to a different forum, please let me know!

No doubt I'll have more questions as the month progresses, but for the moment these are the most pressing.

Thanks in advance for any responses!

[CThomas]

The things is that the authentication is only necessary for the government to process documents for a WP. You may bring transcripts to show employers that you have a BA in English specifically, though I can't see why they'd need authentication for here. If you WANT to authenticate them, then by all means do so. But, again, they're only necessary to show employers, not for the WP. A BA and a CELTA will be fine.


That said, if you're planning on possibly doing all this for nearby countries, figure out where you might go and what there requirements are. If you're not sure, then you'd probably create two sets of everything -- one authenticated and one apostilled. And some countries may actually want apostilled transcripts. You'll either do homework on each potential country or just create the two sets of everything -- more money, but better done now than later, for sure.

I'm glad you enjoy the site and that it's informative.

[frankly_norse]

Thanks for your reply, CT - as I said, I'm in freakout mode because this is such a major leap for me so it really helps to hear voices of reason from other quarters.

So, I'm flying in on Nov 11 mid morning and will have a hostel booked soon, looking for a crash site around the "back packer" area. I'd like to tool around, meet people, indulge in a little r&r before my course starts (Nov 22), but then I'll need a solid month of quiet time in a dependable location (quiet being relative in HCMC I understand ). Do you have any suggestions? I've seen "Jon's serviced houses" mentioned here previously - would he be a good resource for finding something after my initial few nights here?

[JHat]

To find a place to live in HCMC you can either use Jon's website, but as of last week he only had a few places available. It's worth coming and seeing what he has available for yourself as vacancies could change.

Another option is to search on www.vnrental.com for available places. You could even drop by their office (which is conveniently right in the backpackers district) and ask an agent to show you a few places. They have great English too. I found a great furnished room through them so I'm just passing the word along!

[frankly_norse]

thanks for the reply, jhat. i'm currently set thru the end of november with hostel lodgings in the back packer area. for december tho i'd like to be in digs that are more conducive to focused study - i'll definitely stop by the vnrental office once i hit the ground. thanks for the tip!!