The place of birth- related information is added to all visa applications with both short-term or long-term stays. In addition, the French Embassy noted that visa applicants can check the list of travel documents recognized by the other Schengen member states on the European Commission's website.

Earlier, Germany and the US embassies also urged Vietnamese new passport holders to get them endorsed with place of birth before their visa interview.

In early August, the Ministry of Public Security directed the Vietnam Immigration Department and other Vietnamese agencies abroad to print the information on “place of birth” in the annotation section of new passports from September 15.

The move aims to create favourable conditions for Vietnamese citizens to enter other countries, as several countries suspended the issuance of visas to new Vietnamese passport holders due to a lack of the birthplace information.

Source: VOV