This post, written for US colleagues who recruit in Viet Nam, is short and sweet.
June is the second month of student visa “high season” in Viet Nam and other countries. I checked the Monthly Nonimmigrant Visa Issuances Data, courtesy of the US State Department, and here’s what I found. The US Embassy (Hanoi) and Consulate (HCMC) issued a total of 1,667 F-1 visas. That’s a 529% increase over last year (265), but since that was well into the global pandemic, let’s go back one more year.
In June 2019, the US Mission in Viet Nam approved 3,148 student visas, which means the decrease from 2019 to 2021 was 47%. Since this is a year of recovery and COVID-19 is now in its 4th wave in Viet Nam, I view that as a positive sign. It could have been worse and June 2022 promises to be much better.
Shalom (שלום), MAA
An International Educator in Viet Nam 
The number of F-1 visas issued in July 2021 by the US Mission in Viet Nam, i.e,. the Embassy in Hanoi and the Consulate in HCMC was 1,676. Here are the stats for the last two years:
July 2020: 1,012
July 2019: 5,250
The July 2021 number would have been much higher had it not been for the 4th wave of COVID-19, especially in HCMC and vicinity.
Click to access JULY%202021%20-%20NIV%20Issuances%20by%20Nationality%20and%20Visa%20Class.pdf