Why volunteer in Vietnam?
Vietnam is just a small country in South East Asia, but again, its special landmass provides the country with unique and picturesque landscape , amazing cuisine and friendly people. Volunteer in Vietnam will provide unforgettable experiences to international volunteers by living and working with local people and make meaningful, exciting and safe international volunteer travel with a reasonable fee. It’s also a good chance for you to give a hand to help the community. Vietnam has welcomed a number of volunteers in many sectors such as education, health, environment and youth development . What’s more Vietnamese people are ready to get out of their ways to show you around and give a hand whenever you need.
Numbers and basic information about Vietnam
Area: 331,051.4 km2
Climate: subtropical (north), tropical (south)
Population: More than 90 million
Poverty rate: 10.7%
Inflation rate: 9.21%
Ethnic minorities: 54
Location and duration of Projects:
Most volunteer programs are found in Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon) and Hanoi in the North of the country. Many programs are available throughout the whole year, with flexible start dates and program duration. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for minimum up-to one week to six months under these programs.
Types of volunteer Programs in Vietnam
Agent Orange: There is a huge number of children affected by Agent Orange, which was used by the US army in the Vietnam war and has had devastating effects , The Agent Orange project is always in need of volunteers. Regardless of how volunteers give a hand to make community better, their efforts have been bringing to people affected by Agent Orange a normal , happy, fulfilled live. Volunteers who are capable of taking care of disable people and medical work in general are highly sought after. Besides, Volunteers can help teachers with preparing materials for special lessons, assisting with feeding at lunchtime, organizing many activities to raise fund and call for donations.
Street kids: Let’s imagine if you were no home to come back , to sleep , to protect you from rainy and shiny days. It’s extremely difficult to meet the daily meets, even more tough to obtain good education. Many children had to run away from home because of violence and abuse. Some of them are abandoned, kidnapped, orphaned, or live in desolate areas. They need a home shelter to live , people who are willing to teach, love and take care of them. These are some of Vietnam’s most vulnerable people and there are lots of organizations offering a safe place to stay and vocational training to get these kids off the streets. There’re endless ways to help them for you like teaching, assisting them at school, providing sports with them , providing medical care, being their advisors, or just making them laugh.
Education and Teaching:. Many families cannot afford to send their kids to school. Although public schools are generally well-run, class sizes are large and students who struggle can be left behind. Some small schools are run by volunteers, and with minimal government funding have been set up to provide basic Vietnamese and English lesson for these children. They are hungry for knowledge and willing to learn new things that they don’t have chances to learn. Volunteering on the Teaching Project in Vietnam with Projects Abroad is a chance for you to gain valuable teaching and classroom-based work experience while helping students gain the skills they need
Family rights and gender equality: As Vietnam’s law, women can get married at 18 years old while men are in 20. However, it’s not the case in the rural area of Vietnam especially in the ethic locations. Women are forced to marry the person they don’t want even though they are under 18. Some families always have a strong stigma about the boys and girls, That’s why they want to have boys. And this has led to inequality of Gender in Vietnam. Volunteer work in gender equality is sought in these areas where volunteers educate and sensitize women on marriage laws as stipulated in the Vietnam constitution.
Eco- Tourism
Every year an area of rainforest is cut down and destroyed. The plants and animals that used to live here need a shelter to survive. In Vietnam through environmental protection agencies of the flora and fauna found here. Vietnam has a unique combination of different types of animal species and plants that need to be preserved and protected. Volunteers can join hands to protect and educate how human beings can manage their behaviour and ecosystems in order to live sustainably.
Health and Safety: You should pay attention to traffic in some big cities, it’s sometimes chaos and risky when walking through roads. Vaccinations that may be required for travelers spending a prolonged period in Vietnam . You will need to check what vaccinations are compulsory at your local healthcare provider before departing.
Requirements: Volunteers must be 18 years or older at the time of joining the project. Volunteers need to have an open mind and flexible attitude for working in a new and different environment.
The volunteer should bring energy and enthusiasm to make a difference. Participants must be in good health.
Accommodation: Volunteers can have many choices like homestay, local house which are safe, clean.
Not only will you build experience for your CV/Resume, you will gain an international network of friends and grow personally through your experiences on the project and during your time in Vietnam. So, what are you waiting for?
