Long-Term Volunteer Programs in Vietnam

Vietnam is a youthful and forward-looking nation in the midst of rapid development. In 1990, VIA was one of the first American organizations invited to send volunteers to Vietnam, five years before relations between the U.S. and Vietnam were normalized. At that time, VIA gained unprecedented permission to operate in the country. Since then, our dedicated service has strengthened this mutual partnership and earned VIA a reputation for cross-cultural building, reconciliation, and community service.

Over the 15 years VIA has operated in Vietnam, our 200+ volunteers have trained future secondary school teachers, taught international relations to Communist Party members, advised students on study abroad, coordinated campus English clubs, wrote successful grant reports for community development projects, edited scholarly journals, and much, much more.

Currently, most VIA volunteers in Vietnam teach English to university students, advancing skills that many Vietnamese see as providing a path to a better future for themselves and their families. A limited number of posts also offer highly qualified candidates an opportunity to assist with teaching English for special purposes, editing, and field research.

There are two ways to participate in the Long-Term Program in Vietnam:

Long-Term Program

The Vietnam Long-Term program offers volunteers a diverse range of experiences, from teaching English to high-ranking district officials in a rural community along the Mekong river or organizing a film club for enthusiastic university students in the bustling capital of Hanoi.

There is an enormous need for native speaking English teachers to help train students, teachers, and community leaders. As such, all VIA volunteers in Vietnam currently teach English in some capacity. Our partners recognize the need for VIA teachers, who not only help improve students' and faculty's English skills, but also foster cross-cultural understanding in the classroom and their communities.

Everytime you step into the classroom, students will greet you with a chorus of "Good morning, teacher!" Students are enthusiastic learners and teachers are deeply revered in Vietnam.

English Teaching (ET) Positions: ET volunteers in Vietnam currently teach at schools, colleges, and universities in the following places: the Mekong Delta, Nha Trang, Dalat, Hue, and Hanoi.

ET volunteers teach English conversation, reading, writing, journalism, business communication or literature. Almost all volunteers also lead extra-curricular campus activities such as regular film nights or a campus English club. ET volunteers teach a maximum of 16 hours a week and may receive four hours of Vietnamese instruction depending on the partner institution.

English Teaching/English Resource (ET/ER) Positions: In addition to teaching English, ET/ER volunteers help Vietnamese students or researchers improve their English language skills so they may apply for scholarships, study abroad, or develop professionally. These volunteers help with writing, editing, tutoring, or advising, while concurrently teaching English classes. ET/ER posts are at the Center for Agricultural Research and Ecological Studies (CARES) and An Giang Dong Thap Alliance for the Prevention of Trafficking (ADAPT). At CARES, the volunteer may also conduct fieldwork and agricultural economics research. ER/ET posts are generally full-time and require special qualifications. Read more about ET and ET/ER posts on the Post Descriptions page.

Living Arrangements: In small cities, partner institutions provide accommodations in on-campus guesthouses or in private homes. Typical accommodations consist of a room or house with private bath and space for a hot plate, or sometimes, a shared kitchen. In Hanoi, most volunteers receive a housing stipend and are responsible for finding their own housing, usually a room with a Vietnamese family or in a shared house with other volunteers. Volunteers buy food daily at the local market to cook their meals, or eat meals at local food stalls or in small restuarants. Transportation is by bicycle - most partner institutions provide a bicycle for volunteers. Commuting from home to school may take anywhere from a few minutes on foot to a half-hour by bicycle each way. Some volunteers in Hanoi purchase or rent a motorbike with their own funds.

Orientation and In-Country Support: The Vietnam Program has a full-time Program Director based in the U.S. and a full-time In-Country Representative based in Hanoi. After training in Thailand, volunteers arrive in Hanoi for a two-and-a-half week in-country orientation which includes three hours of Vietnamese instruction daily and visits to nonprofit organizations, community leaders, and cultural sites. In the fall, the In-Country Representative visits each post to see how volunteers have settled in. In early winter, the Program Director visits each post to renew contracts. After this visit, volunteers gather together for the Vietnam program's annual meeting. The annual meeting is a great time for volunteers to reflect on their in-country experiences and to set program plans and priorities for the next year. VIA Volunteers are considered stakeholders and have an important voice in the direction of the Vietnam program.