Marriage Green Card · Vietnam

Vietnam Marriage Green Card: Country-Specific Guides

Vietnamese nationals applying for a marriage green card go through Consular Processing at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, the only U.S. immigrant visa post in the country. Two things make the Vietnam path distinctive: civil documents need a certified English translation but no apostille for the visa, and only two clinics in Ho Chi Minh City are accepted for the medical exam. These guides cover the documents, the medical exam, the interview trip, and what to do if you receive a 221(g).

Consulate

U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City (only immigrant visa post)

Civil documents

People's Committee records, plus a certified English translation

Panel physicians

Two in Ho Chi Minh City: Cho Ray Hospital and IOM

Police certificate

Judicial Record Card No. 2 (Phiếu Lý Lịch Tư Pháp số 2)

Start here: your path, in order

1
Confirm your path. If you are already married, you are on the CR-1/IR-1 consular route through Ho Chi Minh City. If you plan to marry in Vietnam first, start with the marriage guide.
2
The U.S. citizen or LPR files Form I-130, the petition that starts the case.
3
Gather your civil documents: the birth certificate (Giấy khai sinh), marriage certificate (Giấy chứng nhận kết hôn), any prior divorce decisions, and the Judicial Record Card No. 2.
4
After I-130 approval, the National Visa Center reviews your documents and you pay the fees.
5
Your interview is scheduled at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City; plan the trip and what to bring.
6
Do the medical exam before the interview, at one of the two Ho Chi Minh City panel physicians.
7
Attend the interview. On approval, your spouse gets a CR-1/IR-1 visa and enters the U.S. as a permanent resident.
8
If you receive a 221(g) at the interview, identify which of the three tracks you are on and respond accordingly.

What makes this pathway different

One Immigrant Visa Post: Ho Chi Minh City

Every Vietnam immigrant visa interview happens at the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City (4 Le Duan Boulevard, District 1). The Embassy in Hanoi handles nonimmigrant visas only, so all immigrant visa logistics point to one city.

No Apostille Needed for the U.S. Visa

Vietnamese civil documents need a certified English translation, not an apostille, for the U.S. filing. Vietnam joined the Hague Apostille Convention (in force September 11, 2026), but that change does not add a requirement to your green card paperwork.

Reversed Authentication for U.S. Documents

The direction reverses when you bring U.S. documents into Vietnam, such as a single-status affidavit to marry there: those need U.S. authentication and a Vietnamese translation. Vietnamese documents used for the U.S. visa do not.

Only Two Panel Physicians

Just two clinics in Ho Chi Minh City are accepted for the immigrant visa medical exam: Cho Ray Hospital and the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre. An exam from any other doctor is rejected, and a missing or wrong-doctor medical is a common 221(g) hold.

Guides for Vietnam applicants

Vietnamese Birth Certificate (Giấy Khai Sinh) for U.S. Immigration: How to Get It (2026)

How to order a certified copy (bản sao) or extract (trích lục) of the giấy khai sinh from the People's Committee, add a certified English translation, skip the apostille, and use secondary evidence when records were never registered or were lost.

Vietnamese Marriage Certificate (Giấy chứng nhận kết hôn) for U.S. Immigration (2026)

Which Vietnamese marriage certificate U.S. immigration accepts, when a certified English translation is required, the District People's Court divorce decision needed for prior marriages, the 2025 commune-level registration change, and why no apostille is required.

Vietnam Police Certificate (Judicial Record Card No. 2 / Phiếu Lý Lịch Tư Pháp số 2) for U.S. Immigration (2026)

Why the consulate requires the Judicial Record Card No. 2 and not No. 1, the 2025 move to the Ministry of Public Security, the VNeID online route versus in person, fees, the certified translation, and timing.

Ho Chi Minh City Panel Physicians: The Two Accredited Clinics for the Immigrant Visa Medical Exam (2026)

The only two accepted clinics, Cho Ray Hospital and the IOM Migration Health Assessment Centre, with addresses, booking, fees, what to bring, and vaccinations. Plus exam timing and how results reach the Consulate.

Ho Chi Minh City Immigrant Visa Interview Trip: U.S. Consulate Logistics & Medical (2026)

Logistics for the U.S. Consulate Ho Chi Minh City interview at 4 Le Duan: confirm your appointment, register your delivery address, the medical at Cho Ray or IOM, the originals to bring, the electronics ban, and passport return by courier.

Common 221(g) Refusals at the U.S. Consulate General Ho Chi Minh City

A 221(g) is a pause, not a denial. How to read your OF-194 to find your track (document deficiency, administrative processing, or possible ineligibility), where to resubmit at 4 Le Duan, the timeframes, and when a refusal is a legal matter for an attorney.

Getting Married in Vietnam: Documents and the Green Card Path (2026)

What a U.S. citizen needs to marry in Vietnam, the reversed U.S.-side authentication chain, the mental-health certificate and commune-level registration under Decree 120/2025, and how marrying first leads to the CR-1 path through Ho Chi Minh City.

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