For many Korean international students no practical experience when entering the country, the first thing makes you feel confused when you first arrive. Coming to Korea is entry procedures at the airport. There are people who are really in trouble and can’t handle it. However, there are not many articles that give practical experience when entering the country so that international students can prepare the best psychologically.
<3 – International student Monday in Seoul. With all my own experiences from preparing luggage to immigration procedures, I hope that this article by Van Anh will help you have the best preparation for your Korean study abroad journey. okay.
✈️ I took flight SG – Incheon at 12pm on May 18 & Arrived around 6am 19/5. This is the first time I have come to Korea, and I have the mentality that I would rather bring excess than lack, so I carry 2 suitcases of clothes and utensils (each suitcase is about 22kg) + 1 small box of miscellaneous (about 4kg) + 1 backpack laptop and books (about ~10kg) + 1 crossbody bag containing passport, the total weight is about 60~65kg but the small box alone is over kg so I have to bring it home.
✈️ There is a snack pack on board the plane that serves dinner & breakfast includes a crossaint with strawberry jam, mashed potatoes, fries & mushrooms, fruits & yogurt. But I must have eaten when I was sleepy so I didn’t feel very good, in return, the fruit is super sweet.
💁🏻♀️ The staff at the airport are quite friendly & enthusiastic, especially the uncles at the bus guide counter. If you can’t speak Korean, you can still use normal English.
💁🏻♂️ The immigration process takes about 1 hour & When finished, the luggage is also out, after taking the luggage, the staff will check if you have brought prohibited items, fresh food, meat products … not. Normally, Korea is also quite strict in testing, adding the Covid epidemic, so I don’t think you should find a way to circumvent the law or “eat a lot” because just detecting a lie you will be fined up to. 10 million won (~200 million Vietnamese Dong)
🚎 Through the baggage check door, you will arrive at the bus guide, give the address and then go to the waiting area for about 15 minutes. Someone will guide you down to the ticket counter. Incheon – Seoul bus ticket is 16k won (~300k Vietnamese currency) & Waited about 3 hours to get the car. If you have a lot of money or have someone to go with you to share money, you can take a taxi without having to wait long, but the taxi price is about 100k won (~2 million VND).
🚎 Which area you are in, the bus will take you there & Someone will accompany you to the medical station. At the medical station they will give you a declaration & test. The testing process is very fast, but it’s also terrible, so I’ll let you guys experience it for yourself. Here, I gave my teacher’s phone number but they didn’t accept it, so in the end I had to give my Kakaotalk ID to text and call to check every day.
🏷 Preset app #자가격리자안전보호 In Vietnam, to get to a place, one can be pulled out for the inspection staff to save time.
🏷 Wear a mask & gloves (if possible) during the journey, extra care can wear glasses & wear a hat with a plastic shield.
🏷 Bring enough luggage, especially hand luggage, as compact as possible because the entry time is quite long. Normally, if you don’t have to move a lot, you should close the foam box or the carton will be neat & save kilos. But this time when I go to the airport, I have to visit the medical station before I can go home, so I use a suitcase to move more easily.
🏷 Bring a pen to fill out the documents that the flight attendants hand out on the plane. After completing, keep these 4 sheets of paper to submit to the ground staff, not to the flight attendants.
🏷 The waiting time for the bus is about 3 hours and the restaurants in Incheon Airport are extremely expensive, so you should prepare some snacks, cakes & bottled drinking water (retain empty bottles to refill in the waiting area).
🏷 Even though it’s already the end of May, when I arrived in Seoul it was only 13 degrees & It rained so it was very cold. When in Vietnam, you can wear anything, but you should have 1 long-sleeved shirt and 1 jacket in hand luggage to change immediately when you arrive.
🏷 I don’t know how to advise boys, but girls should bring a few clothes that are enough for use, basic medicines (medicine for stomachache, headache, cold medicine). flu, fever…), BVS, cosmetics that you use in Vietnam because you don’t know where to buy them in the first time… But no matter what, bring them in ENOUGH quantities, but don’t be greedy. like me.
🏷 Last advice, I don’t know if this is necessary but I’ll write it down anyway. I don’t know the last step, people will take pictures and leave their sleepy faces alone, their eyes and hair will be messy, it looks horrible, so girls after getting off the plane, go to the toilet to wash your face and put on some makeup. Be neat and pretty.
