Category: Travel and Tourism
Our college has a 13 week program where you go to, I'm going to misspell this, forgive me, Denang Vietnam and I am interested in going. However, I am very concerned about my safety as a blind traveler, the safety of my guide dog, including the laws protecting or not, service dog handlers in Vietnam, and what degree of help I could actually provide with the language barrior that is so often over come with gestures, pictures and other visuals to help make meaning clear in such situations. So I'm looking for anyone who has lived in or has travveled to Vietnam in the past 10 years or so, or to other similar countries. I'm also very interested in South Korea and I know they have a guide dog school there, so theoretically they have laws protecting guide dog handlers, but I know nothing of the regulations on bringing dogs into and out of Vietnam, South Korea and other countries in or near Asia, and the regulations related to bringing a guide dog back into the US. I need a better idea of what the travel situation would be like to determin whether my dog would be up to it and I need to know about specific health concerns for my dog, such as additional vaxinations, stronger or different flee and tick preventatives, and similar concerns. If we are talking about cities or rural communities not that much different in physical structure than those in the US, Frieda would be fine, and if the changes are minimal, she could adapt, but if things are drastically different I need to know. I'm working on talking to some sighted people who have been to ask general questions about physical features of the travel environment and culture and ccustoms, but I would like the thoughts and perspective of blind travelers. For instance, what are the structures of open air markets? Frieda can walk through our farmers' market and has only once grabbed a raw meaty bone from a low counter at our favorite meat vender, but if the markets are filled with chickens hanging out on display at dog level, bins of food open to the air and very low to the ground, etc, I don't know how well even the best trained guide dog could be expected to behave. I know there are open sewers in some developing nations, like in some parts of India. Do those exist in Vietnam? If my dog makes me fall in a mud puddle, I'll say a few four letter words and then go on about my day, a little muddier, if my dog ever screwed up and I fell into an open sewer, well, I'd probably try to commit suiacide on the spot. *makes horrified face* Frieda's pretty freaken awesome, but she has limits, also, I have limits and I just don't know enough to make a good decision, so any feedback or stories you might want to share would be appreciated. Thanks much.
Just 2 things and one is probably not a correct statement, but here goes.
1. If you travel to such a place wouldn't it be a smart idea to take a sighted companion? Your travel skills can be 100%, but in this case you are traveling to a different culture all together, and like these open air markets, and possible open toilets, well?
2. Isn't dog thought to be a quality meat in these countries? You take a fat healthy dog, aren't you afraid it might be taken from you?
Maybe that is a dumb question, but you will be a outsider, blind to boot, so?
I have never had a dog. But Wayne is partially wrong: I traveled to Japan on my own and when you need sighted help you can get it, if you are already part of a student program, as she is talking about.
I did work for the Immigration Service though. Enough years ago that some of you weren't alive then: so I won't speak to specific regulations that would be foolish. But with Immigration and Customs, you need to be clear about all the countries you are visiting. Rules are different depending on where you are going to and coming from. Even in the 1980s there was laws to prevent black-market pet trading and disease importing that in principle wouldn't apply to you as a professional dog handler, but unfortunately you will have to comply. Oriental countries also do things on a miniaturized scale in comparison to what we are used to here in the West. So your accomodations will be smaller. Walkways will be narrower, the city more crowded.
You're doing it right to get all the questions answered ahead of time. I would get stories from here, perhaps, but go seek out regulations and requirements from both Immigration and Customs. Also remember that when I was in Immigration Bin Laden was just getting started in Afghanistan, so 9/11 wasn't on anybody's radar. Now, with Homeland Security and things being what they are, there will likely be more hoops for you to jump through.
Your best bet with any border situation is to know more than they do, but don't act like you know more than they do. Simply have an answer and a document for every question they ask. Right or wrong, anyone getting flustered, even understandably flustered, is a red flag. I tell people this for any number of border issues.
You're going to also have to consider your airlines. You're going to be on some International airline. You and your dog will have whatever arrangements that nation's airlines provide you, no more and no less. You will need to find out if guide dogs are even accepted in Vietnam, or if cab drivers even have a requirement to take you. Even if they are required, does that mean anything? There are a lot of laws on Mexico's books, for instance, that I never saw enforced down there. There's enough gun control laws to make any progressive happy, and enough free-floating guns to put the most redneck of Southerners to pitiful shame.
