Vietnam Social Activism

Broad-based volunteer organizations offer opportunities in a variety of areas. Some programs charge discouragingly high fees, but in most cases you get what you pay for. Some organizations can connect you with alumni of their programs.

CHOICE Humanitarian, 7879 S 1530 W. Ste. 200, West Jordan, UT 84088, USA (☎888-474-1937; www.choicehumanitarian.org). 1- to 2-week programs building schools, refurbishing bicycles, or creating rain-harvesting systems in a rural community. Min. age 12. US$1800.
Global Humanitarian Expeditions, 602 South Ogden St., Denver, CO 80209, USA (☎800-543-1171; www.humanitariantours.com/home.htm). Volunteers help to operate mobile dental clinics around à N{ng. Experience in dental work is appreciated but not necessary. Most programs 2-3 weeks.
Global Routes, 1 Short St., Northampton, MA 01060, USA (☎413-585-8895; www.globalroutes.org/student-travel.html). 5-week programs for high school students to travel through Southeast Asia, including 10 days in Vietnam. Participants live for a few weeks with families and engage in various volunteer projects.
Globe Aware Adventures in Service, 7232 Fisher Rd., Dallas, TX 75214, USA (☎877-588-4562; www.globeaware.org/content/vietnamprogram.htm). Offers 1-week programs near Hÿi An (US$1400) for teaching English, building playgrounds, restoring houses, and refurbishing schools.
i-to-i Vietnam (www.i-to-i.com), Woodside House, 261 Low Ln., Leeds LS18 5NY UK (☎870 333 2332); 190 East 9th Ave., Ste. 350, Denver, CO 80203, USA (☎800-985-4864). Teach English in Hà Nÿi, build homes in the Mekong, or work at a soup kitchen in HCMC. Most programs 2-12 weeks. Program fees run several thousand dollars plus airfare and food.
The Network, based in H· Chí Minh City. An organization of charitable opportunities all across the city, ranging from volunteering in homeless shelters and hospitals to building schools for street children. Volunteers are needed to help with fundraising, teach English, or help care for disabled children. Short- and long-term placements available. Contact Elizabeth Copley (☎9292 0100; elizabethcopley@hotmail.com).
United Nations Volunteer Program, 25-29 Phan Bÿi Chñu, Hà Nÿi, Vietnam (☎4 925 2267; www.un.org.vn/unv). Hosts occasional programs for UN Volunteers. The website includes links to local volunteer-seeking organizations. The United Nations Development Program also offers highly competitive internships open to graduate students in development fields.
VentureCo, The Ironyard, 64-66 The Market Place, Warwick CV34 4SD, UK (☎192 641 1122; www.ventureco-worldwide.com). VentureCo offers gap year (year off before university), career break, summer venture, or custom group trips. These 16-week ventures pass through China, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. The program cultural immersion and language courses, and a series of volunteer projects in the destinations included on the route.
Volunteers for Peace, 1034 Tiffany Rd., Belmont, VT 05730, USA (☎802-259-2759; www.vfp.org). The most comprehensive, affordable volunteer organization around. A huge variety of program types and lengths, and thousands of dollars cheaper than most similar organizations. Programs in Vietnam include working with children, environmental conservation, and HIV/AIDS prevention. Food and housing, but not airfare, included. 2- to 3-week programs are US$270.
VUFO-NGO Resource Centre, Building L at the back of the La Thánh Hotel on 218 ÿi C+n, Hà Nÿi (☎4 832 8570; www.ngocentre.org.vn). The first and best place to find volunteering opportunities in Vietnam, this office of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations and affiliated NGOs functions as a platform and liaison between volunteers and numerous aid and development organizations, complete with a large library of past and present NGO projects. The office is under the guidance of the governmental People’s Aid Coordinating Committee (PACCOM). Open daily 8am-noon and 1:30-5pm.
Youth International, 232 Wright Ave., Toronto, Ontario M6R 1L3, Canada (☎416-538-0152; www.youthinternational.org). Three-month backpacking programs for those between 15 and 25 that combine travel, cultural immersion, and some volunteering in local communities in Vietnam, Thailand, and India. The program costs about US$7500.