Volunteer in Vietnam

“I’ve begun to really realize this volunteer program is much
bigger than helping to teach these kids some English,
and improve their career opportunities. I’m also
building life-changing relationships for them and myself.
I’m very grateful for this opportunity.”
Rosy Xu, Vietnam Volunteer

Teach English skills in classrooms, offices and small groups as a short-term volunteer in Vietnam. Growing out of rural community development projects in 1995, our Vietnam partnership helps propel youth and adults toward their educational and career goals. Review the standard volunteer work schedule here for volunteers who teach English in Vietnam.

“Working with enthusiastic and energetic adolescent school children was a two-way learning experience and very satisfying. Teaching English, playing word games and the ever-popular spoons, and a bit of sports was a lot of fun. The hotel was quite pleasant and perfectly located. The Vietnamese food was superb, and Hanoi had a number of sites worth seeing. This was my sixth Global Volunteers program, and it’s hard to pick which one I liked the best.”
– Ken Dubuque, Vietnam Alumna

Teaching Projects in Vietnam

Work with Youth and Adults
Many Vietnamese schools and private language programs lack teachers with sufficient English competencies to teach practical English capabilities beyond basic writing and speaking skills. Your English teaching assignments build on these skills, and help them improve their conversational abilities.
- As a volunteer at Foreign Trade University, you teach conversational English skills using standard English curriculum texts and established lesson plans to present lectures on specified topics, but occasionally you may lead open discussions on North American culture, history, lifestyles, and the like…all in English.
- As a volunteer at Nguyen Binh Khiem School, you use games, songs, quizzes and puzzles to coax primary and secondary school students into expanding their English vocabulary and conversational skills. Team-teach in classrooms, or work independently with small student groups.
- As a volunteer at Blind-Link, you teach basic conversational English skills to young, visually impaired adults who are in training for professional massage therapy careers. Your skills, enthusiasm and encouragement go the distance in giving them a “leg up” in their long-term professional development, and ultimately, their self-sufficiency.
- As a volunteer at the Vietnam Institute for Development Strategy (VIDS), a research center on national socio-economic development strategies, you’re a resource to their English Communication Program. Tutor high- and mid-ranking officials and bright young researchers on conversational English pronunciation and vocabulary. You work with up to five students and a local volunteer who helps prepare English teaching materials and coordinates logistics. You may also be called on for simple English translation.

FAQs: How to Volunteer in Vietnam

Dates & Contribution

Service program fees are tax-deductible for U.S. taxpayers when you follow our itinerary. Select program options below to see upcoming service program dates for Vietnam. Then select a program date to hold your place on a team with your $350 deposit. Call a volunteer coordinator at (800) 487-1074 for help if needed. If you prefer, you may print a text registration and submit it by mail or fax. Children under age 18 – must submit a minor registration and travel with a parent or adult legal guardian.

Most partner community lodging is double-occupancy, with a single room option for an additional fee. Click for single room fees in countries where this option is available.

Upcoming Volunteer Dates in Hanoi, Vietnam

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Team Leaders

Your team leader is a Global Volunteers alumni or member of staff who has completed our comprehensive team leader training, and is skilled in managing diverse groups of people. All of our team leaders are certified in CPR, and have served on multiple service programs – some up to 20 times! Your Vietnam team leader has demonstrated an understanding of the host community’s culture, and has received top scores on previous volunteer teams’ evaluations. You’ll receive their background information approximately four weeks before your service program begins.

Arrival & Departure

Plan your arrival in Hanoi’s Noibai International Airport (airport code HAN), before 4PM on the first Saturday of your service program. Meet your team at the airport at this time if you travel in the country before the start of the service program. Provided you send us your flight itinerary at least two weeks before the service program arrival date, you’ll be transported to the hotel with your teammates. This coordinated schedule will assist in assembling the team for in-transit transportation. Global Volunteers’ service program officially commences with the evening meal on the first Saturday. If your flight is delayed, please contact us as soon as you confirm your new arrival plans so your team leader can arrange an airport pick up for you.

Health & Safety

Your health, safety and security is our top priority. Your lodging, food and transportation are provided always with a mind to protect you while at the work site and in your hotel. Your team leader is trained in CPR and first aid. Read more about health and safety here.

