Public Security Minister To Lam will answer questions before the National Assembly about the new passport model on August 10, according to Vietnamese media.
To Lam’s question and answer session will take place in the 14th session of the National Assembly Standing Committee.
This part belongs to the first group of issues, under the responsibility of the Ministry of Public Security to respond, revolving around the following contents: the issue of citizen identification cards; the issuance and use of new ordinary passports; building the national database on population, ensuring connection with specialized databases, the right to exploit information of agencies, organizations, and individuals according to the provisions of law and security issues personal information.
Still continue to issue new passport form
The troubles arising from the new model passport are still attracting the attention of Vietnamese public opinion, after being refused visas by three European countries, including Germany, Spain, and the Czech Republic.
The Vietnamese government has only offered a few temporary solutions, while recently announced that it will continue to issue new model passports to people.
On August 3, an unnamed official from the Immigration Department of the Ministry of Public Security said that the issuance of passports will still be carried out “as usual” in 63 provinces and cities of Vietnam.
He said the new passport was issued in accordance with Vietnamese law and met the standards of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
Accordingly, ICAO sets general standards for passports, where birth information is optional.
However, ICAO cautions that passport-issuing countries and organizations should consider the option of leaving or keeping birth information based on all relevant political activities, including whether this is acceptable in other countries or not.
An official from the Immigration Department also said that “diplomatic settlement is underway” for countries that refuse Vietnam’s new passports.
A representative of an immigration office in Ho Chi Minh City said that compared to the beginning of July, the number of people applying for new passports has decreased, but the office still receives more than 1,000 submissions per day, according to VnExpress on August 2.
Meanwhile, as soon as the Ministry of Public Security said that “it will be added to the note in the new passport with the content of the citizen’s place of birth,” there were no queues for passports at the Immigration Department in Hanoi, as noted by Dan Tri on August 4.
New passports of Vietnam are used from July 1 this year.
According to the Ministry of Public Security, compared with the old model, the new ordinary passport model has many improvements; ensuring security techniques, and is difficult to counterfeit.
The new passport template is elaborately designed, on each page is a typical image of the landscape, the image of national sovereignty, and the famous cultural heritage of the country.
Main developments
1/7/2022: The Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam issues a new passport model, keeping the same size as the old one, but the color on the cover changes to blue-purple and does not show birthplace information.
2/7/2022: Germany refuses to issue visas for the new passport model due to a lack of birthplace information
July 29, 2022: The Vietnamese Embassy in Germany announced that it is ready to confirm in German the birthplace of Vietnamese citizens in Germany to present with a new passport form.
August 1, 2022: Spain suspends visa issuance for a new passport form of Vietnam, due to the fact that it does not show information about the place of birth.
2/8/2022: The Czech Republic refused to issue a visa for holders of the new model passport of Vietnam because it did not meet the technical standards of ICAO parameters.
August 3, 2022:
Prime Minister of Vietnam, Mr. Pham Minh Chinh, asked the Ministry of Public Security to “find a solution on a new model passport.”
The Ministry of Public Security of Vietnam said it will “add in the note in the new passport the content of the citizen’s place of birth.”
Vietnamese Ambassador to the Czech Republic Thai Xuan Dung said that when citizens want to add their place of birth to a new passport, they can go to the Consular Department, Embassy of Vietnam in the Czech Republic, and present their passport as required.
The British Embassy in Hanoi said the country continued to recognize Vietnam’s new model passports, but noted that visa applicants check information regularly about regulations.
August 10, 2022: Minister of Public Security To Lam is expected to answer questions before the National Assembly about the new passport model.
Thoibao.de (Translated)
