Vietnam

Teaching, Disability Care Work & Health

  Destination Profile Vietnam
  Capital: Hanoi
  Surface Area: 329,310 thousand sq km
  Population: 86 million (2009)
  Official Language: Vietnamese
  Exchange Rate: 1.00 AUD = 17,100.75 VND


Placement Information
A limited number of places are available for experienced volunteers in disabled children’s centres and orphanages based in and around Hanoi. Volunteers are required to assist local staff to care for Autistic, Downs Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy children. Hanoi is a busy, vibrant city and volunteers will be immersed in the hustle and bustle of urban Vietnamese life.

Accommodation
Students live in a local guesthouse close to their placement. Lunch is provided at the centre but volunteers need to cover their own breakfast and dinner. Vietnamese cuisine is inexpensive and delicious based on fresh ingredients and subtle flavours. It is easy to explore the streets of both cities and discover the variety of food haunts which will likely become your favourites by the end of the placement.

Free Time Suggestions
In Hanoi, there is plenty to do during the weekdays with access to Central Hanoi, the wonderful old Quarter with small alleyways, markets and old colonial buildings. It is also possible to visit Ho Chi Minh’s mausoleum and other famous sites such as the Temple of Literature and the Army Museum. At the weekends, students can travel further afield to places such as stunning Halong Bay and Sapa with its array of minority people dressed in traditional clothing. Around Mai Chau there is plenty of majestic countryside where volunteers can enjoy trekking.