The greatest safety risk is posed by street traffic, both when riding in a vehicle and when crossing busy streets. Your team leader will advise you on traffic safety and other precautions to protect you when walking to your work assignments and during your free time. We strongly recommend you consult your own physician, public health clinic and/or travel clinic for detailed travel health information. For general recommendations, consult the following sources:

Centers for Disease Control | Health Canada Online | Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade

Global Volunteers includes emergency medical evacuation insurance in your service program fee. We also recommend health insurance that covers you while you are outside your home country, and trip cancellation insurance in the event you must cancel your participation on the service program. Your travel agent can refer you to travel insurance providers. Click here to read risks associated with international travel.

Free Time

Ample time is available after the work day and on the weekend to enjoy cultural, natural and educational attractions in and around Hanoi. Many volunteers enjoy shopping in unique craft markets, art galleries and “old town” shops near the hotel, which is centrally located in the historical center of the city. The area is also filled with beautiful parks and lakes just a short walk or taxi ride away. A few of the notable historical sites are:

The “Hanoi Hilton,” the prison used to incarcerate both Vietnamese and U.S. soldiers at different times
The Puppet Theater
The Mausoleum
The Catholic Cathedral

While our non-profit status does not allow us to plan your free-time activities, our local partners and team leader can suggest many opportunities to explore the region.You can also arrange engaging weekend trips through the hotel, including: Halong Bay, a resort area; Sapa with its spectacular trekking; and Ninh Binh, featuring beautiful pagodas and rice fields.

Family Opportunities

Serving as a family in Vietnam can be a most rewarding experience! Children ages 8 to 18 can serve along with their parents or guardian in classrooms and small groups of children and teens. Your volunteer coordinator will work with you to find the ideal program schedule to meet your family volunteering goals.

For instance, pre-teens can often tutor children the same age at Nguyen Binh Khiem School – and practice English through songs, games, skits, art projects and the like. Vietnamese children are curious about volunteers of all ages – and like children worldwide – love to talk about friends, movies and family life. With nearly 2,200 students in the high school (11 to 18 years) and nearly the same number in the primary grades, it is one of the largest schools in Hanoi. Class size ranges from 24 to 40 students. Our partners readily welcome child volunteers into their classrooms! Mature teens can team-teach lessons from our English Teaching Guide along with a parent – or invent new sessions on topics of mutual interest, such as music, sports and Hollywood personalities.

Chose program dates during school breaks and summer vacations. Parents and guardians are expected to supervise their child volunteers, and collaborate with our team leader and Vietnamese teachers to maximize the service experience for everyone. Youth are invited to offer their own perspectives in team meetings and fully participate in free-time activities. In this way, your child can form a rare, personal perspective of today’s China beyond what they can find online, in school or in personal study. What’s more, they’ll gain life-long friends in one of the fastest developing countries on Earth.

Group Opportunities

Imagine your group teaching conversational English in Hanoi – the economic and cultural center celebrating 1,000 years as the capital Thăng Long founded by the emperor Lý Thái Tổ. The benefits of volunteering as a group with Global Volunteers in Vietnam are many….for you and the students you serve. Teaching English conversational skills to students and guiding young blind adults’ language understanding and capabilities acquaints you with the daily realities of life in Vietnam. Through their experiences and stories, you witness the “true Vietnam” – vibrant, hopeful and peaceful. Your skills, enthusiasm and encouragement helps them gain self-confidence and enhances their long-term professional development, and self-sufficiency. What’s more, you learn about your group members in a non-traditional way as an intact volunteer team, and know that your unique skills advance the futures of those you serve.

Opportunities for high school and college groups

The Foreign Trade University is a public university and is considered one of the top institutions of higher learning in Vietnam. A multidisciplinary university, it offers diversified and competitive training programs to 16,000 students, including a branch in Ho Chi Minh City. Blind-Link is a private, non-profit program for visually impaired young adults providing occupational training at three centers in Hanoi. Each volunteer works in a small group of three blind or visually impaired students along with a Vietnamese teaching assistant to help students improve their ability to communicate with English-speaking clients. You’ll tutor up to 15 students each day, divided into five one-hour sessions, from 9AM to 3PM.

Read on for details on group volunteering

Volunteer in Vietnam Service Program Snapshot

1 & 2 weeks year-round

Contribution:
$2,362* – $2,995

* with qualifying discounts.

