Vietnamese embassy in Germany promises birthplace confirmation

It would be issued free of cost to support people who were already granted entry to perform other administrative procedures, the embassy website said.

Those who want the confirmation "need to ... present proof of place of birth such as a birth certificate or former passport," the announcement said.

The embassy added that the two countries are "actively discussing" how to resolve the problems related to Germany's refusal to recognize the new Vietnamese passport on the grounds that it lacks information about the holder's place of birth.

The German embassy in Hanoi said Thursday it cannot grant visas to holders of the new passports since their identities could not be verified without the place of birth.

German authorities could not find information about place of birth based solely on the personal identification number in the passport, it added.

Vietnam started issuing the new passport on July 1.

The old passport will continue to be valid until expiration.