You can private message me if you want support and assistance in finding out what you will need from the Federal Government and how to manage border crossings, etc. Again, I will never dare say I know what those rules are now. A quarter century is a long time in regulations history. But I can help you with getting on track with figuring this stuff out. Now that we all do things online, this will be much easier than when I was younger.
Oh, one final anecdote, if you will: as an example of what other countries can do? I and several other young men in our group from the University were separated, had our passports taken from us, and stood and waited like sitting ducks for 45 minutes in Tokyo. Tokyo wasn't even our final destination. None of us ever knew what for, or why, but nothing happened. Literally nothing: they brought us our passports and quite unceremoniously sent us on our way. You just have to assume that quite literally, anything can happen when you leave the Western Nations. And often times the anything can turn out to be interesting and cool. Anyway I hope this gives you a bit of direction.
I thought they liked eating dog meat, but I thought I might be confusing them with another area. Then again, just because we eat chickens, you don't offten hear about people stealing chickens and eating them just because we can and chicken tastes good. However, like it has been said. It is a different culture there, one that I am not very aware of, so anything is possible.
Wow, you're a much braver soul than I.
Could your school be a resource as far as international agreements, vaxination requirements, etc? I know GDB does that sort of thing but honestly I didn't pay too much attention to that info when I was there 13 years ago. I couldn't see myself ever leaving the country, and low and behold, I was correct.
Anyway, sorry but the part about the open sewer cracked me up. I wouldn't have even thought of that but eeeewwww!
I hope you find the answers your after, and if you get to go, I look forward to hearing about your trip.
Chickens, cows, sheep, and such things we eat get stolen all the time Runner.
I honestly don't know about the places she is going, but if I'm right I'd not want to take my guide no matter what the law or rules claimed. Why take a chance on it?
Also Japan is much different and much like hereas far as how cities are kept.
Hmmm. Well, Japan has a guide dog school, and some other service dog schools as well as service dog training programs, so their laws do allow for some access. I will speak to the professor. If a lot of it is done at the descression and goodwill of those transporting and housing us and he thinks they won't have an issue with the dog, then I'd take his word for it. He's been doing this program for years. I don't so much worry that someone would come up and try to steel Frieda and eat her, rather that if for some reason the police, who are noted to be very corrupt were to take issue with me or our group, they might detain us or me and try to seperate me from Frieda and something might mysteriously happen to her. I'm doing ,more research into how true this corruption bit is and how it applies to where I will be traveling. I may weight and see if this programs is still available at a time in 4 to 8 years when I'd be between dogs. I would be with a medium sized group of American students and facalty, so theoretically that would help. Erm, theoretically, I might look into what I could do in a country like South Korea where the Samsung guide dog school operates, and or something in the us, such as helping on a Native Amwerican reservation. I probably couldn't bring Frieda, but it'd be for a short period of time, so that should be alright, and I might be able to get special permission to bring her. Yes, they deffinitly eat dogs in Vietnam, but it's not a huge market, they don't raise dogs commercially for the purpose like in South Korea, and even in South Korea, it's a small portion of the population, and their version of the ASPCA and of PETA is working to get this made illegal. There is deffinitly a ton of research to do. I was hoping that we'd have some zoners from Vietnam or South Korea or similar, but the only two I found from South Korea never did anything but write profiles back in 2009 and have been inactive. I'll search for Vietnam profiles but I'm not very optimistic.
I may know someone (I'm not sure whether she's on here) who imigrated here rather young but is fluent in Vietnameese.
Her name is Min Hak Kim (hope I'm spelling that right)
I personally have not traveled t o Vietnam/South Korea, so can not help with guide-dog laws there.
Well, if you happen to speak to her or email her any time soon, if you could pass along my email address heather.l.bird@gmail.com, if she'd be willing to chat with me sometime, that woould be very helpful and most appreciated.
Hi Heather,
I've left Vietnam 28 years ago when I was little, so I don't know how helpful I'd be to you. But if I could help in some ways, just send me a private message on here.
The only suggestion I would have from the many times when my mom went back there is that, a litttle brivery in the form of money in such places such as the airport goes a long way. My mom always kept a few 5 dollars bills on her, and when necessary, she will hand them out. I find that unfortunate, but it works...
Heather, i'm sorry but I don't know her e-mail.
Her name is all I know. Sorry I can't be more helpful
I know some countries might have quarantine laws in place, but exactly how long the dog would have to be quarantined when you got there, I have no idea. Just something to consider. Good luck and please keep us posted.