Our host in Vietnam is the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET.) We have four community partners in Hanoi:
Nguyen Binh Khiem High School
Nguyen Binh Khiem, (phonetically pronounced When Bin Kim) is a private high school that needs volunteers year round, except for the week before and after Tet (Chinese New Year). The school was established in 1963 and is subject to the Hanoi Department of Education and Training. With nearly 2,200 students in the high school (11 to 18 years) and a primary school starting in fall of 2008 for six- to ten-year-olds, it is one of the largest schools in Hanoi. Class size ranges from 24 to 40 students.
Hanoi University
Hanoi University is a public university and one of the top institutions of higher learning in Vietnam. It was established in 1959, although it only acquired its prestigious name a few years ago. This university is taking the lead on the government’s “Mega English Project.” Hanoi University established an all-English curriculum several years ago in order to help meet this need. Fifteen hundred new students enter each year and 1,000 of them enroll in an intensive one-year English language program – they only study English. In addition to law, business, sciences, mathematics and economics, they offer 20 different languages.
There are 6,500 full-time students in day classes and nearly 5,000 in night school, taught by 500 professors and teachers. Ten percent of the student body is international students, including about 50 from the U.S. who are enrolled in semester-long study abroad programs. There are also six U.S. professors on campus.
Foreign Trade University
The Foreign Trade University is a public university and is also considered one of the top institutions of higher learning in Vietnam. Established in 1960, the multidisciplinary university offers diversified and competitive training programs. The university has 16,000 students, including a branch in Ho Chi Minh City. Classes are 2.5 hours long with two five minute breaks during each class. Students attend only in the morning or afternoon.
SOS – Children's Village
This orphanage is managed by the Department of Invalid and Social Affairs, but is funded by the International SOS organization with corporate offices in Austria. There are SOS orphanages all over the world. In Hanoi, they care for 190 orphaned and abandoned kids, ages 5 to 17, in home-like settings of eight to ten children.