Projects Include:
English Teaching

Local time:

Request Information

Request Program Catalog

Download Full Program Schedule

Read Program Blog

How I Experienced Compassion in Vietnam as a Global Volunteer

January 18, 2019/by Millie Pinakoulaki

Volunteer in Vietnam Offers Compelling Take on “Goodness”

Bill teaching with Global Volunteers in Hanoi, Vietnam

November 28, 2018/by Sam Pinakoulaki

I Found My Calling with Global Volunteers

Teaching Conversational English in Vietnam

August 28, 2018/by Sam Pinakoulaki

Outstanding Students Inspire First-Time Vietnam Volunteer

June 2, 2017/by Dana Faust

There Are So Many Reasons to Volunteer in Hanoi!

Food and Lodging

Your health and safety as a volunteer in Vietnam are our highest priorities. Your secure, full-service 3-star Hanoi Heritage Hotel is an airy and quiet oasis in Hanoi’s bustling Old Quarter. Each guest room is double occupancy, with air-conditioning, in-room telephones, private baths with hot and cold water, and cable TV with CNN, BBC and other international channels.

Air conditioning
English TV channels
Free Wi-fi and business center
Central location in city
Single rooms available for an extra fee
Foreign currency exchange
Spa service
On-site restaurant
Laundry services

Vietnamese food is healthy and appealing to most every palate. A buffet breakfast is served at the hotel. Lunch is at the schools or local restaurants. Dinners are enjoyed as a team at restaurants in the Old Quarter. You can expect meals based on rice and noodles such as stir fry, hot pot, vegetables, tropical fruits, fish, chicken, pork and beef. Bottled water is provided daily. Vegetarian diets can generally be accommodated.

“I really appreciate what the Global Volunteers do for us. You come not only like friends, teachers, and colleagues but also like angels with all enthusiasm, respect, and friendliness.”

Nguyen Thu HuongForeign Trade University teacher

“The Vietnamese seem to really like us. Their smiles are warm. Students are always eager to say hello to us. Suzanne and Katie are told that a student, a soon-to-be-bride would be honored to have them at her wedding. And Ben, a former soldier, is treated so well he wants to return and again help people he has come to love.”

Janet RodriguezVietnam Volunteer

“I would like to express my highest appreciation for your wonderful teaching, helping to improve greatly my colleagues’ pronunciation and presentation skills. We look forward to an even closer cooperation between VIDS and Global Volunteers.”

Phan Ngoc Mai PhuongVice President, Vietnam Institute for Development Strategies

“Opening our doors to volunteers from America has been a great success for our students and our teachers, especially in a world where speaking and writing English is becoming increasingly important.”

Dr. Nguyen Van HoaHeadmaster of Ngyyen Binh Khiem High School

“Overall, it’s an amazing experience. I love to see how eager the students are to learn English. They never get frustrated with their disability. Blindness never stopped them from being happy every day, from smiling and wanting so badly to learn and becoming more successful in their life. These all inspire me.”

Courtney BradyVietnam Volunteer

“With the teachers in the front of the classroom, we truly felt we were part of a TEAM. Clearly, they’ve come to understand the value of working in partnership with us, so we were treated as welcome guests and valued resources. The students are bright – there is much pondering, repeating, laughing, trying again, and at times, singing!”

Barbara CorbusierVietnam volunteer

“Having said ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ my own way, one person at a time, I’m going home to America knowing that for me, the war in Vietnam and in myself is finally over.”

John BochainVietnam War veteran, Vietnam Volunteer

Be The Change.

Through important, full-day volunteer English teaching assignments, cultural activities and time for personal adventures, you’ll learn about Vietnam and remain forever invested. Our time-tested and proven philosophy of service ensures your efforts help advance the host community’s development vision and goals. You contribute to genuine development projects, and in doing so, you‘re accepted as family. Our commitment to work in partnership on long-term community projects enables you, in just a short time, to serve as a critical link in a chain of volunteer support spanning three decades.

Volunteer Voices:

Read more about serving as a volunteer in Vietnam here or on our Vietnam program blog.

Volunteer in Vietnam: Request a Program Fact Sheet

Request a program catalog here or by calling 800-487-1074.

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